Car April Fools Stuff: BMW lead the way

BMW went to town on creating an M3 pick-up as an April Fools joke Just as we did last year with car April Fool stuff, it seems to make more sense to do a roundup of what hilarious pranks the motoring world – renowned for its sense of humour – has conjured up this year for your mirth than to run separate stories. BMW M3 pickup: BMW had one of its jolly japes for this year spoilt somewhat when spy shots of an M3 pickup were taken at the Nurburgring. But sources at BMW admitted it was part of a April Fools Day plan.

Opel Antara

Opel unveiled their new SUV at the opening of the new design center in Germany last week. Taking cues from the Antara GTC concept shown in Frankfurt last year, the production version shares its platform with the Chevrolet Captiva. More premium-feeling than the Captiva, the Antara combines the concept's "stylish-body-on-rugged-base" theme with shorter overhangs than the Chevrolet, though the roofline rises to accommodate the two additional doors.

Abarth 595 (2012) Turismo and Competizione join range

Two new versions of Abarth's 500 hot hatch have been revealed, coming as standard with more power, upgraded toys and even more personalisation potential. There's also a handy price-drop for the standard Abarth 500, which gets a few tweaks to keep the Scorpion-badged pocket rocket fresh. How does the new Abarth range stack up?