BMW X3 xDrive35d & xDrive20i revealed: UK gets X3 xDrive35d

2012 BMW X3 Update: UK specs and prices added at the bottom – thanks BMW UK. The new BMW X3 is turning in to something of a star for BMW, as we discovered when we recently reviewed the latest X3, but the reveal of the 2012 BMW X3 X3 xDrive35d for the UK should make the X3 even more appealing. BMW has actually revealed two new X3s for 2012, but the UK won’t be getting the X3 xDrive20i because BMW UK has decreed that X3s in the UK are going to be diesel only.

Limited Edition MINI Countryman and MINI Paceman get Frozen Black Metallic Matt paint

MINI Paceman (pictured) with the new Frozen Black Matt paint job Matt paint finishes are not exactly everyone’s cup of tea, but for those with deep pockets – buying expensive cars – they’ve been an option for a while. And now BMW are extending their Matte paint finishes to MINI, with limited editions of the MINI Countrymnan and MINI Paceman being offered with the special Frozen Black Metallic Matt paint job. The Matt paint – which is textured and shimmers – certainly gives the MINI a new look and will be available on MINI Cooper S Countryman, MINI Cooper SD Countryman, MINI Cooper S Paceman, MINI Cooper SD Paceman, MINI John Cooper Works Countryman and MINI John Cooper Works Paceman.

BMW announces DesignWorksUSA studio and ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai

BMW has opened both a DesignWorks studio and a ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai, China, as a means of gathering information and insight into the Chinese market as the company looks to increase its presence in Asia. Adrian van Hooydonk, Director BMW Group Design, said, "Creating this foothold for both BMW Group Design and DesignworksUSA in Shanghai is of great importance from both strategic and creative standpoints." President of BMW Group DesignWorksUSA Laurenz Schaffer said, "Our new studio in Shanghai places DesignworksUSA at the epicenter of the most rapidly growing and influential consumer market in the world and provides an indispensable resource for shaping our global perspectives for clients." The new studio will perform functions including product, transportation, automotive, environmental and interaction design; color, material and finish design; design communication, research and strategy as well as sustainability consulting. Designers from DesignworksUSA studio in Los Angeles, Munich and Singapore will supplement a local design team.