BMW reveals ferocious new M3 and M4

IF YOU’RE no fan of Top Gear-style wheel-spinning, tyre-smoking oversteer, then it’s probably best to look away now, because BMW has unveiled the new M3 and M4. Essentially the same car underneath, the main differences come in the number of doors and the suspension settings, with the M3 built as a four-door, slightly more forgiving saloon and the M4 as a harder-edged two-door coupe. But both will go very sideways, if that’s the sort of thing that revs your engine, thanks to a shared 425bhp six-cylinder engine that sends all that juicy power to the rear wheels.

Volkswagen L1 concept

Volkswagen chose the Frankfurt motor show to unveil the revolutionary L1 Concept - a diesel-electric hybrid vehicle constructed from aluminum and carbon fiber.  Weighing 380kg, the L1 can seat two occupants in tandem. They enter through a side-hinging, electrically operated canopy which maximizes aerodynamic efficiency. It has a Cd figure of just 0.195.

BMW releases X1 (2009): teaser pictures and video

By Peter Adams First Official Pictures 05 June 2009 16:00 UPDATED: BMW has just released video of a partially disguised X1 testing in Majorca BMW has released four teaser shots of its forthcoming X1 on a Facebook page dedicated to the mini-SUV. The X1 won't be officially unveiled until the Frankfurt motor show in September 2009, but BMW has been cranking up the publicity machine for its new 4x4 since a concept X1 was shown at Paris last year. CAR's Georg Kacher drove a prototype X1 earlier this year (CAR, May 2009) and in the past few days BMW has also released official shots of the car clad in the company's infamous psychedelic disguise.