In spite of the near-Pavlovian howling that commences anytime the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is mentioned, and in spite of the 5GT falling so short of its sales target that BMW has been forced to consider bringing back the 5 Series Touring, the ungainly hatch has outsold that wagon during its time on our shores. And that was before it got dressed up with an M Sport package. Funk Flex
Auto Talk: Mini Wants To Make JCW Its BMW M, Bring Diesel Models Stateside
As far as the Mini lineup goes, the John Cooper Works models sit at the very top of the performance spectrum. But that’s not enough for Mini’s (relatively) new chief Kay Segler. The German auto exec came to the post from the M division of parent company BMW, and that’s what Segler wants for the Mini brand as well. Funk Flex Find Flex On Google+
Auto Talk: BMW Planning To Slot i5 Minivan Into New Range
Imagine you’re an auto exec launching a new line of cars. One’s a sportscar, the other a city car – pretty much opposite extremes on the spectrum of automotive bodystyles. Do you give them alphanumeric nameplates close to one another? Of course not. You assign them disparate numbers to make room for more models to slot in between. Funk Flex Find Flex On Google+
(Video) Auto Talk: BMW M shows off new diesel-powered lineup in motion
If you’d like to see more of BMW newly unveiled range of M Diesels, here’s your chance. To recap, BMW revealed four tri-turboed, diesel-engined, all-wheel-drive M cars for European buyers yesterday: the M550d xDrive (a.k.a. 5 Series) sedan and touring, the X5 M50d and the X6 M50d. All use a 3.0-liter inline-six putting out 376 horses and 545 through an eight-speed auto, and in the case of the M550d sedan it can get to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. Funk Flex
Auto Talk: BMW M goes diesel, introduces M550d, X5 M50d, X6 M50d
Rumors of BMW M launching a diesel model have been circulating for over a year, and confirmation has finally arrived in the form of not one, not two, but four M-fettled oil-burners, each sporting all-wheel drive and the oft-rumored tri-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six. And before you get excited, none of them are slated for sale in the U.S. – this is a Euro-only affair. Funk Flex
(Video) Auto Talk: BMW takes its autonomous 5 Series onto the autobahn
Last May we went for a high-speed run around Laguna Seca in BMW’s Track Trainer, a modified 3 Series that can click of two-minute laps without the driver touching the controls. Now, BMW has packed a 5 Series with the next iteration of the technology and taken it on to the open road. Funk Flex
