The 2012 One Lap of America race kicked off this past weekend and the BMW Performance Driving School Team (Steve Maguire) is reporting in daily to provide live updates of the car and team’s progress.

Days 1 and 2 have passed and the M5 has already been on the wet skid pad, South Bend Motor Speedway, Autobahn Country Club, and the Mid-America Motorplex Mile Circuit. Check out Steve’s journal inside for how the M5 fared and to follow all daily updates for the rest of the race.

The M550d xDrive Touring, one of the first models in BMW’s M Performance Automobile lineup, has now been spotted in public for the first time. This F11 touring M developed model shows up in European showrooms in just 6 days - on May 12, 2012 and starting price is 83,750 EUR.

The M550d is powered by BMW’s tri-turbo diesel engine with three turbochargers, common-rail direct injection with piezo injectors and maximum injection pressure of 2,200 bar; 3.0-litre displacement, 280 kW/381 hp, maximum torque: 740 Newton metres (546 lb-ft); maximum revs: 5,400 rpm. 0-62mph acceleration is completed in 4.9 seconds.

The M developed components don’t end there however. It also features M-specific tuning of suspension, bodyshell mounting, engine and transmission mounting, springs and dampers, all standard … CONTINUED

Just two races into its comeback season, BMW is back on the top step of the DTM podium: 19 years, six months and 25 days after the last triumph, Bruno Spengler (CA), at the wheel of the BMW Bank M3 DTM, crossed the finish line at the Lausitzring (DE) in first place. In a thrilling second race of the season, Spengler held off the challenge of Mercedes driver Gary Paffett (GB), who finished runner-up. Augusto Farfus (BR) came third in the Castrol EDGE BMW M3 DTM to complete a fantastic team result for BMW.

Spengler follows in the footsteps of Roberto Ravaglia (IT), who claimed the brand’s 49th victory in the DTM on 11th October 1992 in Hockenheim (DE). Back then, BMW Team Schnitzer, with Team Principal … CONTINUED

Here are the first in-the-wild pics of the X1 LCI (facelift) and US-spec X1 models, courtesy of Palbay. The Marrakesh Brown X1 is an xDrive35i model in xLine package and the Titanium Silver X1 is also an xDrive35i model, but with the Sport Line package.

BMW Motorsport enjoyed a dream result in qualifying ahead of the second DTM race of the year: Bruno Spengler (CA) secured pole position in the deciding “top-four shootout” with a time of 1:18.777 minutes. Spengler, at the wheel of his BMW Bank M3 DTM was 0.038 seconds faster than fellow BMW driver Augusto Farfus (BR), who clocked the second best time in the Castrol EDGE BMW M3 DTM. The two BMW drivers will now start Sunday’s race side-by-side on the front row of the grid.

This was the first time BMW had set the fastest qualifying time in the DTM since 18th June 1992. Back then it was Johnny Cecotto (VE) who claimed pole position in a BMW M3 at the Nürburgring. Almost 20 years later it … CONTINUED

The international press drives for the 2013 6 Series Gran Coupe are recently underway and with that come the car’s first drive reviews.

The general sentiment so far has unsurprisingly been that the 6 Series Gran Coupe is a sportier looking and driving alternative to the 5 Series sedan. Check out some of the car’s initial reviews/impressions inside.

BMW has just released a torrent of new photos, videos, info, and full pricing details on the 2013 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. The 2013 6 Series Gran Coupe will be offered as three distinct models in the US. The TwinPower Turbo 6-cylinder BMW 640i Gran Coupe is the initial model and arrives in late June with an MSRP of $76,895. Later in the summer, the TwinPower Turbo V-8 BMW 650i Gran Coupe and the all-wheel drive BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe will join the range. These models will be priced at $87,395 and $90,395 respectively (all prices include $895 Handling and Destination).

The 6 Series Gran Coupe M Sport package is also introduced for the first time. Package details are below.

Catch all the updates below, and … CONTINUED

We bring you the first ever track footage of the F31 touring. These F31 3 Series Touring Sport Line models were spotted just this week getting in some test laps at the Nurburgring. It won’t be long now until the F31 reveal (though not much is left camouflaged) so these are the last stages of development being conducted. Despite the extra hatch that the F31 carries, it looks quite nimble handling the challenges of the Nurburgring.

The F31 touring is confirmed to be making a return to the North American market. It will launch in Europe before hitting North American shores. Only BMW knows how long the gap will be, but we don’t expect it to be any longer than a few months. The F31 should launch … CONTINUED

BMW today announced new BMW M Performance Parts specially designed for the new 2012 BWW 3 Series Sedan and 2011-2012 5 Series Sedan. Like the BMW M Performance Parts already available for the high-performance M3, 1 Series M Coupe, X5 M and X6 M, the components developed for 3 Series and 5 Series models ensure an authentic transfer of BMW M-specific motor racing technology to everyday driving.

This new line of accessories provides a distinctive, sporty character to further enhance driving dynamics. BMW M Performance Parts are the result of years of racing expertise and have been developed in close collaboration with BMW M GmbH. Each component goes through an intensive development and manufacturing process which results in uncompromised performance. Exclusive chassis, aerodynamic, cockpit and powertrain components … CONTINUED