Here’s a real life look at the upcoming BMW X4 SAV versus the current X3. Both cars share the same platform.

Inside are the full price ordering guides (PDF) for some 2014 models – the 3 Series Touring (F31), 6 Series, M6, X1, X3, X6 and Z4.

Pricing (and price/order guides) for models you don’t see here have not yet been released, but should be soon.

The latest BMW emergency vehicles will make their debuts at the RETTmobil trade show in Fulda.

BMW Group will be presenting from 15 to 17 May 2013 an up-to-date overview of its range of purpose-built emergency vehicles. BMW will be exhibiting a total of seven different models – a BMW X6 M50d designed as a medical car for the racetrack and a BMW X3 as a fire brigade command vehicle at the main entrance, a BMW X1 “First Responder” and, at the exhibition booth, a BMW X3 and a BMW 3 Series Touring as emergency medical services vehicles, a BMW 5 Series Touring as a fire brigade command vehicle as well as a public authority version of the new F 800 GT motorcycle.

The concept … CONTINUED

Owner and Head of Sales & Marketing of Alpina, Andreas Bovensiepen, introduces and explains the new Alpina B3 and XD3 models in these first videos of Alpina’s two newest models.

The Alpina B3 is based on the F30 335i sedan and the XD3 on the X3 xDrive35i SAV, each recently making a showing at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

The Alpina B3 bi-turbo features 410hp, which propels the B3 sedan from 0-62mph in 4.2 sec (4.0 sec for xDrive model) and the B3 touring in 4.3 sec (4.1 sec for xDrive model). It consumes only 7.9 l/100km (29.8 MPG U.S.).

The Alpina XD3 boasts 350hp and covers 0-62mph in just 4.9 seconds.

A rare thing happened today at the Geneva auto show. We actually managed to be surprised by the debut of a new model that had not been first teased or previewed online by its manufacturer; a rare thing these days where manufacturers typically tease, preview or reveal new models online prior to its real life debut.

Kudos to Alpina for bucking the trend and keeping a tight lid on the debut of the Alpina XD3 Bi-Turbo! On to the details:

DRIVE

The drivetrain of the XD3 Bi-Turbo utilises the excellent attributes of the BMW full aluminium 3 litre straight six cylinder engine with modern common-rail direct injection and two turbochargers with variable turbine geometry.

With the aim of further maximising the potential of this engine and using the … CONTINUED

BMW TwinPowerTurbo technology again takes two of Ward’s 2013 10 Best Engines Awards. The 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder (N20) and 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline-6 (N55) are both repeat winners.

“Nearly every BMW now sold in the US features TwinPower Turbo technology,” said Ludwig Willisch – President and CEO of BMW of North America, LLC. “In such a competitive market, to take two spots highlights the benefits of the BMW EfficientDynamics philosophy. It also shows that while we look for improvements in efficiency, we are still committed to fulfilling the promise of The Ultimate Driving Machine.”

Currently five models feature the 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder – Z4 sDrive28i, 528i Sedan, 328i Sedan, X3 xDrive28i and more recently, the X1 sDrive28i/xDrive28i. They will be joined next spring by the … CONTINUED

BMW brand up 45 percent in November – best month ever; 10.4 percent year-to-date increase.
MINI brand up 10.5 percent in November; 15.2 percent increase year-to-date – already surpassed 2011 sales record.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – December 3, 2012… The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported November sales of 36,461 vehicles, an increase of 38.8 percent from the 26,271 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, BMW Group is up 11.3 percent on sales of 303,728 in the first eleven months of 2012 compared to 272,873 in the same period in 2011.

“Supply is catching up with demand, making November the best sales month on record for BMW in the U.S.,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. … CONTINUED

BMW announced over the summer that the US would be getting new turbo diesel engines (a 180HP 4-Cylinder and 255HP 6-Cylinder), and now we see that BMW is planning 6 new diesel models for the NA market in 2013 and 2014.

The slide you see below was reportedly taken during a BMWNA meeting and it reveals the upcoming diesel model lineup and schedule:

• F30 3 Series sedan diesel – first half 2013
• F31 3 Series touring – second half 2013
• F10 5 Series diesel – third quarter 2013
• X5d diesel – end of 2013
• 7 Series diesel – first half 2014
• X3d diesel – first half 2014

No info yet on which models may receive what engines, but the 4-cylinder mentioned above may see duty in models … CONTINUED