Last week we posted the 2013 3 Series Sedan (F30) Pricing and Ordering guides. For those wondering exactly what equipment and options changed between the 2012 and 2013 model year, here is a comprehensive list.

In the latest set of Euro NCAP results, the BMW 3 Series has received Euro NCAP’s maximum five star rating. The BMW 3 Series in particular achieved a commendable 78% in pedestrian protection, a good result for a compact executive car with no active bonnet.

The F30 3 series scored 95% in adult occupant protection, 84% in child occupant protection and 86% in safety assist technology.

Full results, photos, and videos of the crash tests are inside.

Promotional video featuring the Alpina B6 with its V8 producing 540hp (397kW), with a maximum torque of 730Nm from 2800 to 5000rpm. The exhaust system is by Akrapovic. Full technical details can be found inside.

Karim Habib will take over as Head of BMW Design on 01.06.2012. The 42-year-old Lebanon-born Canadian has been in charge of Exterior Design BMW Automobiles since March 2011. He joined the BMW Group design team in 1998 and, among other achievements, shaped the design of the current BMW 7 Series.

Following his studies in Canada and California, Karim Habib had various posts in interior and exterior design before becoming Team Leader Advanced Design for the BMW Group and later heading the BMW Exterior Design department. Now the designer and engineer takes overall charge of the design of BMW cars.

Chris Harris dusts off his 1986 E28 M5, the first M5 ever built (and by hand too), which he hasn’t driven for years. It still feels nuts to him today, so what the hell was it like for him in 1986? See inside.

The BMW Group celebrated the grand opening of its first new BMW Brand Store in the most luxurious area of metropolitan Paris in the Avenue George V tonight. The store was designed by the well-known, luxury retail architect, Eric Carlson and his team from Carbondale Architects and Version Architects.

With the grand opening of the 800m2 BMW Brand Store in the very heart of luxury retail, BMW is reaching out to shoppers with the objective of allowing them to experience the brand in their chosen environment. The new store was formally inaugurated by Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing BMW, together with the Architect, Eric Carlson, and the Head of BMW France, Serge Naudin, as well as a large … CONTINUED

The 2012 M6 convertible (F12) is big, it’s heavy, and it’s for showing off. But, courtesy of the usual magic from BMW M GmbH, it does not feel as big, heavy, or just for showing off. What it is is a super high performing GT convertible and a hell of a looker.

We spent two days this week in Santa Barbara, California to check out and test drive the all new 2012 BMW M6 and 6 Series Gran Coupe (see our previous review). After over 100 miles of highways, backroads, and mountain twisties, here were our impressions.

Leading with our biggest reaction is that the F12 M6 is a seriously fast car! Car and Driver just published their test numbers, which have the F12 M6 convertible clocked from … CONTINUED

Enjoy our mega gallery of the 2012 M6 convertible from its US press launch in Santa Barbara, California.

Also be sure to check out our F12 M6 convertible review from the event.

According to the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study by market research company Millward Brown, BMW is now the world’s most valuable automotive brand, replacing Toyota at the top of the list. However, this isn’t BMW’s first time in the study’s top spot, which it also claimed in 2010.

How has BMW managed to be named most valuable auto brand again? According to Peter Walshe, Millward Brown global brand director, “BMW has been able to effectively communicate what sets it apart from other carmakers, while backing up its message with a “very decent product. As one of the great brands in the world, BMW has been absolutely consistent in the long-term regarding what is meaningfully different about their brand, in highly competitive market places.”

Toyota now … CONTINUED

We’ve just spied today the 2014 F32 4 Series Coupe hitting the Nürburgring for the first time. Set to debut in Autumn 2013, the new F32 4 series coupe will combine an evolutionary progress from the current E92 3 series coupe with some new styling cues found in the F30 3 series Sedan and F31 3 series Touring. The general shape is sportier and sleeker than the F30 while the nose/front end design sits just as low (also check out these renders). Also adding to the sporty touch is a small bootlid spoiler you can see in the last photo.

In case you haven’t followed previous news and are surprised about the 4 series moniker, BMW is likely set to split up the 3 series lineup — … CONTINUED