In a recent interview (read at http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho…d.php?t=915648) with the M division chief engineer, Albert Biermann, the article lists various performance characteristics of the car.

The speed and fuel consumption numbers are metric based in the article and when they are converted to the English system they come out 26 MPG and a 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds.

While the term (est) is thrown in next to them, the fact the numbers come from the head man means to me they are reasonably accurate.

The BMW M4 Concept has been making the rounds at many venues, beginning with its debut at the Pebble Beach week three months ago.

It’s now making its auto show premiere at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, the only auto show that it will be making an appearance. That’s because the next major auto show – the 2014 Detroit NAIAS in January will feature the dual world premieres of the production 2014 M3 (F80) and 2014 M4 (F82).

What will the production models bring? The M4 Coupe will essentially retain its concept form (minus some of the fancier carbon fiber add-ons), while the M3 Sedan will look just like the recently spotted Yas Marina Blue M3.

Final performance figures and specs will be revealed at Detroit and … CONTINUED

Picked up German magazine Sport Auto today. It features an interview with BMW M development chief Albert Biermann and a ride in the M4 with Biermann driving.

This is my translation of the major parts of this article. My apologies for bad sentences or missed meanings (I have tried my best from a hotel room after a long day at work…):

Have a listen at the F80 M3 with its bi-turbo s55 inline 6 cylinder engine and exhaust during a cold start.

This M3 sounds a bit ‘off’, particularly during idle, so perhaps the exhaust is still being tuned on this car or the recording device has distorted the actual sound. The M3/M4 has sounded better in previous videos (reposted below).

Some sites have been reporting the above image as a leaked official photo, but as you can see below, it’s simply a photoshopped image of an official wallpaper image of the 435i Convertible (source) using styling elements from the M4 Concept. Hence the oddly angled front wheel.

The real M4 convertible should not be much different than the photoshopped image however, as it will share exterior styling with the production M4 Coupe, which will adopt its styling from the M4 Concept.

We recently revealed to you the colors for the upcoming 2014 M3/M4 via the dealer demo order guide, which reveals several eye catching colors, including Austin Yellow Metallic, Yas Marina Blue Metallic and Sakhir Orange Metallic.

Austin Yellow Metallic has already been previewed by way of the M4 Concept car (painted in Aurum Dust) and we recently posted the first look and swatches of Yas Marina Blue.

Now have a good look at how the M4 Coupe looks in Sakhir Orange Metallic, seen here with the optional M Carbon Ceramic Brakes.

Sakhir Orange is also a standard color for the F10 M5. For more views of how the color looks under different lighting, see our F10 M5 Sakhir Orange Thread.

Here is a preview peek at the Austin Yellow color for the upcoming F80 M3 and F82 M4.

As you can see, it’s basically the production version of the M4 Concept’s Aurum Dust color.

A 2014 M3 and M4 Order Guide has just been released to U.S. dealers for the ordering of dealer demo launch cars. As before, this list should generally be reflective of what options will be available for customer cars, though it may not be all-inclusive.

COLORS

300 – Alpine White
B39 – Mineral Grey Metallic
475 – Black Sapphire Metallic
B50 – Sakhir Orange Metallic
A29 – Silverstone Metallic
B67 – Austin Yellow Metallic
A96 – Mineral White Metallic
B68 – Yas Marina Blue Metallic (see photos/video)

INTERIOR UPHOLSTERIES

CSAT – Cloth/Leather combination Carbonstructure Anthracite/Black
X3A9 – Silverstone Full Merino Leather
LKA9 – Silverstone Extended Merino Leather
X3DA – Sakhir Orange/Black Full Merino Leather
LKDA – Sakhir Orange/Black Extended Merino Leather
X3JR – Sonoma Beige Full Merino Leather
LKJR – Sonoma Beige Extended Merino Leather
X3SW – Black Full Merino Leather
LKSW – … CONTINUED

We’ve now added a video of the Yas Marina Blue F80 M3!