The BMW 1 Series M Coupé Drifts Through Walls in new Canadian Ad

BMW of Canada has published a new and rather entertaining promotional film on the firm’s new limited production 1-Series M Coupe. The video shows the Bavarian automaker’s sports car pushing its 335-horsepower twin-turbocharged inline-six to the limit and burning plenty of rubber in doing so while passing sideways through set of imaginary walls on the road.

Truth to be said though, BMW’s advertising agency could have skimped on the somewhat farcical CGI (computer-generated images) cement walls and still have an engaging commercial in its hands. Take a look at it in the video after the jump and tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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BMW Takes Top Spot Among Automakers and 4th Overall in New Study for the World’s Most Reputable Companies

A recently released study by research-based consulting firm Reputation Institute, found that BMW is considered the world’s most reputable company in the automotive sector and fourth overall behind Google, Apple and the Walt Disney Company. German automakers in general performed well in the study with Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart, ranking 7th overall, while Volkswagen finished in 10th place, followed by Honda (29), Toyota (60), Nissan (61) and Suzuki (63). Read more »

New 2012 BMW 1-Series Hatch gets its own Short Films

After the unveiling of the 2012 1-Series 5-door hatchback, it is time for BMW’s marketing team to take over and promote the Bavarian automaker’s latest product. The German company created a series of short films around the 1-Series starring two brothers, named Freddy and Adam.

According to the script, Freddy is an actor and a model leaning towards metrosexuality, while Adam dislikes cameras and works with architects, and is the wilder one of the two brothers. The goal here is to show off the double nature of the 1-Series hatchback, and especially the introduction of the two new trim lines, Sport and Urban, both of which gain bespoke interior and exterior design as well as equipment features.

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New Scoop Photos Shed More Light on 2012 BMW 3-Series Sedan

With the new 1-Series out in the open, it is time for us now to take a look at the next car in line for replacement in BMW’s range, the 3-Series sedan with these freshly shot spy photos. As we’re nearing closer to the launch, BMW continues to peel away the disguise with the latest F30 prototype having shed not only plenty of swirly decals but also the fake front and rear end additions giving us a better look of the car’s styling.

BMW hasn’t really messed around with the design of the 3-Series since the introduction of the E36 in 1990, and the new F30 isn’t an exception to the rule. The styling of the F30 is a clear evolution of the current E90 3-Series borrowing certain elements from the 5-Series such as the stronger belt-line combined with a lower and more aggressive front end with larger double kidneys. Previous spy shots reveal that BMW will follow a similar formula with the 3-Series’ interior.

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U.S. Government Focusing in on Web Gadgets that Distract Drivers

We are all living in an age of networked information. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, smartphones and public internet access are making the world smaller every day. Unfortunately, in some instances all this information can distract us from the important things, such as focusing on driving. And no one agrees with this more than U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood:

“We know people are hooked on cellphones and texting devices. But there's absolutely no reason for any person to download their Facebook into the car. It's not necessary. "

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2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe hits the Tuning Scene

The newest member of BMW’s high-praised family of M models has just begun arriving in the hands of its owners, yet we already have one of the first tuned examples of the 2012MY 1-Series M Coupe. A member of the 1addicts forum, who goes by the nickname Flex///M, owns the car you see pictured here and which has been baptized “Clockwork Orange”.

The list of modifications include a mix of performance and styling bits such as collection of decorative carbon fiber parts for the exterior, a different steering wheel, forged alloy wheels and a KW sports suspension.

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BMW Reveals 2012 1-Series M Sport Package and Online Configurator

BMW is wasting no time in pushing the marketing envelope on its brand-new “My, what big eyes you have” 2012 1-Series as the Bavarian automaker has already released an online configurator on its German website only two days after the hatchback model’s debut.

Aside from allowing potential buyers and time-wasters alike to configure the 2012 1-Series hatchback, the dedicated webpage also serves us our first taste of the M Sport Package. The option group includes a new aero kit comprising of M parts such as the front and rear bumpers, a sports-oriented chassis set-up, and bespoke alloy wheel designs.

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All-New 2012 BMW 1-Series: Official Specs, Details and 126 High-Res Photos

With imagery of the brand new 1-Series hatchback making the internet rounds since Friday, it was only a matter of time before BMW came out with an official release and a full set of photos. The Bavarian firm’s entry-level model sports has grown in size and sports fresher –albeit, somewhat more controversial- looks, while also introducing a new generation of 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engines with up to 170HP.

For its debut, BMW chose to show the five-door hatchback model, but the range will eventually grow to include a three-door hatchback followed by the coupe, cabriolet and if the grapevine holds true, a longer and more spacious Gran Turismo version in the likes of the 3-Series GT we recently showed you in these spy shots.

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2012 BMW 1-Series Unveiled, gets New 1.6-liter Turbo Engine with up to 170HP [Updated with 60 High-Res Photos]

We knew that the next generation of the BMW 1-Series was coming but we didn’t expect to see the compact hatchback making its appearance so early. These official photos along with the first details showed up on a German website called Motor Traffic, as BMW has not yet made an announcement.

Seen here in a five-door format, the new 1-Series evolves the current model’s styling with sharper and more prominent creases all around along with a much more pronounced front end that sports unusually large headlamps pushed to the far corners of the bumper literally hugging the wheel arches.

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BMW Introduces M3 Carbon Fiber Limited Edition, but Only for China

Chinese customers love a good limited edition model and BMW tries its best to keep them happy. Not long ago, BMW had released the China market-only M3 Matte Edition and M3 Tiger Edition. During the BMW M Legendary Experience event held in China last week, the Bavarian automaker lifted the covers off yet another special M3, the Carbon Fiber Limited Edition of which only 111 examples will be built at a price of 1.23 million yuan (approximately US$189,800 at today’s exchange rates) a piece. Read more »

BMW and Cundari Produce the World’s Longest Internet Ad

In what’s either a clever bit of marketing or an epic jumping the shark moment, Canadian ad firm Cundari has produced what it claims to be the longest banner ad ever for the BMW X3.

The ad, which measures 300 by 18,000 pixels (!) when fully extended, contains some 5,500 words of text and just goes on and on and on. So much so that I just skimmed through, trying to figure out if there was a point to it. It certainly didn’t make me want to buy an X3, but maybe that’s not what Cundari was trying to achieve.

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Hail Fail: BMW 5-Series Owner Tries to Save His Car by Dressing it Up…

Unless you are able drive into to an enclosed garage nearby, there’s not really much you can do to protect your car -or anything else in danger for that matter- if you are caught out in a severe hail storm. However, this doesn’t mean that some people won’t try to prevent the inevitable like this owner of a previous generation BMW 5-Series sedan.

Said to be a Croatian tourist on a visit to Slovenia, the owner of the Bimmer attempted to save the body of his beloved car by covering it up with whatever he could find. In this case, the only available items were some clothes he had in a plastic bag. Somehow, it doesn't seem like such a great idea... Watch the clip right after the break.

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Hartge Gives the 2012 BMW 6-Series Convertible a Light Tuning Treatment

The German tuning industry is pushing full steam ahead with beefing up BMW’s new 6-Series sports car. We have already shown you the offerings from Prior Design, Hamann Motorsports and AC Schnitzer, but now it’s time for another traditional BMW tuner to release its goods for the F12 6-Series Convertible.

Hartge’s first take on the Bavarian model is somewhat restrained comprising of some mild styling and chassis upgrades. On the outside, the tuning firm offers its own emblems, new dual tail pipes on each corner of the bumper and a variety of alloy wheel designs in sized 19- and 20-inches shod in beefier performance tires.

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Lexus Loses Big In the U.S.A.: Outpaced by Two of its German Rivals

It took eleven years for Lexus to earn the title of top dog of the U.S. luxury car market, and roughly the same amount of time for it to lose it. As a result of parent company Toyota’s accelerator pedal recall saga and the fifty percent drop in production capacity caused by the Tōhoku earthquake, old guard automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz have left the Japanese upstart gasping for air in third place.

According to automotive forecaster IHS, Mercedes-Benz will most probably sell 254,100 cars and SUVs in the States topping BMW’s estimated deliveries of 250,400 units. Lexus is projected to drop to third place with 192,900 sales.

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BMW’s Retrolicious 328 Homage Concept Makes Official Debut

The stage is set for this weekend’s Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy with automakers and individual owners of classic cars already rolling out their goods for the 2011 edition of the show. The famed event will also play host to the world premiere of a fresh batch of sports car concept cars such as the Aston Martin V12 Zagato that we told you about earlier today and the BMW 328 Hommage concept, which we present here.

The BMW 328 Hommage was created on the occasion of the original model’s 75th birthday. While the Bavarian automaker avoids to make the connection, the 328 Hommage appears to be based on (or at least developed from) the Vision ConnectedDrive roadster study, which premiered at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

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BMW’s New Age 328 Roadster Concept: First Live Photos

Just a few minutes ago, the Belgian crew from Autofans dropped these cell-phone photos (courtesy of a Twitter user Sjoerdvstokkum) of a new BMW concept model into our e-mail box. The design study is called the 328 Hommage Concept and it was created by BMW to celebrate the original model’s 75^th birthday. Stay tuned as in a few minutes we’ll bring you the full details and photos of the 328 Hommage.

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Car Spotting: New BMW 6-Series Coupe

Carscoop reader Florian G. from Germany emailed us these photos of a 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe that he spotted parked on a road in Munich. While not a scoop in the traditional sense given the introduction of the new BMW 6-Series Coupe at last month’s Shanghai Auto Show in China, it is an interesting find nonetheless.

The only thing we’re not sure of is what the ‘iCenter’ sticker below the vents of the front fenders means (that is, if it means anything). For the record, we’ve encountered the same logo on a few recent BMW prototypes. Follow the break for more pictures.

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Fiat’s 0.9-Liter TwinAir Scoops the “International Engine of the Year 2011” Award

And the big winner of the 2011 edition of the coveted International Engine of the Year is…Fiat’s 0.9-liter twin-cylinder gasoline engine also known simply as the TwinAir. A jury comprised of 76 journalists and industry experts from 36 different countries were convinced by the 875 cc unit's low emissions, high fuel economy and impressive output for its size, awarding it four awards: “Best New Engine 2011”, “Best Green Engine 2011”, “Best Sub 1-Liter Engine” and the “International Engine of the Year 2011” overall award. Read more »

Audi Challenges BMW, Mercedes and Lexus with new Ad Campaign

Audi of America has launched a new advertising campaign that will most likely generate a similar response from the competition in the premium segment. Under the tagline “Car Carrier”, the two Audi commercials feature a BMW owner that goes nuts when he sees a truck full of brand new automotive metal from Ingolstadt.

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U Spy: Is this the New Alpina B6 Based on the 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe?

Back in April, BMW lifted the covers off its spanking new 2012 6-Series Coupe at the Shanghai Auto Show in China. Having already shown the Convertible version, the only model left to complete the series is the presentation of the M6 in both coupe and open top forms. Well, at least in absolute terms, as we’ve yet to hear from BMW’s longtime tuner, Alpina, which is considered a manufacturer in its own right.

And that’s where Carscoop reader Michael from Germany steps in. Michael spotted this partially camouflaged 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe parked somewhere in Munich. And while the lack of any aero parts such as the typical M-style front bumper with larger air vents minimize the possibility of it being the new M6, there are two elements that make us believe it could be the upcoming Alpina B6.

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