The deadline for automakers to comment on the latest CAFE standard proposal is today, and at least one manufacturer has decided to speak up. BMW is calling the fuel efficiency standards it would be required to meet 'unattainable.' As you may be aware, the latest proposal takes into account the overall footprint of the vehicle, and manufacturers which sell large vehicles won't be required to meet the same goals as those which produce smaller vehicles. While that's great for manufacturers with truck-heavy lineups, automakers like BMW are in for a world of hurt as they tend to produce smaller, sportier machines. For this reason, BMW would be required to average 37.3 miles per gallon for its cars, quite a bit higher than the 35.7 mpg industry average. The Bavarian's trucks would need to achieve 31.7 mpg, compared to an industry average of 28.6 mpg.

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BMW has continued to deny the existence of an M-version of the X5, and by all accounts, it's true. The blokes from Bavaria maintain that the 'ute's size, weight, height and packaging won't warrant the tri-tones of the vaunted M. But the doesn't mean BMW can't produce a hotter version of its biggie-sized SUV.

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BMW's MY 2009 cars will get a new iDrive system with a 40GB hard drive. According to Bimmerfile, the drive allotment will have 12GB dedicated to navigational maps (and 8GB for entertainment and 10GB for your address book, because you've got more friends than music, apparently). With nav maps placed on the hard drive, BMW will no longer be providing a case full of map DVDs. The maps will have the entire US on them, or Europe if you pick up your car at BMW Welt.

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With last week's news that BMW will begin producing the new X1 at its Leipzig facility, it was just a matter of time before the Bavarian boys gave us an indication as to when its compact CUV would be unveiled. As suspected, the wraps will be pulled off an X1 concept at the Paris Motor Show this September, but as is often the case with BMW, the "concept" is almost exactly what we'll see when it goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2009. The new model will be built off the 1-series platform (a shortened 3-series) and according to an unnamed source quoted by Automotive News, "will use the two highest spec gasoline and the two highest spec diesel engines from the 1-series."

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These days, technology and customization go hand-in-hand. Laptop computers and MP3 players now come in a rainbow of colors and your computer's operating system can be made to suit your unique preferences. BMW has big plans in store for its oft-criticized iDrive system which would make it and the vehicle in which it's installed extremely customizable as well. Simple choices such as color schemes and screensavers for the iDrive's graphical user interface pale in comparison to the ability to adjust transmission shift points and engine boost levels in an effort to either increase fuel economy or improve overall performance. Multiple users will be able to make their own adjustments and save their settings and the car will know the driver based on which key fob is in close proximity.

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BMW finally launched the 1-series here in the U.S. recently after selling the smallest BMW-badged vehicle in Europe for several years. Unfortunately, since the commercial failure of the 318ti a few years back, they've come to the conclusion that Americans just don't want Bimmers with fewer than 6 cylinders. As a result, the 1-series ended coming here with the same 6 cylinder options available in the slightly larger 3-series. That means no 4 cylinder engines of either gasoline or diesel varieties, including the vaunted twin-turbo 2.0L diesel in the 123d. The aluminum block four cylinder puts out 204hp and 295lb-ft of torque while achieving 45mpg (U.S.) on the EU combined cycle.

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Most would argue that BMWs already flirt with being overpriced, though Munich would argue with you. The dollar's drop has hurt BMW's ability to earn a margin on each vehicle it sells in the United States, so prices will be bumped by one-percent beginning in June. BMW has taken a 17-percent whack in income for the first three months of 2008 as sales have slowed, the dollar weakened, low resale values, and bad debts have cost the luxury automaker. Though it's facing a slight slowdown due to those factors, a one-percent price increase is relatively modest, and shouldn't cause much consternation when it comes time to sign on the dotted line, though it makes the 135 that much more rareified. As long as it keeps vehicles like the M3 coming, we'll gladly let you pay more for your X6 -- we weren't getting one, anyway.

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Take a look at the GG Quadster, a machine which is designed with four wheels but powered by a motorcycle engine. The 1200cc liquid-cooled inline four cylinder design comes from BMW's range of K-bikes. This particular machine features 167 horsepower, which is enough to propel the lightweight vehicle to sixty miles per hour in no time at all. While these are very impressive acceleration statistics, for the purpose of this post, we don't care about that.

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With all the tools installed on mobile phones these days (to say nothing of the ones trying to use them in traffic), there's plenty of ways to keep yourself productive while waiting for an appointment, a train, a date... whatever. Unfortunately, none of them enable you to improve your lap time on the Nürburgring. Fret not, dear gearhead, for Hands-On Mobile is coming to the rescue. The mobile software company has partnered with both BMW AG and Nürburgring GmbH to develop BMW Racing, a new video game for cell phones.

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When the BMW M3 sedan made its debut, we knew based on its two door counterpart,'s performance that it would be fast. But this is one bit of ground we didn't anticipate the V8 super-sedan would cover quite so quickly: Barely on the market already, the M3 Sedan is getting a facelift.

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In typical AC Schnitzer fashion, the German tuner wasted no time getting to work on the new BMW 1-series cabrio. Then again, it didn't take much effort to port over the work AC did for the standard 1-series coupe to its softer, drop-top sibling.

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As regular listeners to the podcast know, Project MR-S met its untimely demise when a truck driver clipped the rear end of our 2ZZ-powered daily-driver, spinning it into the center divider with my fiancée behind the wheel. Fortunately, Melissa made it out okay. Unfortunately, said truck driver sped off and has yet to be found. Karma's a bitch, so we sleep soundly with the knowledge that what goes around comes around.

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A darker, evil-er Bugatti Veyron has been born to run alongside the Pur Sang: the Sang Noir. Word is the newest variant has been created to be a tip of the hat -- that would be "chapeau!" in French -- to the Bugatti Atlantique 57S. It gets a slightly different front grille with matching side mirrors, black headlight surrounds, exclusive wheels, and an interior dressed in what looks like electric orange. All in all, the car appears to share nothing with the Atlantique other than the name Bugatti and choice of exterior color. But it's not like that would keep you from buying it, would it?

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In the name of increased efficiency, and quite possibly playing the game of automotive one-upmanship, luxury automakers such as Mercedes Benz, BMW and Lexus have been adding more and more gear ratios to their automatic transmissions. By allowing a computer to choose the most appropriate ratio for any given scenario, the vehicle's engine is required to only make as much power as absolutely necessary, potentially saving fuel in the process.

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It's likely that at some distant point in the future, lead-acid starter batteries will go the way of the dodo, at least in green cars. The fact is that newer technologies like nickel metal hydride and lithium ion are much lighter than the lead-acids currently underhood of nearly every car in the world. Still, advancements in lead-acid technology are being made, and as more and more vehicles begin demanding more from their batteries, the humble lead-acid battery is changing with the times. For instance, BMW's new efficient dynamics technology required a new battery capable of supporting high loads.

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