BE5 Car Blog

Well, at least we know it’s going into production. The much longed-for M version of the BMW 1 Series is a reality, albeit one shrouded in, um, shrouds for a while. Really, BMW has been doing more teasing than an old-time burlesque artiste. This picture shows one of the three colors the 1 Series M is expected to come in: Valencia Orange Metallic. The other two are Alpine White and Jet Black. It’s been rumored that this could be a limited edition of only 2,700 units, each one with a manual transmission, which kind of sounds like crazy talk, but BMW has recently done the limited-run Frozen Gray M3.

Wolfsburg / Shanghai / Berlin / New York – When the first Beetle rolled off the production line, it was called simply the Volkswagen — “the people’s car” — but its distinctive shape inspired nicknames across the globe: Beetle, Käfer, Vocho, Coccinelle, Fusca, Maggiolino or 甲壳虫! In total, 21.5 million cars were sold.

Generally when you look down into the packed parking lot of Qualcom field you see acres of lifted trucks with trailer hitch mounted bar-b-ques and beds full of ice cradling kegs of the finest cheap domestic beer money can buy if it’s on sale. Armies of blue painted bare-chested men burrow between the trucks like NFL liveried ants in elementary school science project. Today however, the home of The San Diego Chargers is over run with European Car Fanatics all brought together by socaleuro.com.

Saab has some interesting news, like a fleet of electric 9-3 sedans testing future EV hardware and a four-cylinder turbo for the new 9-5 that can run on 85 percent ethanol. But the most intriguing development in the marque’s recent history is the announcement that BMW will be supplying engines for an all-new smaller model, the Saab 9-2, built on the same platform as the MINI Countryman crossover thing. The engine will be the same 1.6-liter turbocharged four-potter found in the current MINI range.

Exactly 20 years after Long Beach, California, longshoremen took delivery of the very first, North-American-bound Honda Civics, with little fanfare, the once Japanese motorcycle company released what is arguably the most iconic of the subcompact’s near 40-year lifespan. Its fifth-generation adaptation, manufactured and sold during the brand’s ‘92-‘95 model years, Honda’s coupe, hatchback, and sedan trio, arguably helped peak and later carry Honda performance on its shoulders. The then-revolutionary, all-new unibody with its rounded, egg-shaped lines and timeless looks remains beloved by true Hondaphiles, even today.

What started as the Toyota FT-86 concept and portended a joint-effort sports car between Toyota and Subaru is now the Scion FR-S concept that debuted at the 2011 New York Auto Show. It points the way toward a production car that will go on sale sometime in 2012. Scion cannot be more specific on timing due to the upheaval in the Japanese car industry from the earthquake and tsunami, which have wreaked havoc on all future-production planning and timelines.

Ah, Facebook. How did we ever get along without knowing what our friends had for breakfast? But it did the United States a giant favor by gauging reaction to the Audi TT RS, which has been on sale in Europe and is the sportiest version. A petition of 11,500 signatures on Audi of America’s Facebook page was enough to convince the suits to bring the car to the U.S. too. So soon we’ll be able to enjoy a turbocharged 2.5-liter motor making 360 hp (recent winner of an International Engine of the Year award). There will be the option of a seven-speed S tronic transmission, which is Audi’s way of saying DSG, the VW dual-clutch setup. Average fuel consumption with this trans is 27.67 mpg. Coupe and roadster models will be available.