They say that timing is everything, and that was certainly the case with our latest BMW M3 spy shots.

One of our spy photographers was simply out for a pleasure cruise on their motorcycle over the weekend when their hemlemt-mounted video camera captured something completely unexpected — an undisguised 2015 BMW M3 in the middle of a filming session.

Although somewhat grainy, the car seen here is easily identifiable as the  next-generation M3 thanks to its agressive front fascia, beefy wheels and tires and quad-exhaust outlets out back.  The M3 also looks to be sporting a hood bulge and a carbon fiber roof.

Overall, the 2014 M3 is expected to weigh about 220 pounds less than its predecessor.

Under hood, the new M3 will trade in its 4.0L V8 for a twin-turbocharged 3.0L inline-six.  Although power figures have yet to be confirmed, previous reports have suggested the M3 will arrive with 450 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque.  That power will be routed to the M3′s rear-wheels through a new limited-slip M Division rear differential.

A dual-clutch transmission will certainly be on offer, but it remains to be seen if BMW will offer the M3 with a third pedal.

Look for the 2014 BMW M3 to make its official debut at January’s Detroit auto show. <![CDATA[
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BMW is recalling 176,000 vehicles worldwide due to a braking system issue. The recall covers vehciles equipped with BMW’s turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder gas engine.

BMW issued the recall on Wednesday after it discovered that models fitted with the company’s 2.0L gas engine may have left the factory with insufficiently lubricated vacuum pumps. If the pump fails, it could lead to a loss of power braking assistance.

A BMW spokesman confirmed to Reuters that the issue won’t lead to a total loss of stopping power, but noted that the situation would require greater pedal pressure to bring the car to a complete stop.

Several vehicles are covered by the recall, including 2012-2014 320i, 328i, 320i xDrive, 328i xDrive sedans; the 2014 328i xDrive Sports Wagon; 2012 and 2013 528i and 528i xDrive sedans; 2013 and 2014 X1 sDrive28i and X1 xDrive28i utility vehicles; and 2012-2014 Z4 sDrive28i roadsters.

About 76,000 of the recalled vehicles were sold in the United States, with another 25,000 in China. BMW says there are 9,376 of the recalled vehicles in Canada and 6,841 in Germany. The rest of the vehicles are scattered throughout other countries.

BMW will notify owners of the recall next month, with a repair expected to be ready by December.

Photo by Mark Elias.

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Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne vowed on Wednesday that the company will never again repeat the mistakes that caused the delayed market launch of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee.

“What we’ve learned is that we’ll never repeat it,” Marchionne told Automotive News.

Jeep started production of the Cherokee in June, but it wasn’t until last week that the automaker began shipping the SUV to dealers. That delay was the result of a software glitch with the Cherokee’s all-new nine-speed automatic transmission.

A fix took several months to develop as engineers were challenged with several other factors. In addition to the never-before-used nine-speed transmission, the Cherokee also features a new disconnecting drivetrain and two new engines.

“We were naïve that it would be a seamless introduction,” Marchionne said.

Adding insult to injury, Jeep shut down production of the Cherokee’s predecessor, the Liberty, in 2012, leaving the company without an entrant into the popular mid-size SUV segment for over a year. “We were just naked in 2013,” Machionne said.

With the launch issues now in the rearview mirror, Jeep’s Toledo factory is cranking out 1,000 Cherokees per day, six days a week.

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Tesla announced the grand opening of its West Coast Supercharger Corridor on Wednesday, making it possible to drive the company’s Model S plug-in sedan from San Diego, California to Vancouver, British Columbia without having to worry about running out of juice.

Part of its nationwide Supercharger initiative, Tesla now has charging stations strategically placed in San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. As with its current network of Supercharger stations, Tesla owners will be able to “fill up” at the stops for free.

Tesla carefully chose the locations for the West Coast Superchargers near things like roadside diners, cafes and shopping centers so that owners would have something to do while their Model S charged up.

Tesla says the completion of the West Coast corridor puts a Supercharger station within 200 miles of 99 percent of Californians and 87 percent of Oregon and Washington owners.

In order to promote the new West Coast network, two Model S sedan will complete the 1,750 mile journey between San Diego and Vancouver using only the Supercharger stations for electricity.

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Just a day after ranking the most reliable new car manufacturers and individual models, the researchers at Consumer Reports have gone to the bottom of the barrel.�

Today, they announced the 10 least-reliable new cars, at least according to their reliability studies and surveys.

Not surprisingly, several of the worst-performing cars are produced by automakers that landed near the bottom of the group’s overall manufacturer survey. MINI came in last place overall, with Lincoln and Ford taking home the next worst places, respectively. Notably, more than half of the vehicles on the list were new or refreshed models during the survey period. Brand new or heavily revised models tend to have more problems than cars that have been on the market for a few years.

Consumer Reports says that the rankings are based on survey results covering 17 “potential trouble spots” and that they should be used as a forecast of how the latest 2014 models will hold up.

The 10 Least-Reliable New Cars

1. Ford C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid
2. Ford Escape (1.6-liter EcoBoost model)
3. MINI Cooper Countryman
4. Ford C-Max Hybrid
5. Nissan Pathfinder
6. Volkswagen Beetle
7. Cadillac XTS
8. Ford Explorer (V6 4WD model)
9. Hyundai Genesis Coupe
10. Ford Taurus (3.5-liter EcoBoost model)

 

 <![CDATA[
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They say that timing is everything, and that was certainly the case with our latest BMW M3 spy shots.

One of our spy photographers was simply out for a pleasure cruise on their motorcycle over the weekend when their hemlemt-mounted video camera captured something completely unexpected — an undisguised 2015 BMW M3 in the middle of a filming session.

Although somewhat grainy, the car seen here is easily identifiable as the  next-generation M3 thanks to its agressive front fascia, beefy wheels and tires and quad-exhaust outlets out back.  The M3 also looks to be sporting a hood bulge and a carbon fiber roof.

Overall, the 2014 M3 is expected to weigh about 220 pounds less than its predecessor.

Under hood, the new M3 will trade in its 4.0L V8 for a twin-turbocharged 3.0L inline-six.  Although power figures have yet to be confirmed, previous reports have suggested the M3 will arrive with 450 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque.  That power will be routed to the M3′s rear-wheels through a new limited-slip M Division rear differential.

A dual-clutch transmission will certainly be on offer, but it remains to be seen if BMW will offer the M3 with a third pedal.

Look for the 2014 BMW M3 to make its official debut at January’s Detroit auto show. <![CDATA[
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Booming auto demand will push North American light vehicle production to a 14-year high during the fourth quarter, a new forecast predicts.

Many automakers are still struggling with capacity constraints, but a new forecasts from Wards Auto projects North American auto output will hit 4.02 million units during the October-December period. If true, that would be the highest fourth quarter tally since 4.28 million vehicles were built during the period in 1999.

According to Wards‘ estimates, Honda, Nissan and Toyota will all break North American production record for the period. The domestics are also projected to have a banner quarter, with Ford, Chrysler and GM expected to have their best production figures in over six years.

Light vehicle production for the year will likely total 16.1 million vehicles, good enough for an 11-year high. However, NA production remains well off from the 17.16 million unit high recorded in 2000.

Wards predicts North American auto production will continue to grow for at least the next two years as an improving economy spurs the new vehicle market. North American output could come close to a record high with 17 million vehicles in 2015.

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