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Back From The Dead In the automotive world, a blown motor typically means replacement is the more practical option, as repairs tend to be costly. Fortunately for the guys at LOJ Conversions, they already had a spare 7.3-liter Ford Godzilla V8, which was ultimately swapped into a 2005 F-250 after its original engine suffered a rod failure that destroyed the block. Why would LOJ Conversions—known for LS-swapped Nissan projects like the LS7-powered 350Z—have a massive V8 just lying around? Accordin

BMW has hit a massive milestone with its iconic 3 Series. The sedan has now been in production for 50 years, with over 18 million models manufactured since 1975. The 3 Series helped establish the compact luxury sedan segment after the larger 5 Series arrived on the scene a few years prior. The car soon came to be associated with sporty driving dynamics, especially once the E30 generation went on sale. Today, the X3 and X5 SUVs easily outsell the 3 Series, but the sedan remains a core product wit

Flagship Cars, Flagship Expectations Flagship sedans have always been tech showcases, and lately that’s meant pushing into hands-free, eyes-off driving – what the SAE officially considers Level 3 autonomy. When BMW launched the current G70 7 Series, it grabbed attention as the first BMW with a certified Level 3 system, called Personal Pilot L3. It was BMW’s way of showing up its German rivals. But that move didn’t last. According to Automotive News, the next 7 Series LCI update, expected this ye

In 2022, BMW revealed The Final V12 7 Series, a special edition to say goodbye to its monstrous 6.6-liter twin-turbo engine, and although BMW-owned Rolls-Royce will continue to offer 12-cylinder power, the German automaker is not going back on the decision for Bavarian machinery. Instead, the next 7 Series will get a revised version of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that powers the M5, X5 M, X6 M, and a few other Bimmers. According to a reliable insider, user ynguldyn on the BimmerPost forum, an up

Wondering what BMW has in store for the upcoming model year? So did we, until the brand accidentally leaked the names of its 2027 arrivals, from 2 Series coupe to 7 Series luxury limo. First noted by Motor1, the German automaker's portfolio was divulged through the BMW USA online shop, and the big news is that the long-rumored all-wheel-drive M2, or M2 xDrive, is coming soon. BMW has said that the Competition badge is being done away with, but even without it, the M2 xDrive will almost certainly

The Age of Subscription-Based Features BMW’s push for subscription-based features was pitched as a way to make car ownership more flexible and modern. Owners can unlock features like heated seats, driver aids, or infotainment upgrades after buying the car, paying only for what they want through an online account. But things didn’t go as planned. Heated seats, especially, set off a wave of criticism. Drivers balked at paying monthly for something already built into their cars, and the backlash wa

The all-new BMW i3 electric sedan is arguably the most important car launch of the year so far. Whether you like the design or not, the fact that BMW will now sell you an all-electric sports sedan that it deems worthy of the 3 Series nameplate is a pivotal moment for the automaker in particular and for luxury car brands in general. The 3 Series is BMW’s core model that best embodies the brand’s ‘Joy of Driving’ philosophy, and if the new i3 manages to convince die-hard fans that it’s a true 3 Se

2026 has begun, and that means that BMW's ownership of the Alpina brand, announced in 2022, has officially come into effect. In order to understand what to expect, we first need to know how we got here. Alpina seemed to be doing just fine, and its trademark design cues had continued to work well with modern Bimmers, but a company cannot succeed only by focusing on the present; it needs to consider what the future holds and how that future might fundamentally change its processes. Alpina prided i

BMW Alpina Becomes Official BMW Sub-Brand Over three years after BMW first announced the Alpina acquisition, the transition is finally done. Starting in 2026, BMW Alpina will run as its own brand within the BMW Group, much like BMW M, but with a different focus. For years, Alpina worked alongside BMW as a partner, not a division. BMW would build the cars, then send them to Buchloe for Alpina’s signature tuning and upgrades. That setup ended last year, opening the door for BMW to take over develo

Last week, the covers came off the Vision BMW Alpina, an 8 Series-like concept that previews the design direction and Bentley-esque luxury of the Alpina brand, and now we have official confirmation that the first real Alpina product under BMW's stewardship will be based on the 7 Series, filling the small gap between that luxury sedan and the Rolls-Royce Ghost with a new B7, though it's unclear if that name will survive. Speaking with Top Gear, BMW Alpina boss Oliver Viellechner said Alpina is al

Nobody knew exactly what to expect when the BMW Group assumed ownership of Alpina, but we now know when we’ll get our first clear glimpse of BMW Alpina’s future. On May 15, the Vision BMW Alpina will be unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. The company also shared a teaser image and video of this model, which seemingly has the proportions of a large coupe like the 8 Series. Given that the standard BMW 8 Series has been discontinued, a flagship coupe of this kind could be the perfect

BMW and Mercedes are stepping back from Level 3 autonomy. Both had bet heavily on eyes-off driving, but high costs, limited use cases, and weak demand killed the push. In walking away, they've handed a quiet vindication to Tesla, the company the industry spent years mocking for refusing to go down the same road. Tesla held firm at Level 2+ and built its system around cameras rather than expensive LiDAR sensors. That last point drew particular ridicule. Cameras struggle in fog, heavy rain, and lo

Export Streak Continues A report from the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that BMW was the largest automotive exporter by value in 2025, once again beating homegrown brands like Ford. The German marque exported nearly 200,000 vehicles — out of a total production of 412,799 — last year, reportedly valued at about $9 billion. To be fair, the vehicles produced at BMW’s Spartanburg plant in South Carolina are X models, which are generally more expensive than their sedan counterparts and benefit fr

Can a Color be Iconic? To answer that question, we're inclined to say yes. Mention the words Guards Red, Championship White, or Bayside Blue to any car enthusiast, and chances are they're already visualizing what car is draped in those colors. That brings us neatly to BMW. One of the most memorable colors to grace its products is Fire Orange. For the US market, that was applied to the E92 M3 Lime Rock Park Edition. In other parts of the world, that was on the limited-run M3 GTS from the same era

BMW is taking a more localized approach with its next electric SUV, confirming it has developed a China-specific version of the upcoming iX3. The model is called the iX3 Long Wheelbase, and it is intended to meet Chinese market expectations for rear-seat space, cabin comfort, and digital integration, while still serving as a key rollout model for BMW’s Neue Klasse EV architecture.

BMW M CEO Frank van Meel said earlier this year that "the manual doesn't really make sense" because of how it impacts torque (and fuel consumption), adding that it's becoming more difficult to develop manual gearboxes for contemporary requirements. Until then, we can still have some fun manual Bimmers, including the latest from the M division: the 2027 M3 CS Handschalter. "We" refers to the United States and Canada; those are the only countries getting this special edition, but it's bittersweet

Did you know that BMW once built a convertible version of the E34 M5? Perhaps you did, and if so, you likely assumed that it was never meant to be anything more than the secret one-off prototype it became, but according to a new report by BMW Blog, it was just days from being introduced to the world at the Geneva Motor Show when executives decided to pull the plug. This was reportedly just one week before the event, and BMW had already booked a space at the show for the grand touring convertible

An M Performance 7 The 2027 BMW 7 Series just arrived with new exterior styling, a radically new interior, and some tweaks under the hood. BMW will launch the facelifted model with two gas-powered variants, the 740 and 740 xDrive. Both of which will use a B58 turbocharged inline-six engine that now delivers 394 horsepower, up from 375 hp thanks to new updates such as a different turbocharger. Jared Rosenholtz/Aut

Have Pigs Started Flying? If we were to name cars we least expected from manufacturers, we could list down a few prime examples. There's the Porsche Cayenne that inspired more specialty manufacturers to build SUVs, and the Audi R8, which was the last thing we thought the folks from Ingolstadt would actually produce. And let's not forget the impact of the original Lexus LS, which showcased Toyota's true engineering might at the time.

Since at least 2020, BMW was rumored to be preparing a new range-topping ultra-luxury SUV called the X8. As it turned out, this would actually be the XM, the M division's first standalone product since the fabled M1. Unfortunately, this hasn't been a great success, with already low sales of the XM falling dramatically this year. But apparently, BMW hasn't given up on its dreams of attracting Bentayga buyers, and this time, it may get the opulent SUV's positioning and style right. The automaker h

Still no X3 M It took a while for BMW to develop a fully-fledged M version of the X3, but it finally arrived in 2019. The third-generation G01 BMW X3 received M and M Competition models, and was even given a special internal code of F97. Its engine would later be used in the first release of the G80 M3 and M3 Competition, so the high-performance sedan owes a lot to the X3 M. When it was time to retire the previous model for the current G45 X3, we expected a new generation of the hot crossover. B

BMW’s largest vehicle in the United States is the X7, a three-row crossover that competes with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class. But, despite the X7’s substantial footprint, it’s not as monumentally massive as American full-size SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. Kirk Cordill, chairman of the BMW National Dealer Forum, wants BMW to launch a competitor in this space. If it happens, it’ll be the largest BMW production model ever—and it will likely come with a price tag

BMW Dials It Back A report from BMW Blog confirms that the facelifted 7 Series will drop its SAE Level 3 self-driving system, known as Personal Pilot L3. The decision is cost-related, as the technology did not meet BMW’s commercial expectations. The U.S. market had little to do with that, since the system was never sold stateside anyway. Still, this report puts an end to any hopes prospective buyers may have had of experiencing Personal Pilot L3 in the new 7 Series in the near future. BMW R&

The current BMW X6 has been around for a good few years now, but it’s still one of the German brand’s most emotive SUVs. It’s a potent performer, but it’s also got substance—so much so that a 2025 J.D. Power study rated it the most satisfying new car to own in America. The X6 isn’t cheap, though, but BMW is running lease deals on both X6 trims that are worth a look. Here’s everything you need to know. This Month’s BMW X6 Lease Deals

If you’re planning on gliding into the new year behind the wheel of a luxury crossover, you can do worse than consider the BMW X3. The latest model has picked up where the old one left off, remaining one of BMW’s best-selling models alongside the larger X5. It’s comfortable, sporty, and high-tech. There are only two X3 trims available right now, but BMW is running lease deals on both for the month of January. Here’s a look at how much you’ll pay to lease one of BMW’s X3 luxury crossovers. Relate