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BMW 4-series M Performance (2013) first pictures

BMW has revealed a range of M Performance accessories for the BMW 4-series ahead its arrival in UK showrooms this October. The accessories include both mechanical and cosmetic changes and will be offered to customers from January 2014. What do the M Performance models add to the BMW 4-series?

Aston Martin Racing to sell V8 Vantage and DBR 1-2

Aston Martin Racing is offering for sale two pedigreed race cars for display -- both sporting the legendary Gulf Oil livery -- for the low, low price of $379,300 each, converted today from British pounds. The V8 Vantage GTE chassis No. X2 competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012.

Hyundai reveals Zombie apocalypse Veloster at Comic-Con

Hyundai is continuing its collaboration with “The Walking Dead” TV show at Comic-Con this year in San Diego. The company revealed a second Zombie-proof vehicle, and this time it’s a Veloster. The orange hatchback was outfitted by Galpin Auto Sports in California as well as media company Future US.

Land Rover builds one-off Defender Dive Centre

Land Rover has just built a one-off Defender truck for marine explorer and conservationist Monty Halls. A noted TV presenter and marine biologist, Halls has helmed several TV shows on BBC and Animal Planet. He is perhaps best known for his TV series called “Great Ocean Adventures,” his National Geographic specials, and his work on The Underwater Channel.

The Petersen Museum isn't going belly up

I hate writing columns like this, the kind where one media outlet calls out another's mistakes. There but for the grace of God go I and all that… But the shrieking and hysteria over the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles going to hell in a handbasket -- that's what the LA Times reported -- is over the top, and it's turned into a fiasco. Here's the background.

One Lap of the Web: Porsche 959s, the Alfa Romeo 4C and the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG vs. the BMW M135i

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- When initially produced to satisfy FIA homologation requirements in 1986, the Porsche 959 was the world's fastest street-legal production car.

Nissan expands Beijing studio

With the expansion of the Chinese market, the country's position in the automotive industry is increasingly important. Homegrown design elements look set to enhance brand competitiveness, while the on-the-ground knowledge garnered by Chinese studios is becoming invaluable feeding back into global companies. It's clear therefore that Nissan Design China (NDC) will play an increasingly important role in Nissan's global design network.

Peugeot 2008 Crossover already selling well in UK – and half are White

More than half of UK sales of the new Peugeot 2008 (pictured) are white cars The Peugeot 2008 – the crossover/SUV take on the new 208 – arrived in production guise at the Geneva Motor Show in March and looked a properly credible effort from the beleaguered French car maker. In fact, when Peugeot announced prices for the 2008 and their UK target sales of 8,000 a year, we thought they were being conservative with their projections, especially as the 2008 starts at a very reasonable £13k. That soon proved to be right when Peugeot announced it was having to double production of the 2008 as sales were much stronger across Europe than they’d anticipated, and it seems the same is happening in the UK.

MINI Clubvan AXED in the US after just 50 sales

The MINI Clubvan (pictured) has been axed in the US after just 50 sales The MINi Clubvan – a van version of the Clubman – arrived in 2012 as a concept and instantly evoked fond memories of the original Mini van that used to roam UK roads with the black and yellow livery of the AA. By the time the new MINi Clubvan arrived as a production model last summer – and debuted at the 2012 Goodwood FoS – it had changed little from the concept, but looked set for success as a funky little local delivery vehicle. And it does seem as though the Clubvan is selling quite well, with florists and posh food delivery firms jumping on the Clubvan as a great way to move their product to customers, and look just that bit different in the process.

Confirmed: Lexus RC (IS Coupe) arriving at Tokyo Motor Show – RC F V8 planned too

The Lexus RS Coupe, previewed by the LF-CC (pictured) arrives in November The concept version of the new Lexus IS was the LF-CC Concept, which was shown at the Paris Motor Show last year. But the LF-CC was actually a two-door coupe, not a four door saloon, so it seemed highly likely there was an IS Coupe in the works that would arrive sooner rather than later. And it will, at the Tokyo Motor Show in November.

Happy 80th Birthday, Syd Mead!

Take a poll among car designers to name their greatest influence, and one name is sure to appear at the top of the list: Syd Mead. The car designer, illustrator and futurist has inspired generations of the men and women who shape the cars we drive or admire. Syd has created the designs for the movies Blade Runner and Tron, while the illustrations published in his books such as Oblagon and Sentury (sought-after collector items today) depict the vision of a future dominated by superior technology and aesthetics.

It seems the Range Rover Evoque Convertible is going in to production after all

It seems the Range Rover Evoque Convertible (pictured) is actually going in to production We weren’t very complimentary about the Range Rover Evoque Convertible when it was revealed in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show last year. And we were relieved when we heard just a few months ago that Land Rover weren’t going to push ahead with production of the Evoque Convertible after all. But it seems that report was incorrect, as What Car are reporting that Land Rover has actually approved the Evoque Convertible for production.

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante public debut at Pebble Beach next month

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante (pictured) will make its public debut at Pebble Beach in August Aston Martin is 100 years old this year so they’re pulling out all the stops for this year’s Pebble Beach, with the first public debut for both the new Vanquish Volante and V12 Vanquish S. The Vanquish Volante was revealed last month as an impressive soft top take on the new Vanquish, with Aston Martin claiming the new Vanquish Volante as the stiffest convertible ever built by Aston and promising the same performance as its tin-top sibling – 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and 183mph – as well as a distinct like of the shimmy and shake many Aston convertibles exhibit. The month before the reveal of the Vanquish Volante, Aston Martin also revealed the new V12 Vantage S as the quickest production Aston ever, offering 565 willing horses, a new 7-speed Sportshift 3 automated manual ‘box, new sports exhaust and ceramic brakes.

Alfa Romeo 4C in action at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (video)

The Alfa Romeo 4C made its dynamic debut (pictured) at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed The long awaited Alfa Romeo 4C finally made its debut in production spec at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and at the weekend the 4C made its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. To make sure the 4C made as big an impact as possible at Goodwood, we’d expected Alfa to run up the hillclimb in the launch edition 4C, which gets plenty of extra goodies including a carbon fibre body kit and spoiler, but this 4C looked to be a standard model. But even though we’d like to have seen the launch edition with its extra carbon fibre goodies, the standard car gets exactly the same 1750cc 4-cylinder petrol engine with enough get up and go, 236bhp, to move the lightweight 4C (under 900kg) to 62mph in just 4.5 seconds.

Watch: 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel video walkaround

Mike Cairns, chief engineer for Ram, says that people just can't help but pester him with the same damned question: “Why don't you put a diesel engine in a 1500?” Thanksgivings were, we imagine, brutal. The coming 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel ought to steer family dinners back to less abrasive topics, like partisan politics. Get an up-close look at the truck in this video walkaround hosted by none other than Cairns himself.

One Lap of the Web: BMW M4 coupe, 'Fast & Furious 7' and soap box racing

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- We all know the new BMW M3 coupe – ahem, M4 coupe -- is on the horizon for the German brand, but we can only speculate about the new performance car.

2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG revealed

Mercedes-Benz's AMG performance-car division has officially revealed its new 577-hp S63 AMG ahead of the rapid sedan's public Frankfurt motor show debut in September. Several traditional AMG styling mods distinguish the S63 from recently introduced but lesser S-class models (“S-class Stunner,” Autoweek, May 27). They include a deep new front bumper, chromed blade grille, twin-turbo V8 badges on the side and beefed-up sills.

China's BAIC interested in Fisker Atlantic model

A delegation from Beijing Automotive Group, or BAIC traveled to Fisker's facilities in California over the weekend, China Daily is reporting is reporting. BAIC has expressed interest in the Fisker Atlantic electric car, a vehicle that was at one point slated for production until Fisker ran into money problems back in March. Since that time, a number of Chinese automakers in addition to BAIC have shown interest in the technology.

Ford set to improve 2013 hybrid software

Ford said on Monday that it would recall its 2013 Fusion, C-Max and Lincoln MKZ hybrids, but not for the reason you might think. Like your cell phone software, the car’s software systems are getting an upgrade. Starting in August, owners of those cars will be notified of their option to bring the cars in for a software enhancement that will help even out the variability in mileage.

Changes coming to LA Auto Show

The toughest opponent for the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show has never been the weather, which is always perfect, nor the location, in car-crazed Southern California. It's been the calendar. After decades of being run on the exact same dates as the larger and more globally recognized Detroit auto show, LA finally stepped out of the shadow of the Motor City several years ago and grabbed its own spotlight -- in November.

Volkswagen prices limited-edition Beetle GSR

Volkswagen is bringing back the yellow-and-black Beetle GSR for 2014, more than 40 years after the “Yellow Black Racer” (Gelb Schwarzer Renner) debuted for the first time. That car had around 50 hp; the new one will eclipse that by just a little bit. On sale today, the Beetle GSR will use VW's turbocharged 2.0-liter TSI engine making 210 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque.

Audi A1 S line Style Edition adds value to S Line

The Audi A1 S line Style Edition (pictured) joins the A1 range Audi, as we know, likes to fill every niche it can with new car product, and it also loves to fill in any gap it perceives in its model trim lineup. So the bean counters at Audi have decided that there’s a hole in the A1 range for a car that’s a bit better equipped than an A1 S Line, but not quite as good as the A1 Black Edition. So say hello to the Audi A1 S line Style Edition.

Mercedes S63 AMG (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

Mercedes has unleashed its new lighter, faster 577bhp S63 AMG super-limo. CAR rode shotgun in the mighty new 577bhp new S-class flagship earlier this month – click here for the full story. How fast is the new Mercedes S63?

Mercedes S63 AMG arrives – but the UK won’t get the most appealing option

The 2014 Mercedes S63 AMG (pictured) revealed We did think Mercedes would get more mileage out of their tease for the 2014 S 63 AMG, but this morning they’ve revealed the fastest version of the new S Class so far – the new Mercedes S 63 AMG. The S63 AMG is exactly what you’d expect the new S Class AMG would be. It comes with the usual array of AMG cosmetic tweaks including a big, butch front bumper, bigger sills, AMG alloys and ‘Biturbo’ badges on the wings to shout its intent.

Volkswagen shows off new 1.8-liter engine for Jetta, Passat, and Beetle

Volkswagen is rolling out a new 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injected TSI engine which will debut in the Jetta, Beetle, and Passat later this year. This thrifty new engine will replace the 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine now available in those models. But the 1.8-liter is no slouch: it produces the same 170 hp as the outgoing five-cylinder engine, while adding 7 lb-ft torque for a total of 184.

Datsun Go boldly goes downmarket

The Datsun Go (pictured) has been revealed in India We’ve know since March that Nissan was adding an extra brand name to its portfolio – to add to Nissan and Infiniti – by reaching back in its history to bring the Datsun brand back to life, and we got the first image of what we now know is the Datsun Go at the start of July. Having spent a fortune eradicating Datsun from the minds of buyers and replacing it with Nissan, Nissan are now working to make car buyers in emerging markets fall for the new Datsun Go in the way the UK  did for the first Datsun Sunny in the 1970s. So we get the Datsun Go which is, to all intents and purposes, a Nissan Micra with all the fripperies removed and pitched – initially at least – at the budget end of the car market in India where it will go up against cars like the Hyundai i10 and cost under £5,000 which, entirely coincidentally, is the starting price for the i10.

Mercedes start the tease for the 2014 S63 AMG

Mercedes are teasing the arrival of the new S63 AMG (pictured) The 2014 Mercedes S Class has already made its debut, at least in ‘standard’ guise, but there’s a lot more to come. There’s the S-Class Coupe – which will replace the current CL – and there’s the new S-Class Pullman – which will replace the Maybach. But the next instalment for the new S-Class will be the performance S63 AMG, which we’re expecting to arrive at Frankfurt in a couple of months, and ahead of that Mercedes is starting to tease its arrival.

Changes Coming to the Petersen?

If the idea was to get everyone talking about it, then the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles has succeeded. The Petersen, one of the greatest automotive institutions in the country, is anonymously selling 64 of its cars at a relatively low-key auction, leaving 300 behind in its Wilshire Blvd. home.

Honda adds HFP package for 2013 Accord

The limited-edition Honda Factory Performance package for the Accord Coupe goes on sale Tuesday. It was first shown at the Las Vegas SEMA show in 2012. Honda says the package enhances vehicle dynamics and adds distinctive styling cues.

Ford Focus ST & Fiesta ST get official power upgrades

Ford Focus ST & Fiesta ST (pictured) get Mountune power upgrades There’a a big after-market for tuning cars to deliver more power without wrecking economy or reliability, so it makes sense for car makers to get in on the act if they can. So Ford have teamed up again with Mountune (just as they did a few years ago to offer you 345bhp in your Focus RS) to offer performance upgrades for both the latest Focus ST and the Fiesta ST. The tuning package for the Focus ST boosts power to 271bhp – up from the stock power of 246bhp – and the 0-62mph time drops to under 6 seconds, half a second quicker than the normally tuned car.