2013 BMW X6: First Look

• Competes with: Porsche Cayenne, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Infiniti FX50 
• Looks like: Not a whole lot of change for the X6  
• Drivetrain: 300-hp, twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six, 400-hp, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8, 555-hp, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8; eight- or six-speed automatic transmissions
• Hits dealerships: Spring 2012

For the 2013 model year, the BMW X6 undergoes a subtle midcycle update, keeping the nearly 4-year-old model fresh enough for perspective buyers. Up front, the X6 gets a restyled grille, front clip, fog lamps and new headlights. Adaptive LED headlights are a new option for the model year; xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights are still standard. In the back, there are restyled LED taillights. There also are new 19-inch wheel designs for the xDrive50i, too.

In the cabin, there's a new red leather upholstery option. The uplevel Nappa leather upholstery now comes in a new Ivory color scheme. Like the 2012 BMW X6, the 2013 model comes standard with four bucket seats, but there's a rear bench seat option, bringing the total capacity to five passengers.

Recall Alert: 2012 BMW X5

BMW is recalling just six model-year 2012 X5 SUVs to address a problem with the transmission's parking lock mechanism, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The lock may not engage when the vehicle is in Park and the SUV could roll away from the driver.

Only all-wheel-drive X5s manufactured from Dec. 19 through Dec. 21, 2011, are affected. The vehicle's build date is on a label affixed to the driver-side doorjamb. Concerned owners should override the transmission's park mode by using the parking brake as an added safety measure.

Dealers will replace the automatic transmission free of charge. BMW will start notifying owners this month. For more info, owners can call BMW at 800-525-7417 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.

2012 BMW 5 Series Hybrid Pricing

BMW announced pricing for its 2012 5 Series hybrid sedan. Called ActiveHybrid 5, it will retail for $60,950 when it goes on sale in late spring. Power comes from the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine found in the 535i, but it's joined by a 55-horsepower electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack in the ActiveHybrid 5. It uses an eight-speed automatic transmission and has a total of 335 hp.

BMW expects the ActiveHybrid 5 to deliver an appealing blend of performance and fuel economy, with a 5.7-second zero-to-60 time and rumors of high mpg figures. BMW says the 5 Series hybrid should get see a big increase in fuel economy compared with the 535i's 21/31 mpg city/highway rating, though official figures haven't been released. The hybrid can operate in all-electric mode, but only for 2.5 miles at speeds below 37 mph.

Unlike BMW's short-lived sales dud, the X6 Hybrid, the ActiveHybrid 5 won't be the priciest 5 Series in the lineup. Rather, it will sit midpack between the base 528i's $46,900 sticker price and the higher-level $64,300 550i xDrive sedan. The range-topping M5 model returns to the 5 Series lineup for model-year 2013.

All prices exclude BMW's $895 destination fee.

BMW Confirms X4 for U.S. Market

BMW announced today that, along with a major expansion of its sole U.S. car plant, the company will launch a new SUV model, called the X4.

BMW currently sells the compact X3 (shown above), midsize X5 and the sporty, coupe-like X6 SUVs. The X6 is pretty much an X5 with an added dose of styling and exclusivity (read: more expensive). We don't have much to go on — just the nameplate, really — but we imagine the X4 will play the part of the X6, only smaller.

The X4 will go into production at BMW's Spartanburg, S.C., plant, which currently builds all of BMW's other SUV trims. The expansion will be a $900 million investment for South Carolina, and it will add 350 jobs to the plant for a total of 7,500 employees. The expansion should be completed by the end of the year, when the new model will likely go into production.

2013 BMW 3 Series Video

BMW was America's best-selling luxury brand for 2011, taking the crown away from long-standing champion Lexus. BMW wouldn't have earned the honor if it weren't for the 3 Series, which happened to be the nation's best-selling luxury vehicle in 2011. For 2013, the model is all new with fresh styling that accentuates its width, according to Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder. The car looks terrific in person, he says, and we can't wait to get behind the wheel to test one.

2013 BMW 3 Series: Photo Gallery

The first time we caught a glimpse of the 2013 BMW 3 Series was way back in October, but this is the first time the model has shown up at a major auto show.

More 2012 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

The 2013 BMW 3 Series makes news with the addition of a four-cylinder powertrain and a hybrid system for the model year.

2012 BMW 3 Series: Up Close

Of all BMW's cars, the 3 Series is the one that somehow escaped being hit by the Chris Bangle ugly stick, so I didn't go to the redesigned compact sedan's North American debut looking for sweet relief, as I have for so many other models. Even so, I left mighty impressed.

More 2012 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

The way the headlight assemblies flow into the grilles gives the car a broad look that belies a slight decrease in width compared with the 2011. The light clusters themselves improve on other recent BMW redesigns: Rather than a translucent-white eyelash that looks like it was meant to be removed after shipping, each of the new car's headlights has a more pleasing silver stripe with LED accents.

2012 Detroit Auto Show: What To Expect, Updated

Twenty-five days separate us from the 2012 Detroit auto show. Of the more than 36 new cars coming to the show, we now can confirm at least 28 vehicles will be there.

Unlike the 2011 L.A. Auto Show, the Detroit show seems to focus heavily on concept cars. The most important production cars we know of now include the 2013 Ford Fusion, 2013 Dodge Dart, 2013 Acura RDX, 2013 Toyota Prius c and the 2013 Cadillac ATS.

This week we learned that the 2013 Fusion will be at the show and a Lincoln MKZ concept, as we previously reported. The Fusion will be introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 10 and at the Detroit auto show on the same day. The next-generation Mercedes-Benz SL-Class will also be shown off (shown above).

There will be some thinly veiled concepts to look out for, too. They include the Acura ILX Concept, a compact car with a hybrid variant, and, more importantly, the 2013 Honda Accord Coupe Concept. If past Honda concepts are any indication, it will pretty much be the new Accord that will go on sale later next year.

For now, those are the major releases we know about. We’ll have more info once the 2012 Detroit auto show gets under way Jan. 9.

2013 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe: First Look

• Competes with: Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, Audi A7 
• Looks like: A more animated 5 Series ... with a 7 Series price tag 
• Drivetrain: 315-hp, twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder; 445-hp, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8; eight-speed automatic transmission; rear- or all-wheel drive 
• Hits dealerships: Summer 2012 

This may come as a surprise, but BMW’s seemingly endless line of different models doesn’t yet include a four-door coupe. After two generations of eye-catching designs in the Mercedes-Benz CLS and the introduction of the Audi A7 to much critical acclaim, BMW has decided that it needs to compete in this relatively new realm of low-roofed, highly stylized sedans. Like its namesake suggests, the 2013 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is the elongated cousin of the recently redesigned 6 Series coupe.

The four-door 6 Series Gran Coupe is 4.4 inches longer than the standard two-door coupe with a 4.5-inch longer wheelbase. A significant amount of the extra volume goes to the rear passengers: BMW says the Gran Coupe can fit up to five passengers, but it adds that four adults can be carried “in comfort and luxury.” The four-door coupe offers that same generous 16.2 cubic feet of cargo space that the two-door has.

2012 BMW 3 Series Starts at $34,900

The all-new sixth-generation 2012 BMW 3 Series sedan gets a starting price of $34,900, excluding an $895 destination fee. The 2012 sedan goes on sale in February. The 2012 3 Series wagons, coupes and convertibles are currently on sale, but they are still the previous generation. New versions of those body styles have not been revealed yet. 

The new sedan pricing represents a small $300 price increase over the existing model. The new model also features more room, efficient powertrains and more standard features.