BMW may launch the M-Version X3-M by 2014

With the launch of the new BMW X3 coming up next month in India, reports of a performance variant of the X3 called the X3-M, being in the penultimate stages of its development are cropping up in the world-wide automotive news scene.

And you would’ve thought that BMW has learned its lesson after wasting the energy of its M-Division on the X6-M and the X5-M. Now don’t get me wrong, the M-variants of the X5 and the X6 boost figures of the herculean vehicles by far, it’s just the pointlessness of it that gets to me. Using the M-Division performance engineering on heavy behemoths with off-roading/soft-roading as their primary functions is a colossal waste. Agreed the track performance is enhanced, but if it is track performance I want wouldn’t I spend my money on a sports car rather than an SUV? Pointless I tell you.

By the looks of it the pointlessness has been repeated again. If reports are to be believed, a M-Variant of the X3 is also in the works. Powered by a 3.2 Liter inline straight six petrol motor and three turbo chargers, the X3-M will be first to usher in the electric turbocharger technology.

The first two turbos of the X3-M will be conventional turbochargers and will use the exhaust gases to spool up and power the crossover. The third turbo charger will be electronically powered and would be used to generate power in the later stages of the power generation.

These turbochargers will enable 450 horses worth of power on a more agile machine as compared to the X5 and the X6. It is still hazy if India will receive the X3-M but considering we never saw the M Version of the X5 or the X6, it is safe to assume that it will be a while before we see the X3-M in India.

BMW to boost production with US$11.7m investment

German-based auto maker BMW Group is committed to invest some Rp 100 billion (US$11.7 million) in Indonesia for the next two years to increase its production capacity and strengthen its sales and distribution network.

BMW Group vice president Graeme Grieve said on Tuesday that the investment would be used to modernize its assembly line at a plant in Sunter, North Jakarta, with new production facilities. The plant, owned by PT Astra International’s subsidiary, PT Gaya Motor, currently assembles the BMW 3 Series.

“This investment will help us increase our production capacity from four cars a day to eight cars per day,” he said during the announcement of the plan, with BMW aiming to produce 3,000 cars per year.

He added that BMW would recruit some 60 new production workers in addition to the existing 46 workers in the plant to meet the higher production rate.

Grieve said BMW would also assemble the 5 Series at the plant in addition to the 3 Series currently being assembled.

He said all the locally assembled cars would be for the domestic market, as demand for BMW cars had increased significantly in recent years thanks to the country’s dynamic economic growth.

BMW also introduced two other brands under its belt at the event, MINI and Rolls-Royce, as part of the celebration commemorating PT BMW Indonesia’s 10th anniversary.

PT BMW Indonesia president director Ramesh Divyanathan said part of the investment would be for MINI distribution.

“In the near future we will build stores for MINIs, including outside Jakarta,” he said without providing numbers or locations of the outlets.

BMW said in a statement that the MINI models would be introduced at the end of 2011 when its authorized dealership opens.

BMW also launched its 6 Series convertible model, first introduced at the North America International Auto Show in January.

Countryman is a more grown-up Mini but still playful

The four-door car is a bit longer than the modern Cooper hardtop — the better to accommodate such things as back-passenger legs and groceries. It finds the middle ground between fun and practicality.

Back in the day, vintage Minis were so narrow they could drive on sidewalks. They were so short, the only view out the driver's side window was often another car's hubcap.

Then BMW came along and cashed in on the cute-as-a-button British classic, adding a couple of feet of length, six inches of height and a 21st-century makeover to the compact it resuscitated in 2002 and rechristened as its own Mini brand.

Mini, which had its best U.S. sales month ever in April, is offering a new take on its popular two-door.

The 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman is an ever-so-slightly larger four-door that, befitting a retro model coming up on its 10-year anniversary, has a sort of prepubescent quality. It's still cute, but in its bigger form, it's slightly more awkward looking.

The Macaulay Culkin of compacts, the Countryman is 15 inches longer than the modern Cooper hardtop — the better to accommodate doors, back-passenger legs and groceries in its rear cargo space. It's a car that finds the middle ground between fun and practicality.

The version of the Countryman I tested will appeal to fans of the movie "Italian Job" — drivers who wish there were a Michael Caine driving school to tutor them in the finer points of maneuvering through stairwells. The Cooper S Countryman ALL4 is the sporty, all-wheel drive version.

It's equipped with a turbocharged, direct-injection 1.6-liter engine that comes to speed quickly. It's also outfitted with permanent all-wheel drive that does the hard math, calculating driver speed, steering and acceleration so it can distribute the car's engine power and torque between the front and rear axles and keep the car planted in turns.

Painted an inspiring metallic blue with a pair of retro white racing stripes running up its bonnet, my tester was equipped with a six-speed manual transmission that was torque-y enough for me to make a game of joining freeway traffic. A six-speed automatic is available in two of the Countryman's three trims.