The folks over at BimmerPost have posted spy shots of what they say is the BMW F3 prototype. Others think it’s the BMW X1 testing with the newly announced inline 4-cylinder engine that BMW is building in collaboration with PSA.

BMW has previously killed rumors of an F3; not to mention the F3 isn’t a part of its product outline for the company’s short-term goals by 2012, so it may be too early to be testing the F3. The BMW X1 was however confirmed to hit the roads before 2012 as early as 2010.

Head over to BimmerPost to view the rest of the shots.

The M3 Sedan just hit the dealerships last month and BMW is already working on facelift. Caught here, the 2009 BMW M3 Sedan will get updated headlamps with LEDs, revised tail lights as on the regular 3-Series Sedan and a slightly upgraded diffuser

These photos from M3Post confirm that the M3 Sedan will also receive a new color; Space Gray. Of course the 420-hp 4.0 liter V8 won’t be upgraded.

Head over to M3Post for more shots.

Men want cars that exude power, performance and exclusivity. Vehicles with the highest percentage of male drivers are among the flashiest, loudest and most expensive models on the market.

If you see a canary-colored Lamborghini Gallardo cruising down the street, nine times out of 10 a man will be at the wheel.

The same goes for other attention-getting sports cars, chauffeur-worthy sedans and burly sport utility vehicles that make up our list of the Top 10 Vehicles Driven by Men.

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It’s the Brits vs. the Germans! The new Jaguar XF Supercharged is making waves with its 4.2 liter V8 engine that produces 420-hp with a peak torque of 408 lb-ft. Jaguar says that 0-60 comes in 5.1 seconds. But how does it hold up to its rivals from BMW, Mercedes and Audi?

Check out this comparison from Edmunds’ InsideLine as the pin up the top-of-the-line XF to the BMW 550i, Mercedes-Benz E550 and the Audi A6 4.2.

Refresher:

Jaguar XF Supercharged: 4.2 liter V8 producing 420-hp and 408 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 comes in at 5.1 seconds.
BMW 550i: 4.2 liter V8 producing 360-hp and 360 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 comes in at 5.4 seconds.
Mercedes-Benz E550: 5.4 liter V8 producing 382-hp and 391 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 comes in at 5.4 seconds.
Audi A6 4.2: 4.2 liter V8 producing 350-hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 comes in at 5.8 seconds.

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Cadillac is really proud of its recent Nurburgring achievement with the 2009 CTS-V bringing in a lap time of 7:59.32. When we heard the news, we were left wondering if the 7:59.32 time of the 2009 CTS-V, which Cadillac says is actually the fastest documented lap time for a production sedan, beat any of its German rivals.

So what German marquees do you leave behind when you drop a 6.3 liter small-block V8 that is closely related to the LS9 found in the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1? Pumping out a total of 550-hp the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V leaves behind a pair of high-performing BMW ‘M’ division cars.

The BMW M5 clocks in at 8:13 while the new 2008 BMW M3 is listed at 8:15. So yes, the Bayerische Motoren Werkes have a lot of work to do.

2009 Cadillac CTS-V:

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With all these three high-performance sedans arriving in dealerships within the next couple of months, we’ve seen many car magazines running a comparison test of the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG, Lexus IS-F and the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan. This time our friends at CAR give us their take on the three hotties.

Hmm, we wonder why they don’t pay much attention to the Lexus IS-F in this video?

Refresher:

2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG: 6.3 liter V8 engine producing 451 horsepower. 0-60 in 4.3 seconds
2008 Lexus IS-F: 5.0L direct-injection V8 engine producing 416 horsepower. 0-60 comes in 4.9 seconds
2008 BMW M3 Sedan: 4.0 liter V8 engine producing 414 horsepower. 0-60 in 4.9 seconds.

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As much as we love the German brand and as much as we respect the new BMW X6, we really can’t pinpoint where this so called “Sports Activity Coupe” fits. There is no doubt that the X6 is an impressive piece of work design and technical specs wise, but no matter how much BMW says that this is the new ’sedan/crossover/coupe’ it still looks like an SUV and will still attract SUV buyers that most probably won’t buy it.

After reading MotorTrend’s recent post ‘2009 BMW X6: Perfectly Pointless,’ we started wondering if the X6 was a waste of BMW’s time and talent. As Angus MacKenzie says, “a Ferrari 599GTB has a point. A Toyota Prius has a point. A Ford F-150 has a point. But what, exactly, is the point of a BMW X6?”

Click through to read more and vote.

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BMW’s M division is working closely together with the design team currently working on the next-generation 2010 BMW 5-Series for their fifth-generation M5. The next BMW 5-Series is expected to make its debut in mid-2009 as a 2010 model year, however the M5 will come as 2011 model year.

According to BMW sources who spoke with AutoCar, BMW will use the current V10, however the 5.0 liter will be upped to 5.5. Expect a power output of 550-hp to take on the new upcoming E 63 AMG.

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This is why BMW is the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine.’ The German automaker has won the ‘International Engine of the Year’ once again. Repeating last year’s victory, the 3.0L straight 6-cylinder twin-turbo engine was once again awarded the prestigious award for 2008.

This makes it BMW’s fourth consecutive win with M6’s and M5’s 5.0L V10 taking the title in 2005 and 2006. If that wasn’t enough for you to believe that BMW makes good engines, the automaker also took first place for the ‘Best New Engine of the Year’ with its new 2.0L twin-turbo diesel engine that produces 204-hp used in the 123d. This was also the first time in the history of the competition that a diesel engine took the title.

Click through for the press release and the list of other winners.

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After tuning the new BMW 1-Series coupe, it was only right that AC Schnitzer offer the top-down lovers with a tuning package for the BMW 1-Series convertible. Called the ACS1 Cabriolet the baby-BMW convertible gets the same power increase as the coupe model and an aggressive looking aerodynamic body kit.

AC Schnitzer offers upgrades for the 120d which takes output from 177-hp to 200-hp, the 123d which increases output from 204-hp to 240-hp and the petrol 135i which gets an increase of 60 to 360-hp. The sound of the extra added power can be enjoyed through the sports rear silencer.

As with the coupe AC Schnitzer also added a new front spoiler, side skirts, rear skirt, rear wing and a rear roof spoiler to increase downforce. Interior modifications have also been made with carbon interior trim in silver and the ergonomically shaped sports airbag steering wheel. The ACS1 Cabriolet comes in a choice of 17, 18 and 19-inch wheels.

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AC Schnitzer BMW 1-Series Convertible (ACS1 Cabriolet):

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In a recent interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, BMW CEO said that the brand will be using the four-cylinder engine it produces jointly with PSA in its BMW branded cars. According to a report, BMW had originally planned to use the four-cylinder engine only in its MINI lineup.

The future generation of BMW 1-Series will be using the four-cylinder engine.

Reithofer also briefly mentioned that the next-generation of the BMW 7-Series will be fitted with a hybrid engine. We expect more details when the full interview is released.

Photo Rendering: 2009 BMW 7-Series:

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If you haven’t noticed already we are really crazy about the new BMW 1-Series. BMW just launched two new commercials called Canvas (for the coupe) and Cone (for the convertible) to promote its baby bimmer.

The new BMW 1-Series is now at dealers with pricing starting at $29,375 for the base 128i coupe and $35,675 for the 135i coupe. Pricing for the 128i Convertible will start at $33,875 and $39,875 for the 135i Convertible.

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We recently asked you in a poll which BMW you would consider buying between the 135i and the 335i. With a total of 226 votes, the 335i is in the lead while the 135i trails behind with 110. Check out this latest comparison from Edmunds as they pin the 135i up against the 335i and the 2002 BMW M3. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll change your mind. If it does, go ahead and vote at the original poll.

Refresher:

BMW 135i: Power comes from a 3.0 liter twin-turbo 6-cylinder engine that produces 300-hp with a  6-speed transmission.
BMW 335i: Powered by the same 3.0 twin-turbo 6-cylinder from the 135i.
2002 BMW M3: 3.2 liter inline-6 that produces 333 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. Engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

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