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If you live in China (or plan to go there in the near future) and you have extra amount of money to spend, you may want to consider buying yourself a luxury coupe from German automaker BMW. Introduced for the first time back at this year's Detroit Motor Show, BMW is planning to start selling the M6 Gran Coupe in a wide range of countries, including China where the model has already made its debut. Let me remind you, to me, the BMW M6 Gran Coupe is nothing less than a very luxurious four-door coupe that will not hesitate to take you to the century sprint in only 4.2 seconds. Under its hood, the coupe packs a 4.4-litre twin-turbo engine which has the capability of delivering the power of no less than 560 horses in addition to 680Nm of torque in total. In order to sell the model in the origin country of pandas, the German automaker has teamed up with Brilliance, a local company, and they both have planned big things for the said coupe. Well, last but not least, as far as the price tag is concerned, BMW is demanding 2,390,000 yuan (around S$493,000) in exchange for a M6 Gran Coupe. Well, are you interested?

After the recent press release photos of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe and announced that the coupe will be displayed at the Detroit Motor Show, BMW has announced that they will also be previewing the face-lifted, more normal variants of the 1 series coupe and convertible there. The mid-life revisions for the 1 series are mild and mainly focused to the front and rear ends of the car. BMW is giving the 1 series new headlight cluster design (but with the same shape), slightly different rear lights (which look nicer than previously), a new splitter located under the front bumper (called an 'air curtain' for the front wheels) that reduces drag and magically improves fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions slightly. But no official figures have been revealed to far. According to the press release, there will be two new colors

BMW has finally released official photos of the long awaited BMW 1 Series M Coupe. The car, scheduled for its official debut at the upcomming Detroit Motor Show looks sweet indeed. While the 1 Series M has the same twin turbocharged straight six 3.0liter engine in the already sweet 135i Coupe, it gets a nice fat boost in power. It now runs the same specification as BWM's Z4 sDrive35iS. This means it now has 335bhp and 450Nm to play with instead of 261bhp and 315Nm. More than enough to run rings round a standard 130i and a whole lot of Porsche Boxsters too. If that isn't enough, the 1 Series M gets an additional 63Nm more torque courtesy of an overboost function when the driver fully presses the throttle pedal. All of this horses and torque allows the six speed manual equipped car to hit 100km/h from a standstill in 4.7seconds and to an electronically limited maximum speed of 250km/h. Right now BMW have not announced a dual clutch gearbox for the car but there have been rumours stating that BMW may do so eventually. Somehow, I don't see why not as there is a vast market for those who find it hard to operate a clutch and a gearstick manually, especially in traffic congested cities where most find it more convenient to buy an automatic. The 1 Series M also comes with that (now common in 'M' cars) M Drive button that improves throttle response, but this does not release any extra power like in the M5 (which I thought is pretty dumb since you do want 500bhp in an M5 most of the time). There is also a M Dynamic Mode button that lessens the effects of traction control systems and other forms of electronic nannies so that the driver can take control and exploit the car's handling. When compared to the 135i coupe, the 1 Series M Coupe is a few millimeters longer, about 5.3cm wider and 1cm taller. But major changes make the front and rear tracks a good 7.1cm upfront and 4.6cm at the rear. It also weighs in at 1,495kg or 35kg lighter than the 135i. Aside from the above, it also gets M specific suspension and it rides on 19inch wheels. 245/35/19 upfront and 265/35/19 at the rear. The interior gets an M steering wheel, badging and sportier front seats. The exterior gets the usual 'specific to a performance model' mods - larger front bumper/intake, rear bumper, wider arches, bootlid spoiler and side skirts. The car looks like a Hot Wheels toy car with those extremely large rear wheels under a smallish looking car. This is a BMW which I feel is worth the wait. It is small, powerful and fast. Much like the original E30 M3 from a long time ago. The original M3 was a fabulous small sized rocket with handling to match. Every other M3 since then added weight and somehow did not feel as pure as the original. I hope this 1 Series M Coupe brings back a hefty dose of nostalgia and a large dose of performance too.

The German's these days are getting increasingly aggressive. It used to be just Hitler, but now its the Volkswagen group. They've become so dominant that mentioning a car under their name is inevitable. Volkswagen have led the way in build quality, their innovative and extremely efficient DSG gearbox which is currently unparalleled in the mass-car market and even in their advertising for crying out loud. Most notably however, the car that has stood the test of time is undoubtedly the Golf. And now, there's a new variant. The Hybrid Golf Coupe. Recently unraveled at the Detriot Motor Show last week, the Hybrid Golf Coupe will be the wedge between the Scirocco and the Passat CC. It will be equipped with a 147bhp engine with a 25hp electric motor and comes with the DSG seven speed gearbox which enables the Golf Coupe to do 0-100km/h in 8.1 seconds. And that is impressive from a car that dons one of those 'hybrid' badges. The best part though, is that the Golf Coupe comes with a special clutch which separates the engine from the drivetrain to reduce drag and this comes into play when you lift off while traveling at high speeds, the car will glide smoothly rather than be bogged down by the engine. This results in a very tree-hugging 20km/litre and carbon emissions of 98g/km which is astonishing! For those who cannot stand the idea of a hybrid, don't despair. Petrol and Diesel engines are on the way too.. This looks much more exciting than the current Golf and is it just me or are there huge hints of the Audi A4's tail lamps at the rear? That's no matter really, because the Golf Coupe looks fantastic with those front headlights, certainly hope those go into the production model. Even the old school open front grille has been closed up to reduce drag. These German's are so obsessive about making a green car yet their minimalist and simplistic designs still please the eyes.. This car will definitely be worth the wait.