Was BMW Right or Wrong to Rebadge the 3-Series Coupe as the 4-Series?

The first ever BMW 3-Series, built from 1973 to 1985 and known by its internal codenamed E21, was offered only as a coupe. Yes, there was a convertible variant available through BMW's dealers but it was made by Baur, so it doesn't really count.

As the years passed by and the 3-Series became more and more successful on a global basis, BMW wanted to bank on that success and so it expanded the lineup to include sedans in both regular, and for China, long-wheelbase versions, three-door hatchbacks (E36 and E46 only), estates, convertibles and the famed M variants.

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Bummer; Audi Tells Us it Has No Plans to Offer the New RS6 Avant in the U.S. [w/Poll]

If you can afford it, the new Audi RS6 Avant is one of those cars that allows you to have a mid-life crisis without actually affecting the others around you, and by that, we mean you can get supercar-levels of performance with all the comfort amenities and more importantly, the space and practicality of a large family car.

Sadly, if you live in the States, this is one super wagon that you won't be able to park under your garage during this phase of your life.

In an email we received today from John Schilling, product communications manager for Audi North America, we were told that, the brand has "No plans on bringing the RS6 Avant here to the U.S.".

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Recalled 2010 Camaro Burns Down, Owner Asks GM to Help Him Finance a New ZL1

Back in May of 2009, General Motors issued the first ever recall for its then new, fifth generation Camaro that was sold as a 2010 model, only a few weeks after launch.

The recall affected 1,243 Camaro SS coupes equipped with a V8 engine because of a short-circuit risk that could lead to a fire. The culprit was a positive battery cable that could rub against the starter motor housing causing wear on the cable insulation.

In all recall cases, the automaker directly or through one of its dealers, contacts owners of the affected models to inform them about the problem and how and when it will be fixed (which is stated in GM's Recall Bulletin that you can find below).

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GM CEO Likes the Opel Cascada, Says 'Why don't we bring it to the US'. What Do You Think? [w/Poll]

From the time GM linked its Opel and Buick brands, whenever the German company comes out with a new model, the question arises whether the Detroit automaker should bring it to North America.

Currently, of the six Buick vehicles sold in the States, three are based on Opel models: the Verano compact sedan (Astra Sedan), the Regal mid-size saloon (Insignia) and the Encore small crossover (Mokka).

This week, Opel and its British sibling Vauxhall lifted the wraps off a new model, the Cascada soft-top convertible born from Astra and Insignia underpinnings.

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Cadillac Confirms that the ELR will be FWD, Do You Think GM Made the Right Decision?

On Tuesday, Cadillac added another piece to the puzzle that is the new ELR plug-hybrid coupe by announcing that the car will be manufactured at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant with production to start in late 2013.

We already know that the ELR will be closely based on Cadillac's 2009 Converj Concept and that it will borrow much of its extended-range electric technology from the Chevy Volt, combining a T-shaped lithium-ion battery with an electric drive unit and an unspecified four-cylinder engine working as a generator to power the electric motor.

What we assumed, but didn't know for sure, is whether the ELR would keep the same front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout as the Volt or if Cadillac would engineer a new platform with a front-engine, rear-wheel drive configuration.

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Was Detroit Cop Right or Wrong to get "Aggravated" Because Passenger Did Not Disclose her HIV Status?

A casual traffic stop over an inoperative brake light by a police officer in Dearborn, Michigan, on August 3, 2012, took a weird twist when the cop discovered that the passenger of the 1999 GMC Jimmy was HIV positive.

The police dashboard video that was obtained by national news network The American Independent, and which was released in late September, shows Dearborn Police Officer David Lacey pulling the truck to the side of the road and then approaching the driver, Mark Scott, and asking for his papers.

Scott told the Michigan cop that he did not have his license with him and that he may have a warrant for his arrest related to a traffic ticket. He then handed Lacey another piece of identification.

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McLaren P1 Design: Love It, Hate It, or Somewhere In Between? [Poll, Plus New Videos and Photos]

Sure the new Volkswagen Golf Mk7 and its kin, the Audi A3 and Seat Leon, along with the likes of the Renault Clio, Dacia Logan and Ford Mondeo, just to mention a few of the mainstream debuts at the Paris Motor Show, are the ones that matter in real-life terms, but it's cars like the McLaren P1 that keep us dreaming and…alive.

Although billed as a concept, in reality, the P1 is a pre-production teaser of the road car that will hit McLaren's glitzy showroom floors just before the end of 2013.

Deemed by many as the spiritual successor to the great F1 of the 1990s, McLaren says the P1 was designed with one simple goal: "to be the best driver’s car in the world on road and track".

We will have to wait for the production model to find out whether the McLaren P1 can live up to its promise, but in the meantime, we can ask your opinion about the hypercar's design and if it hits the right notes.

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Parisian Poll: Which is the Better Looker, the Hyundai i30 3D or the Kia Pro_Cee'd?

South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia aren't leaving a lot of breathing space for Europe's troubled mainstream car manufactures, as they are relentlessly assaulting every popular category with new models.

At the 2012 edition of the Paris Motor Show, the Korean partners each introduced a three-door version of their respective C-segment compact hatchbacks.

The two models are the Hyundai i30 3d (the five-door version of which is sold as the Elantra GT in North America) and the Kia Pro_Cee'd, both of which offer a more aggressive design than their five-door counterparts.

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The 34 Nominees for the 2013 European Car of the Year Award – Which One do You Think will Win?

The process of electing the 2013 Car of the Year (COTY) for Europe has officially commenced with the release of the provisional list of candidates.

In order to be eligible, a car must have been released during the past 12 months; is available in at least five European countries; has a projected annual sales figure of no less than 5,000 units and is a new model and not just a new edition.

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Mint Colored Ferrari 458 Italia Spider: What Do You Say?

While we're happy to see that at least one owner of the 458 Italia Spider broke the long-standing tradition of red-colored Ferraris, we're not sure what to make of the of this example finished inside and out in a teal (bluish green) tint that was filmed by YouTube user "Lamborghinisown" parked on the road.

In case you're wondering, the hardtop spider model was fitted with dealer plates from Connecticut.

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U Spy: Can You Name the Mercedes-Benz Prototype in these Pictures?

One of our longtime readers, Vladimir P., was traveling on the roads of Munich in Germany this past weekend when he came across a prototype of a Mercedes-Benz model partially covered in black tape, strategically positioned to keep the styling details out of sight.

What we want from you is to tell us which upcoming Mercedes-Benz four-door sedan model do you think is hiding behind the plastic wraps of this prototype.

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Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 and Lexus LFA Sound Battle [w/Poll]

One of the things all gearheads love about exotic supercars is the sounds produced by their high-horsepower engines.

Of course, as with design, when it comes to engine sounds, everybody has different preferences, which makes this competition between a Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and a Lexus LFA that met up under a tent at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix 2012 event this month all the more interesting.

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Should General Motors Cut its Penn State Sponsorship after the Sandusky Scandal?

Penn State's woes may be even bigger than originally thought after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced heavy sanctions on the university's football program including a $60 million (€50 million) fine, a four-year ban on bowls, 40 fewer football scholarships and a vacating of all wins from 1998 to 2011, in light of the Sandusky child sex scandal.

Today, Automotive News is reporting that General Motors is contemplating whether to cut its sponsorship of the Penn State's Nittany Lions.

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Spy Video: Help This Russian Scooper Identify this Prototype Model

Russian YouTube poster 'MrDmitry323' found this camouflaged prototype parked at a central square in Moscow this past Sunday and put his video camera to good use.

Now, he wants someone to tell him the brand and type of model that he caught on film.

The two minute-long clip takes us for a walk around the test car and even offers us a glimpse of the disguise-free interior.

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Identify This No4: Four Production Nissan Models

This weekend's automotive puzzle brings Nissan into the picture – or so to speak. The Japanese brand has its roots in The Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works that was founded in 1911, with the Nissan name first being used in 1934.

But fear not as we don’t plan on traveling so far back into Nissan's history, as the oldest model found here is from the year after the first manned landing on the Moon.

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Can the 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Match Up to the New 2013 BMW M5 Saloon? [w/Poll]

From the moment BMW decided to place the M badge on its 5-Series sedan back in the mid-1980s, the M5 immediately created its own niche in the executive saloon segment. In fact, it become so popular that many the Bavarian firm's rivals followed its example in the years that came after the original M5's launch.

Perhaps one of the more surprising challengers was GM's Cadillac CTS-V, the first generation of which was presented in 2004 before it was replaced by the current model in 2008.

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Identify This #3: Four Ford Production and Concept Models

For our third photo quiz, we picked out four models from the Ford brand and upped the difficulty level just a little bit since most of you were spot on with your answers last week.

Here are two clues to assist you on the Ford puzzle: a) there are two production vehicles and two concept studies seen in this collection and b) each car is from a different region.

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Identify This: Four Production Audi Models

Since you seemed to have enjoyed the previous quiz with the classic Alfa Romeo models (see here), we thought we would come up with a new series of our own featuring a different automaker each week.

For this puzzle, we chose the brand with the four rings from Ingolstadt, which is more commonly known as Audi.

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Poll: Which Sports Car Would You Buy for Around $25,000?

Let us just start off by saying that if you live in the States, you should feel fortunate that you can acquire a fairly rewarding and fun to drive sports car for $25,000 (approx. €19,300) or even less if you don't care much about all the bells and whistles of modern automobiles. If you are wondering why, head over to this post.

Now, with the recent arrival of the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ twins as well as a pricing announcement for the 2013 Ford Focus ST, which goes on sale later this year, buyers searching to buy a sports car for around $25k will have plenty of options to choose from.

The automotive menu at this price point includes front-wheel drive sport hatchbacks such as the MazdaSpeed 3 and VW Golf GTI, rear-wheel drive coupes like the Hyundai Genesis 2.0 Turbo and Chevy Camaro V6 and the Mazda MX-5 Miata roadster.

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Can You Identify the Alfa Romeo Models Shown in this Picture?

While Mercedes-Benz's AMG sub-brand wanted you to find out which model was featured in a blank video by listening to the sounds of its engine, over in Italy, Alfa Romeo has assembled a set of cropped images of four of its cars from various eras and asks if you can identify them.

If you feel up to the task, sound off in the comments section right after the break.

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