Car Throttle

Europe has been getting all the special edition models lately, such as the Nissan 370Z Racing Edition, Audi's R8 Limited Edition and now the 3-Series Exclusive Edition and M Sport Edition from BMW. Its a good thing these models aren't big improvements as far as performance goes, and instead mainly exterior packages. There are two, the 3-Series Exclusive Edition and an M Sport Edition. BMW's 3-Series Exclusive Edition sets itself apart with 18-inch lightweight V-Sport wheels finished in Space Grey. The Exclusive Edition also adds an exclusive color, Mineral Gray, in addition to the range of other standard colors. Inside, the car is differentiated by two color schemes, Pearl Grey with grey contrast stitching and black with white contrast stitching. The finish for

The sports compact genre has flourished over the past few years. Mitsubishi is a big player in that market with the Lancer Evolution, a favorite in racing games everywhere. The Evolution X SE is a new mid-range model that sits between the GSR and MR. Mitsubishi made a promotional video for the car as it was was put through its paces in California. We're glad Mitsubishi is focused on enthusiasts - because this car is specifically geared toward the enthusiast market. The Evo X SE starts at $36,445, and is equipped with the dual-clutch transmission on an Evo X. That price point puts it at about $2000 more than a base Evo X GSR and over $3000 cheaper than a base Evo X MR, the high-end model. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLkeGG_vva0&feature=player_embedded#! Next-Gen 3-Series

The BMW lineup is known as the "Ultimate Driving Machine" for the level of performance delivered by standard cars in the lineup. While that might be changing a bit with cars like the X1 being added, for the most part it rings true. The BMW M3 takes that even further, by any measure an impressive performance vehicle. BMW took the formula a step further with the orange, overseas market-only M3 GTS. Now comes speculation that BMW could be even going beyond that, with an M3 GTS-R. If a power bump, upgraded suspension and braking system, aerodynamics tweaks and a dieting program for the sold-out M3 GTS wasn't enough for you, more could be coming. More as in more weight reductions and more power, as well as further changes to

The convertible market is a fickle, high-profit segment that has a lot of competitive entries. Most people aren't primarily concerned about performance with these vehicles - well, performance of a certain type, that is. To test them, Motor Trend rounded up the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, Infiniti G37 and the newest addition to the group, the Lexus IS 250C at a military base on the California West Coast. Check out the results below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05xpEe17rvk

BMW has been putting an emphasis on new performance lately, in addition to efforts to expand the lineup by going down market. In the past few years, the X5 and X6 M has been added, and rumor has it that a M performance model for the 1-Series is in the works as well. BMW recently announced the M3 GTS, the highest performance M3 to date. Being German only and with no plans for it to be available in the United States, some increased performance for the M3 could be on the way. (BMW M3 Sedan from the United Kingdom Pictured) As if it really needs it! More performance = more $ though. Bimmerfile is the site with the scoop, saying to expect a similar competition package to the

Onslaught of the Gran Turismos! There doesn't seem to be much "Gran Turismo" about the 5-Series GT, but GT it is. More are coming though! What's next a 7-series GT? With BMW, you never know. A new 3-Series GT is coming to the United States market in 2011, around the time the X1 debuts. The 3-Series GT would bring the 3-Series model count up to 5 models. Sedan, Coupe, Convertible, Wagon and now, GT. Yay? Photo courtesy of Edmunds Inside Line. To me the X1 seems like it could fit the "role" of a 3-Series GT, but I guess not. BMW is determined to make the most out of what it thinks is a new segment it's creating that "bridges the gap" between 3-Series and 5-Series. Couldn't

Well that was a long wait! After being introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2008, Infiniti has finally decided to release pricing for it's anticipated G37 Convertible. That's 7 months later! For buyers interested though, the good news is that the G37 Convertible goes on sale June 19th. To me, the G37 Convertible is a much better looking vehicle with the top down than it's cross-town competitor the IS 250 C (Convertible). BMW vs. Lexus vs. Infiniti battle of the retractable hardtop convertibles! I'm sure that's a comparison we'll see in car magazines this summer. Like always (practically) BMW's entry is the highest priced model in the segment, coming in at $44,550. Infiniti undercuts that price by only $700 with it's $43,850 asking price. Not sure which one

Lexus, like everyone else has been hurting with this economic downturn. They seem to be getting hurt especially hard though and some have wondered if the brand problems lie deeper then just the slowing economy. Lexus would like to turn things around with new models like the next-generation RX and by attracting younger buyers with more variants of the IS line. I did get a chance to check out the new RX Crossover in person and found it to be not as bad as it seemed in the press shots. In the right color combination it can look decent. Hardly reason enough to buy one though. I think that is part of Lexus' problem too. Save for the IS, none of their vehicles have me even remotely interested. The IS

Well, after asking for idea submissions on it's Facebook page in response to BMW's "Checkmate" response ad, Audi has gone up with it's own response, replacing the "Your Move, BMW" A4 advertisement with the one you see above. That was fast! That is the result of Audi's marketing team's hard efforts to counter the BMW M3 "Checkmate" ad. Like many of the entries submitted, the Audi R8 features (not a bad idea). But the ad itself; well as I've said before, how do you top "Checkmate"? You don't. So the results are questionable, to say the least. "Check your luxury badge, it may have expired" (?) What is that supposed to mean and what does it have to do with chess? Nothing, apparently. You might be wondering if BMW will counter with

This is getting good! Days after the Audi vs. BMW ad war was discovered on the streets of L.A, Audi is asking users on it's Facebook page to come up with suitable responses to the BMW "Checkmate" advertisement. The response ideas have already been pouring in, like the image above. Is Audi up to something? Got a program like Photoshop or Illustrator and think you can come up with a creative response? Here's the link to Audi's Facebook Page. Audi (and BMW no doubt) have realized that this whole thing has made a big splash, both in the automotive and mainstream media. The creative minds at their respective advertising agencies must be thinking hard on how to maximize this. Is Audi planning something? A reponse to this ad or