What's the news?
If you're the type of person that likes to improve your car by sticking splitters, wings and stickers on it, then BMW is willing to help you out. The SEMA show starts tomorrow in Las Vegas, and as it's one of the biggest showcases for the tuning industry, BMW is bringing along all manner of addenda to help you customise your Bavarian machine.
There's a GTS-aping carbon wing and stripes package for the M3 saloon, which will be available from mid-2017, and a huge variety of M Performance options for most of the cars that BMW produce. These include carbon lip spoilers, black front grilles and carbon mirror caps on certain models, along with a selection of wheels and titanium or stainless steel backboxes. More carbon fibre appears under the M3 and M4 bonnets in the form of an engine cover, and inside the cabin you can specify Alcantara on the handbrake, gearlever and steering wheel to go with (you guessed it) carbon.
But what if I want some go to add to the show? Fear not, because the M Performance Power and Sound kit adds 35hp and up to 53Nm of torque on the 340i and 440i models. This is achieved by a different ECU map and freer-flowing exhaust, cutting a couple of fractions from the 0-100km/h sprint. Currently available in Germany and now in the U.S. too, it remains to be seen whether or not it will make an appearance on the options list over here. There's also a height-adjustable coilover suspension kit for the M3 and M4, along with a new lightweight matt black-finished alloy wheel for the M2, M3 and M4 wrapped in Michelin's track-oriented Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber.
Of more potential relevance to customers over here is the announcement of Remote Engine Start for the 5-Series and X5 and X6 models. Plipping the lock button three times starts the engine remotely (duh), and allows the automatic climate control to bring the cabin to a pre-set temperature, handy on very hot or very cold days. The car switches itself off automatically if not moved within twenty minutes. Best make sure it's left in neutral before you try it however...