The 2011 BMW M5 is having its heart and reflexes tested at der Nürburgring. Thus far, the company has kept a remarkably tight lid on the details of what the buyers can expect from the forthcoming supersedan, but varied and persistent rumors all point to more power, more usability, more economy, and more edge.

The next M5's twin-turbo V8, said to be a tweaked version of the one in the X5M and X6M, could have somewhere between 570 and 600 horses in its corral. Carbon and aluminum will undoubtedly be featured prominently, and a Kinetic Energy Recovery System could also figure into the mix. Maybe it's just us, but it looks like the front end is going to wear some serious wheel arches as part of the visual package, too.

The only obvious, and disappointing, hole in all of the scuttlebutt so far is whether the new M5 will be offered with a manual transmission. We hope BMW knows that there is indeed a wrong answer to that question...

[Source: Carscoop]

GM designer Sang Yup Lee has left for the enormous and vast wilds of the VW empire. Lee was the exterior designer of the 2010 Camaro, 50th Anniversary Stingray Concept, Buick Velite, and he worked on the C6 Corvette. Having spent time with him on a few occasions, we can also say he's an all-around great guy.

His new position, as chief exterior designer at the Volkswagen/Audi Advanced studio in California, will begin next month. Lee will report to Executive Design Director Jens Manske, and is apparently is charged with 'inspiring' the merged design divisions. We look forward to a future of brawny, haunchy, badass VWs, even if only in concept form.

[Source: Car Design News]

McLaren Formula One engineers use their laptops to find out what their MP4-series F1 cars are doing. Put one of the teams many computers in front of Lewis Hamilton, and he uses it to make the car do things – in this case, make a little music and dance a little jig. It's just his, and Vodafone's, way of saying Merry Christmas, folks. Follow the jump to see the vid.

[Source: Vodafone UK]

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Last month Fiat head Sergio Marchionne put Chrysler's five-year plan on everyone's plate to digest. This month he's done the same with Fiat's 2-year plan. One of the first items to come out is that the dinky Fiat 500 will get an even dinkier motor: the 0.9-liter, 2-cylinder turbocharged MultiAir gasoline engine.

Right now the smallest engine on offer in a 500 is the SOHC, inline 4-cylinder, 1.2-liter petrol with anywhere from 68 to 74 horsepower. The new unit will muster 65 horsepower in its naturally aspirated guise and 80 to 105 horsepower with the turbos on board. In addition to the reduced carbon dioxide output, the engine is lighter and more fuel efficient.

The news here isn't the output – the base three-door Fiesta, for example, has a 68-hp, 1.3-liter engine in the UK, and the Peugeot 107 has a 1-liter, 68-hp lump described as "zippy" – it's the size of the engine. While Ferrari tries to see how much power it can extract from a slightly smaller engine, Fiat, on the other hand, appears to want to see how small it can build an engine and still extract anything.

[Source: Carscoop]

Porsche test pilot and all-around legend Walter Röhrl will be competing in next year's Nürburgring 24-Hour race for the first time in 17 years. His weapon of choice for the event: the 2010 Porsche GT3 RS. That's the rear-wheel drive one with the 450 horsepower 3.8-liter that runs up to 8,500 RPM. The one with the track-specific, lightweight lithium-ion battery and dynamic engine mounts. The one that did the Kessel Run 'Ring in 12 parsecs 7:33 in light traffic.

Röhrl says the street-legal production car is the closest thing to a race car he's ever driven, so he wants to find out what it can ultimately do from gun-to-flag. It probably won't hand comeuppance to the four-liter, $494,000 GT3 RSR, but with the same horsepower as the dedicated racer we figure Röhrl plans to keep it close.



[Source: Paul Tan]

We give thumbs up to Cruden's reason for building a $191,500 F1 simulator: "Snooker rooms, swimming pools, gyms and cinemas have been done." So there. If you're over waiting for Codemasters to release F1 2009 on a real platform, or waiting for GT5 to ever show up and you have enough money to buy an SLS AMG and several weeks of track time, the Hexatech is waiting for you.

The fully-suspended system can be tailored to provide feedback based on the chassis setup, wheelbase and track, tire and suspension settings, drive train (engine, gearbox, differentials), aero loading, aero draft (slip streaming), steering, brakes and driver aids such as traction control, ABS, and more. It even has seat belt tensioners. And it isn't just for F1: the sim does NASCAR, WRC, and 24-Hour racing, too. Three 42-inch screens, or a projector and a room with at least a 10-foot ceiling will keep you in the action.

If you want one but you don't have that kind of dosh, there's still time to make a wish and be extra nice before Santa makes his final decision. Or you could ask Ferrari if you can borrow theirs...

[Source: F1 Fanatic]

As with every other automaker – heck, almost every other company – Toyota wants to save more money. Japan's Asahi business daily revealed a Toyota initiative to lower its parts expenses by 30% over the next three years, and it is one that we're all too familiar with: Toyota told its suppliers to cut their prices by 30-40%. Can anyone guess how suppliers will most likely remove one-third the cost of their parts? If you said "use cheaper materials," we have your prize backstage...

A Toyota spokesman said the company had given "various suggestions including cost reductions" to the affected portion of its supplier base, which makes it sound like at the very least the company didn't just say "Here's less money, make it work." There are more than 200 vehicle components involved the move – that might sound sizable on its own but it's a tiny fraction of all the parts in a car.

Ultimately, Toyota wants to ensure its competitiveness in emerging markets and guard against a strengthening yen. Assuming the initiative is carried out, the parts in question will be used for cars arriving for the 2013 model year. We hope that by 2014 it is clear that Toyota chose the right bets for this game of parts roulette.

[Source: Reuters via TTAC | Image: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images]

All clearances given, the BBC is reporting that Michael Schumacher is officially a driver for the Mercedes-Petronas F1 team. The deal is understood to be a one-year agreement, with Schumacher being paid £6.2 million ($9.82M U.S.) and having an open door at the end of the year to carry on if it all works out.

Mercedes is said to have its eye on Sebastian Vettel when his contract is up in 2012. Theoretically then, if Michael remains Michael behind the wheel, he could drive for the Three-Pointed Star and collect trophies, and perhaps Championships, until then. That's an immense theoretical, however: Prost and Lauda took time off, came back, and won the whole show again; Jacques Villeneuve, well, not so much.

And as much as Ferrari respects the times it had with Schumacher, we have a feeling Luca di Montezemolo has already called Alonso to tell him, "You know what you have to do..." On the other hand, if Alonso doesn't work out at Ferrari, and Michael does well and only has a one-year deal with Mercedes...

[Source: BBC | Image: Clive Mason/Getty]

The design arm of Bertone, which is now known as Bertone Centro Srl, is finally and completely back in family hands. Last year the entire company, its design and production divisions, went into bankruptcy. Fiat bought the production side, while control of the design side was held jointly by the court and the Bertone family. Lilli Bertone, the widow of Nuccio, the last scion to run the company, closed the deal on the remaining stake that was held by the courts.

Last year it was reported that the courts would maintain their share of control for at least three years, but it appears Lilli found a way to end that stewardship early. Bertone Centro, lately famous for the Bertone Mantide, will begin offering design and engineering contract work to the automotive and rail industries.



[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

There are few things we love more than hooning around in a vigorous, purebred sports car – and that's exactly how Mcchip-dkr describes its 401-horsepower Ford Focus RS. That's the Stage 2 version delivering the "whole-blood athlete," but if you want to work your way up to those heights, you can get the Stage 1 conversion for €799 ($1,142 USD). You'll take your hatch from 301 stock horsepower to 345 and bump torque by about 50 lb-ft to 383 with an ECU upgrade.

But if 401 is your lucky horsepower number and you like the sound of 457 lb-ft. of torque, then you'll need €4,499 ($6,421 U.S.). That pile of pounds will give you access to a new manifold, uprated intercooler, spark plugs, and a sports exhaust as well as the necessary ECU tweaks. Mcchip-dkr thankfully didn't do anything regrettable to the Focus RS' already terrific looks. What they've done with torque steer outside of the stock RS' trick Revoknuckle and limited-slip setup is anyone's guess.

Have a look at the press release after the jump, and there are more images of the car in the high-res gallery below.



[Source: Mcchip-dkr]

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