Lumma Design Draws Tuning Concepts for BMW i8 Coupe and i3 Hatch

You didn't think that BMW's first i-series models, the i8 hybrid coupe and the electric i3 hatchback, would avoid the touch of the tuning industry, did you? While seen here in rendered concept form, Lumma Design's CLR i8 and CLR i3 point to what we should expect in the near future once the cars begin to arrive in the hands of their new owners.

For the 357hp (362PS) i8, the German tuner proposes a full carbon-fiber kit comprising a front spoiler, side skirts and rear bumper with diffuser along with a tailor-made sticker set with lime-green accents and matte-black, spider-style alloy wheels.

The CLR i3's appearance is modified with a front spoiler lip, a specially designed hood and side skirts, all of which are all made of high-strength and ultra-light carbon. It too gains a different set of rims.

Lumma Design did not say if and when it will introduce these parts for the BMW models.

A Gadget-Biased Review of the Base BMW 428i

There have been many reviews of the now-top spec 435i, but very few, if none, of the smaller 428i, which makes up the bottom of the range for BMW’s US customers. However, don't think that it’s not worth considering, because with 240 hp and zero to sixty in 5.7 seconds, it’s far from being a slouch.

You will miss the creamy sound and power delivery of the bigger six-cylinder engine, but as CNET’s Brian Cooley finds out, there’s still a lot to like, though you do still need to tick a lot of options boxes to get the full experience.

I wonder if anybody will actually buy one of these with no options, have it a stripped out as possible and with a manual gearbox, with the only extra needing to be added being the excellent M steering wheel? Probably very few.

The appeal for a car equipped in that way is further dulled by multiple reports that newer BMWs have lost the sharp sporty edge to a degree, and while they are still satisfying to drive briskly, the driver satisfaction factor has gone down.

Check out the full review, in video form, after the virtual jump.

2015 BMW M3 Sedan Priced from $62,000*, New M4 Coupe from $64,200*

The pricing and options guides for the new 2015 BMW M3 sedan and its two-door sibling, the M4 Coupe, are out in the open. If four-doors is your thing, the M3 will cost you $62,000, while the sleeker looking coupe starts a bit higher at $64,200 (obviously because a car designated with the number 4 should be more expensive than a car that starts with 3).

Neither price includes destination and handling (*), while if you prefer to pick up your car in Munich, Germany, from BMW's headquarters as part of their Euro Delivery program, the M3 will cost you $57,710 and the M4, $59,755.

And that is only the beginning, as there's also the wonderful premium brand world of pricey options, such as the $3,500 Merino Leather treatment, $1,900 LED lighting package and $8,150 Carbon Ceramic brakes.

A comprehensive list with the prices and options, courtesy of the crew over at the BMWBlog, can be found below.