1979 Bmw 633csi Coupe 2-door 6 Cylinder on 2040-cars

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BMW planning Chinese recall for engine part issue [w/video]

After receiving an unspecified number of complaints in China, BMW has reportedly started a "full investigation" into what may be a defective part in its VANOS engine control system. BMW said via a Chinese blog that it would file a recall application with the the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in China.
BMW has not yet announced how many vehicles will be recalled, or which models the potential recall might cover. We're also curious as to whether the VANOS issue could extend into markets outside of China.
We've placed a call with BMW in the United States, and will update this post as soon as we hear back. Stay tuned for more, and if you're curious about what VANOS is and how it works, scroll down below for a video animation.

China probing German automakers over spare parts

The Chinese market has proven to be a boon to German luxury automakers. However, the way that the companies have allegedly been controlling their supply of spare parts has begun to draw the ire of the nation's government. According to insiders speaking to Bloomberg, officials from the country's economic planning organization have opened a probe into Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and some Japanese carmakers over claimed price inflation and limiting supply.
Specifically, the investigation centers around two aspects of how the companies do business, according to Bloomberg. Investigators want to know whether the original equipment component makers are able to sell spare parts only to automaker-authorized dealers or if they are also available to independent shops. There is also the issue of whether the price markup on replacement pieces is too high. The tight controls could be partially explained by China's reputation for producing counterfeit parts.
Evidently, the investigators haven't checked parts prices at car dealers elsewhere in the world. At least in the US, paying more at the dealer for factory components just goes along with owning a vehicle. If evidence of price fixing is found, the companies could face fines the equivalent of millions of dollars, according to Bloomberg.

BMW i8 headed to Frankfurt

According to Edmunds, BMW will reveal its production i8 hybrid sports car at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The i8 is the second vehicle to come from the automaker's new "i" initiative, following the debut of the smaller i3 hatchback last month.
The BMW i8 makes its debut nearly four years after the original Vision EfficientDynamics concept bowed at the Frankfurt expo in 2009. The production car is expected to use a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine that drives the rear wheels, coupled to an electric motor that drives the front wheels. Combined output is said to be something like 393 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, based on our earlier reports. The i8 is also expected to be very light, with curb weight coming in somewhere around 3,125 pounds. Finally, the i8 is said to have a pure electric range of 20 miles, and should be able to hit 62 miles per hour in just under five seconds.
Other publications had the chance to ride along in the i8 (in prototype form) and came away impressed. We're hoping we'll feel the same when the car officially goes on sale sometime in early 2014. Stay tuned for more at the i8's official unveiling in just a few weeks.