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BMW Gran Lusso Coupe Concept plots 8-series return

This sleek two door coupe concept, unveiled at the 2013 Villa d'Este Concourso d'Eleganza on Italy's Lake Como shores, could provide the stylistic inspiration for a BMW 8-series return. The Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe is a contemporary four seater created in cooperation between BMW's in-house design team headed by Karim Habib and famed Italian design house Pininfarina. The car is based on a modified rear-drive BMW 7-series platform and uses the 760i's 6.0-liter, 536-hp turbo V12 for power.

BMW set to go front-wheel drive

BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer has confirmed that the German carmaker will introduce a new front-wheel-drive entry-level model positioned and priced below the existing 1-series as part of plans to help increase part sharing and to bolster the potential for production savings between the BMW and Mini brands, thus bringing an end to the era of rear- and four-wheel-drive-only BMW models. Speaking to AutoWeek at the Geneva motor show, Reithofer said internal BMW studies revealed that despite the downturn in the world's economy, there was continued demand for what he described as "premium vehicles" in the small-car class, before officially acknowledging plans that will see BMW produce a rival to the recently unveiled Audi A1 and a new Smart Forfour presently under development at Mercedes-Benz. "We will be extending the BMW and Mini brands into the small-car segment with new models and variants," he said.

Fast and Furious star Paul Walker dead at 40

According to numerous reports, Fast and Furious star Paul Walker has been killed in a single-car crash that took place in a Southern California office park. Conflicting eyewitness reports suggest that Walker was either driving, or was a passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT when it struck a tree and burst into flames killing Walker and a passenger.