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BMW 135is coupe and 135is convertible available for order

BMW announced that it will expand its 1-series lineup with the addition of the 2013 BMW 135is coupe and 135is convertible. The enthusiast-oriented 135is models will be powered by BMW's TwinPower 3.0-liter I6 engine that will produce 320 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque after factory tuning. That's a 20-hp and 17-lb-ft increase over the 2012 135i, but BMW claims that the vehicles will maintain both the fuel-economy and emissions ratings of the 135i.

Crunch watch Dec 08: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard and Simon Stiel Motor Industry 31 December 2008 14:05 Wednesday 31 December 2008• GMAC, GM's finance arm, said it would immediately revise its criteria for providing loans, after the US government bail-out of the General's credit arm. It will now supply credit for anyone with a score of 621 or more on the Fico scale, the scale used to assess Amercian customers' creditworthiness (Financial Times)• The news means that 80% of US consumers would now qualify for a loan from GMAC – which should improve sales in the depressed US market (Detroit News)• Chrysler is being lambasted for taking out full-page adverts in the American national press thanking the nation for supporting its auto industry. But critics point out this is a fresh waste of bail-out resources, as pages in the Wall Street Journal – one of the titles in which the ad ran – reportedly cost up to $264,000.

BMW to build front-drive sedan

BMW boss Norbert Reithofer has surefire plans for a new front-wheel-drive entry-level sedan, falling in just below the existing 3-series sedan. The new four-door, known internally at BMW's Munich-based headquarters under the working title NES (New Entry-level Sedan), forms part of a new range of front-wheel-drive models set to join the BMW lineup in the near future. “The NES is integral to our growth plans,” a BMW insider source revealed.