BMW announced at the 2017 Auto Shanghai the first-ever BMW M4 CS, an exclusive special-edition model produced by BMW M GmbH. The BMW M4 CS lines-up between the BMW M4 Coupe with Competition Package and the uncompromisingly track-focused BMW M4 GTS. The 3.0-liter high-performance engine raises the output of the BMW M4 Coupe by 29 horsepower, to 454 hp. The state-of-the-art M TwinPower Turbo technology allows the BMW M4 CS to dip below the four-second mark for the 0 to 60 mph sprint, stopping the clock at 3.8 seconds (preliminary) while the standard M Driver’s Package raises the electronically limited top speed to 174 mph.

With its two mono-scroll turbochargers, charge air cooler, High Precision Injection, VALVETRONIC variable valve timing and Double-VANOS fully variable camshaft timing, the inline 6-cylinder engine aims at higher echelons of performance and efficiency. More aggressively styled, the first ever BMW M4 CS continues the decades-long tradition of successful M special editions, which began in 1988 with the E30 BMW M3 Evolution. The first ever BMW M4 CS will be built at the BMW plant in Munich and will be available at U.S. dealerships in 2018 with pricing announced closer to market launch.

You could argue that Dale Earnhardt Jr. and I grew up together, in a roundabout way. 

When fate took that left turn at just the right moment and I got hooked on NASCAR a little over 20 years ago, Dale Jr. was just a kid with blonde hair trying to prove to the fans that he deserved the rides his daddy had given him.

When I attended my first ever live NASCAR event at Michigan Speedway in August of 1997, it happened to be Dale Jr’s fifth career race In the Busch series.

He started 18^th, and finished 7^th (his best finish in a year where he qualified for 8 races but DNQed in two others – yes, this was back when people DNQed and there weren’t short fields)

With him being roughly the same age as me, I was naturally drawn to Jr. as he made his way up the ranks of NASCAR. The stories of his fun younger days – parties at his house and nightclub, and his rumored affinity for the Budweiser girls – fit well with my narrative as a young man. He seemed like a guy you would want to have a beer with, and that’s not always the case with celebrities/athletes, especially those with a famous name.

Hyundai has come a long way over the years to get the American public to respect its brand as reliable and a strong option to consider when purchasing a vehicle.

Now, it wants to show us its fun side. Enter the 2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport, a compact sedan with a big personality. I recently spent some time in one, and here are five things you need to know about the Elantra Sport if you’re in the market for a compact sedan.

1. Bigger than it looks

As far as sedans go, it’s pretty attractive by comparison, but not overly distinctive (few vehicles are these days).
The bladed front grille does stand out some, you get a decent amount of trunk space, and unlike some compact sedans rear space impresses.

You can sit three people in back and they’ll actual feel pretty comfortable for the most part (though I wouldn’t take it on a long road trip with that setup). Getting people around town is possible in this vehicle, unlike some other vehicles where the back seat is pretty useless.

The word Prius is synonymous with the idea of hybrid vehicles. That tends to be the case when you’ve been doing this for two decades, and really dug in before anyone else got serious about it, like Toyota did in the 1990s -- long before there were dozens of hybrids on the market to choose from.

I recently spent some time in a 2017 Prius, specifically a Prius Three Touring model, and here are the top five things you need to know about it:

1. It’s extremely quiet
When driving the Prius, you’ll have perhaps the quietest experience you’ve ever had in a car. The sound of it powering up and down is less car-like and more appliance-like, which is fitting since the tech involved here makes this more of an appliance than a traditional vehicle.

Especially during stops, when everything shuts down to save gas, you’ll forget the car is even running due to lack of noise. Speaking of forgetting, if you ever get out of the car before powering off (which I may have done a time or two), it beeps to remind you the vehicle is still running. The one exception to the quiet, which is quite odd to me, is the very loud beeping noise (only audible within the vehicle, oddly) when you are going in reverse. There is also a very loud beep if you ever forget to put on your seat belt. And it will not stop until you buckle up, like that 7 a.m. alarm where you keep hitting snooze and it stills come back.

The Buick name means different things in various places around the world. In China, it’s seen as a foreign status symbol by many and sales reflect that, with the brand selling a record 1.18 million vehicles in China in 2016.

But in the U.S. it has more of an uphill battle to climb, with its reputation as GM’s luxury-lite brand (behind the truly luxurious Cadillac), and the brand having to convince potential buyers that a Buick is not just your grandpa’s car anymore.

The Buick brand represents a small portion of GM’s U.S. sales (roughly 230,000 sales out of 3 million total for GM in 2016); and among those Buick sales the majority were for SUVs.

Still, every sale counts, and the Buick brand’s sedans persist in America, and they plan to stick it out for the long run.
I recently tested out their flagship sedan, the largest and best one Buick offers -- the 2017 Buick Lacrosse, which got a major overhaul for the 2017 model year -- and I’m back with a full report.

Mercedes-Benz USA has announced pricing for the 2018 AMG GT R Coupe. Arriving in U.S. dealers this summer, the AMG GT R will start at $157,000*. The new Mercedes-AMG GT R features a front-mid-engine with a transaxle, handcrafted AMG 4.0L V8 biturbo engine rated at 577 hp, extensively modified suspension, active aerodynamics, active rear-wheel steering, nine-way adjustable traction control and intelligent lightweight construction throughout.

Mercedes-AMG continues to grow and is expanding the top end of its product range with the introduction of the new AMG GT R. Starting at $157,000 in the United States, the AMG GT R features extensive amounts of motorsport technology developed on the most demanding race track in the world—the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Already living up to its "Beast of the Green Hell" nickname, the AMG GT R is proving to be a record-setter in the Mercedes-AMG family. In an independent test drive conducted by the magazine "sport auto," on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the AMG GT R was faster than any other rear-wheel-drive road-going sports car ever tested with a laptime of just 7:10.9.

Key data at a glance:

*Price excludes $995 destination and delivery charge

-- Press release courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

In the U.S. of A., the SUV is the modern-day station wagon. Instead of the “way back” seat, we now drive stretched-out, boosted-up vehicles with a third row as our families get bigger.

With the numbers for SUVs on the rise and profits to be made, this is an area where being competitive is critical for automakers -- including Toyota, which battles in this segment pretty impressively with the Toyota Highlander (it trails only segment-leading Ford Explorer in annual sales).

I recently spent some time in a 2017 Highlander, which has received some updates from previous models, and I’m back with a full report on how it holds up in the segment.

LOOKS
Among changes on the outside for the 2017 model, you get a bigger, redesigned grille and new taillight design. These changes aim to set it apart from the cookie-cutter look of many SUVs, and succeed somewhat in doing so.

Seating in the Highlander can accommodate up to 8 people (2/3/3/). The two front seats are comfy and high quality materials are used in the vehicle. Middle row on my test vehicle had cozy captain’s chairs, so only two could fit, but there’s also a version with bench seating for three in middle. Rear seat claims to fit three but I would say two is best, even for little ones.