The new 2007 BMW 3 Series Coupe, bowing in Canada this fall, will be available with the company's first-ever, twin-turbocharged inline-six engine.

Two variants will be offered: the 328i and 335i.

The Coupe spelling (with the accent aigu) will be used up here, but Coupe will be the style in the U.S., a BMW Canada spokesperson says.

Only the 335i will feature the new aluminum-block, 3.0litre twin-turbo six, rated at 300 hp and 300 lb.-ft. of torque.

Thanks to two small, low-inertia turbos, each feeding three cylinders, as well as direct fuel injection and dualVANOS variable valve timing, that torque peak extends all the way from 1400 to 5000 r.p.m. (VANOS is an acronym for VAriable NOckenwellen Steuerung, German for variable camshaft control.)

BMW claims acceleration of 0to100 km/h in just 5.6 seconds, plus lower fuel consumption.

The 328i Coupe will be powered by a version of BMW's current, normally aspirated 3.0litre straight-six, with an engine block of magnesium/aluminum composite.

Using variable valve-lift technology, it's rated at 230 hp and 200 lb.-ft. and can do 0to100 km/h in 6.6 seconds.

Both models come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. Both offer an upgraded Steptronic six-speed automatic as an option.

When equipped with the automatic and Sport Package, the 335i will also include steering-wheel shift paddles.

BMW's x-Drive AWD system and active steering, will also be available on both models. BMW's full range of electronic chassis-control nannies are standard, as are 225/45R17 run-flat tires.

The Coupe's styling is based on that of the 3 Series sedan and wagon, with a number of distinctive touches, such as a low, sleek roof line. To my eye, the Coupe looks far better proportioned than the sedan.

BMW's all-new 3 Series arrived for model year 2006, but the line's coupes were carried over from the previous generation.

Pricing and optional equipment information will be released later.

SEBRING GETS THE GAZ

DaimlerChrysler is selling tooling and other assets used to build the Chrysler Sebring (and U.S.-only Dodge Stratus) to Russia's Gorky Automotive Works (GAZ), via a third-party firm.

The Sterling Heights, Mich., plant where the midsize sedans were built is undergoing a major changeover to assemble their upcoming replacements as well as a second vehicle line.

GAZ will also acquire the rights to build and sell cars based on Sebring/Stratus under its own brand name(s) in Russia and surrounding countries that made up the former Soviet Union.

As well, GAZ, Russia's second-largest auto maker, will buy Mexican-built, 2.4litre engines from Chrysler for use in those vehicles and others it makes under the Volga and Gazelle brands.

THE CHINESE ARE COMING

Geely, which in January became the first Chinese auto maker to display its wares at the Detroit auto show, is on track to enter the U.S. market in 2008, with one or more 2009 models.

John Harmer, CEO of Geely's American operations, told a Motor City conference that the company's presence at the Detroit show had made an impression on consumers.

He acknowledged widespread concern about the quality of Chinese-made products – a situation the Japanese and Koreans went through before achieving success in North America.

The vehicles on display in Detroit reinforced those concerns, but Harmer said they were not representative of the cars that will ultimately be sold on this continent.

China's government and privately owned Geely want to ensure that the first Chinese cars sold in North America meet global standards, he said. Those cars are expected to sell for less than $10,000 (U.S.).

Malcolm Bricklin's Visionary Vehicles firm also proposes to import Chinese vehicles. These would be produced by Chery Automobile Co., one of the country's biggest domestic car makers

Bricklin's initial plans were to begin in 2007, but the firm says it has "relaxed some of the overzealous deadlines that were first established."

Translation: Geely looks like a better bet to get here first.

RATING FUEL ECONOMY

Inspired by the success of "star" ratings for crash test performance as an information tool for shoppers, a U.S. consumer group is touting a similar, simplified system for rating fuel economy.

The Consumer Federation of America has adopted a four-point rating scale based on a combination of the city and highway fuel economy figures reported for every vehicle by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Those figures are parallel to Canadian figures reported by Natural Resources Canada.

The federation's four rating levels and their corresponding fuel consumption figures:

Excellent – better than 5.9 L/100 km (40 m.p.g. U.S.)

Good – 7.8 to 5.9 L/100 km (30 to 40 m.p.g. U.S.)

Fair – 11.8 to 7.9 L/100 km (20 to 30 m.p.g. U.S.)

Poor – worse than 11.8 L/100 km (less than 20 m.p.g. U.S.)

Only 0.6 per cent of all the new vehicles available in the U.S. earn an excellent rating, the CFA says, and just 3.3 per cent are rated as good. Fully four in 10 vehicles (39.5 per cent) are considered poor, with the largest group, 56.6 per cent, classified as fair.

The system makes no allowance for vehicle size.

The federation is a nonprofit association of nearly 300 consumer organizations.

Rumblings

Pontiac is expected to drop the GT and all-wheel-drive versions of the Vibe for 2007. The five-door compact has never achieved the success of its near-identical Toyota Matrix twin.

The next-generation Nissan GTR will be displayed in production form at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. It goes on sale in Japan that fall, and in Canada and the U.S. in spring, 2008.

The hot sports car will retain its Nissan badging rather than becoming an Infiniti, as had been considered.