At $47,010 (including destination), the 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe isn’t exactly cheap. Still, Matthew Russell, BMW product and technology PR rep, says it’s “the most affordable M BMW has ever sold, adjusting for inflation, including the original E30 M3.” That car cost around $34,000 when it was introduced in 1988. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Russell is more than right: $34,000 in 1988 had the same buying power as $62,885 in 2010.

With rumors of BMW getting into front-wheel-drive cars, we asked Dr. Kay Segler, president of BMW M GmbH, if M could do a FWD car. Segler said, “I haven’t thought about that,” and went on to remark that he couldn’t see doing a sub-1-Series M car. Russell elaborated with, “There are rumors about what is coming, but those aren’t from us.” As to other rumors about whether the coupes will be limited or capped in number, we were told categorically, “No.” But that was amended with, “But they will be hard to get.”

Mini: “The 500 is a darling little car… but we’re a premium brand”

Mini showed off the Paceman Concept at this year’s Detroit Auto Show and announced not long afterward that it would spawn a production model. Tom Salkowski, who recently moved from BMW USA to Mini USA to fill the role of marketing manager, will be the man charged with getting the word about about Mini’s eighth model and the ones beyond. Here’s what he had to tell us.

• The small car segment has erupted over the past couple of years and “Mini has prospered” even though it “faced significantly more competition.” But when asked what kind of head-to-head competitors the brand thinks it faces, Salkowski said “maybe Volkswagen, Mazda, Scion in the small-car segment,” with the caveat that since “Mini is very much a mindset, it’s different than other vehicles,” so “for the time being we don’t see anything.” Head of product management Oliver Friedmann confirmed the assessment with, “We don’t see any one-to-one competition, maybe the Evoque could be” for the Countryman.

• Salkowski offered his thoughts on the Fiat 500 with, “The 500 is a darling little car, but Mini is a premium brand.”

• On the discussion of roots and heritage at other emotional brands like BMW and Lotus, when asked how big the Mini brand and Mini cars could get and still be considered Minis, Friedmann said, “That’s what we try to find out at the moment. We just jumped over the four-meter line with the Countryman,” but reaction in the three months that the crossover has been on sale in Europe has been “very positive.”

• Nevertheless, it’s not about creating an acceptance of a Mini of any size. Friedman said, “The competitors for the Countryman are significantly larger. We will always stay the smallest in the segment.” But the number one rejection of Mini is due to size and space, so the company had to do something.

• Mini’s been known for its irreverent advertising, and it doesn’t sound like much will change under Salkowski, with a “bigger spend on television – you only get one chance to launch a car.” There will also be a huge billboard in Times Square, and a take-off on Mini’s original U.S. launch when they had a roving Ford Excursion driving around with a Mini on its roof. This time it will be a roving Countryman with a vintage Mini, Alec Issigonis’ original, on its roof.

Skoda rallies to the cause with Monte Carlo edition Fabia

Some terms we use in the automotive lexicon are absolute. Others are relative. Take “subtle” for example. Most wouldn’t call painting a car bright red “subtle”, but when you compare it to the last rally-edition SkodaFabia we reported on, that’s exactly what this is. Whereas the S2000 edition Fabia vRS sported full livery taken from the company’s IRC-winning S2000 Fabia, this one’s decidedly more low-key, but not without its dose of flair.

The Monte Carlo edition celebrates 100 years of the namesake rally – and 110 years of Skoda’s motorsport program – with a red and black paint scheme. While the body is painted bright red, everything else has been blacked out, from the roof to the 17″ alloys, including the mirror housings, grille and smoked headlamps. The red and black theme continues inside with either black or red and black seats, complemented by black roofliner, and color-keyed steering wheel, shifter and handbrake lever.

Based on the SE specification and available with a range of engines from 1.2 to 1.6 liters, the Fabia Monte Carlo will make its debut at the Monegasque rally later this month. Details after the jump with photos in the gallery below.

Daihatsu leaving European market

More than any other, two carmaking giants sit at the top of the industry: Toyota and General Motors. But while GM sells under a (shrinking but still) expansive range of brands, the Toyota Motor Corporation sells most of its vehicles under its own name. That doesn’t mean that Toyota, however, doesn’t have its own portfolio of subsidiaries. Here in the United States we have the youth-oriented Scion division, while Lexushandles its upscale offerings, and overseas there’s Daihatsu.

The budget brand offers a range of small cars under its own name; most are hatchbacks, but there’s also the Copen roadster and even a rebadged Camry called the Altis. You may have come across some of their offerings while traveling overseas, particularly in Europe, but that last part is about to come to an end, according to reports.

Word from across the pond is that Toyota plans to withdraw Daihatsu from the European market altogether. The move would reportedly take effect in 2013, and if it comes to pass, would follow similar withdrawals from the North American (1992) and Australian (2006) markets.

Chicago Show: Lexus ES 350 & RX 350 Pebble Beach Editions

Lexus introduced two limited versions of its ES 350 sedan and RX 350 crossover at the Chicago Auto Show. Both Pebble Beach editions of the RX and ES feature signature colors, extra options and unique badging and their production will be limited to 6,000 vehicles each.

Available from mid-February, the RX 350 Pebble Beach Collection will be offered in three colors: Classic Silver Metallic, Obsidian Black and Truffle Mica. The RX features included new 18-inch wheels, chrome grille, color-keyed rear spoiler, special interior trim combination, customized floormats and exterior badging with Pebble Beach Company’s signature logo. The base MSRP of the FWD RX 350 is $37,500 and $38,900 for the AWD model. -Continued

The ES 350 Pebble Beach Edition that will be available from mid-March is offered in the exclusive Truffle Mica color, as well as Tungsten Pearl Silver and Obsidian Black. The 7-spoke 17-inch wheels come with an exclusive liquid graphite finish while the interior of the ES features semi-aniline leather and a wood and leather steering wheel. The ES Pebble Beach Edition also features Pebble Beach Edition logoed floormats and special badging on the front fenders. Prices for the ES will be announced at a later date.

Lexus BS Compact Hatchback – Rendering

Just last week, Tokuichi Uranishi, a Toyota executive vice president, told German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport, that Lexus is interested in developing a compact hatch. “We can foresee a competitor to the BMW 1-Series” said Uranishi. This year, Lexus expects to sell around 55,000 units in Europe but its targeting annual sales of 150,000 units by 2015 and the addition of a lower priced (than the IS) entry-model would definitely help Lexus achieve that goal.

We’re not sure if this rendering of the so-called BS series that we discovered in the net has anything to do with reality, but we can tell you that if Lexus goes ahead and introduces the compact hatch, it’ll most likely be based on the IS platform and mechanics (front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout)

Lexus Announces Debut Of New Performance Accessory Line At SEMA

In addition to the presentation of nine projects tuned by the specialty-equipment industry, Lexus will also unveil an all-new performance accessory line at the SEMA Show on October 30. The Japanese firm didn’t give any details in its press release but expect something of the likes of Audi’s “S-Line” or BMW’s “M-Pack”. Also, Lexus added that the 400 HP IS-F will be available for test drives on the Motor Trend Proving Ground during the show. All you SEMA Show registered members can simply go to www.lexus.com/isfdrive and sign up for a lap around the circuit. -Press release after the jump.

Video: Lexus IS-F At The Laguna Seca

What a lovely day for p0rn0licious car videos here at Carscoop. Following our BMW M3 vs Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari F430 Scuderia video clips earlier today, here’s one featuring the all-new 400Hp Lexus IS-F. And it too, will lift you off your feet. The 1:20 minute long film includes awesome scenes from the California Taste of Lexus Event held back in August at the Laguna Seca Raceway.

Via: thepassionatepursuit (Thanks for sharing Kevin!)

Lexus SC 430 Pebble Beach Edition

At the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Lexus Fashion Preview on Friday, Aug. 17, Lexus will unveil a limited edition version of its SC 430 Coupe-Convertible. Dubbed “Pebble Beach”, the special edition SC 430 will be available in a limited production of 360 vehicles with sales kicking off in late August. Don’t expect any surprises though as the basic difference between the SC 430 “Pebble Beach” and a standard SC 430 is the exclusive exterior/interior color combination along with a few chrome badges here and there

Lexus Manager Forecasts Plans For An IS Coupe!

While we were taking a second look at the official press release on the Australian market only IS 250X, we boringly sat down and read Lexus Australia divisional manager, John Roca’s comments on the specific version. Thank God we did cause to our surprise, Mr Roca had something quite interesting to say about Lexus’ future plans on the IS line-up. Here’s the contentious part from Mr Roca’s quotes:

“We are very excited about some of the upcoming developments for the IS Line, including the V8-powered IS-F and potentially, an IS coupe in the future”

Despite the rumors, up until now, Lexus had remained tight-lipped on the possibility of the introduction of an IS Coupe. But should we take Mr Roca’s words for granted? In our opinion, that’s a crystal-clear yes as due to his position, Mr Roca has definitely been officially informed about Lexus’ future model line-up.

Lexus Australia Introduces Limited Edition IS 250X

Celebrating the milestone sale of more than 5000 IS 250′s in the land of Down Under Lexus Australia will release a limited edition model dubbed “IS 250X”. Due in showrooms in late July, the IS 250X will be available in only 260 examples. Despite its promising name though, the IS 250X’s unique features are limited to a set of five-spoke, 18″ alloy wheels, “X” badging and a one-off Vermilion (red) exterior colour (Metallic Silver and Onyx (black) will also be available, with all colours matched to black leather interior).

Toyota Worldwide Hybrid Sales Surpass 1 Million Mark

To be exact, as of May 31, 2007, Toyota has sold an amazing 1,047,000 hybrid car units worldwide. In all honestly, who’d believe back in 1997 when Toyota launched the first Prius in Japan, that ToMoCo would manage to pull it off selling over a million hybrid cars in 10 years? We dare to say that this accomplishment is even more astonishing than the fact that ToMoCo is one step away this year from dethroning GM as the world’s largest car manufacturer. Follow the jump for the official press release along with the chronology of Toyota’s Hybrid love affair and an analytical sales chart.