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M-fographic breaks down the history of BMW performance machinery

Few characters carry the kind of clout among performance enthusiasts as the letter M. For 35 years now, that one letter has adorned over 300,000 BMWs, each tuned to deliver a higher degree of performance than the stock models on which they're based.
The M division has worked up nearly 100 different models over the past third of a century, which can leave even the most expert among Bimmer fanatics bewildered. Fortunately British auto loan service Carfinance247 has commissioned this handy infographic to make sense of it all, and you can check it out below to see what the letter M really stands for.

2015 BMW X3 arrives with tweaked styling, diesel option

The luxury crossover market has been a huge success for BMW, having sold over a million X3 models worldwide since the CUV first went on sale in 2003, not to mention all of the momentum its had with the larger X5. At the Chicago Auto Show, BMW is unveiling the refreshed 2015 X3, featuring an improved design, a new diesel engine option, and a rear-wheel drive variant.
The X3 is getting some handsome upgrades to the exterior. The twin, circular headlights now extend to touch the slightly widened, chrome kidney grille, to bring the styling in line with the 3 Series and 4 Series. (LED headlights are now optional, as well.) The front bumper gets reshaped brake cooling ducts, and the rear bumper gets a touch of additional metal trim at the bottom. BMW has also added standard LED turn signals in the side mirrors.
BMW has enhanced the interior with added chrome trim, high-gloss black trim around the center console, sliding covers for the cup holders and new interior upholstery designs. The X3 is also getting a major boost in optional technology - there's a new Parking Assistant, as well as an Active Driving Assistant with adaptive cruise control, Lane Departure Warning, Frontal Collision Warning, Pedestrian Warning, and City Collision Mitigation.

Watch the trailer for Locke, a movie that takes place entirely in BMW's X5

It's no surprise that driving can be incredibly stressful. You're basically trapped in a metal box, and until fairly recently, your ability to communicate with the outside world beyond the toot of a horn or a rolled-down window was all but nonexistent. Locke, a new film starring actor Tom Hardy (best known for his role as Bane in the Batman movie Dark Knight Rises), capitalizes on that feeling of isolation and stress by setting the entire movie in a BMW X5.
Locke is written and directed by Steven Knight, author of Eastern Promises, and the trailer shows Hardy's character being put under increasingly intense emotional stress as he drives along in his Bimmer. We don't know much more than that, as the 90-second trailer really doesn't give away much.
The film premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival, and reviews are available that tell more about the story, but we don't believe in spoilers. It's poised to hit theaters in the UK on April 18 and the US on April 25. The trailer reminds us of a far more artistic take on Steven Spielberg's 1971 movie, Duel and has our interest piqued. Scroll down to watch the trailer, but consider yourself warned, there's a brief moment of profanity.