Tag Archives: Canada

NEW CARS

BMW Canada Celebrates 50 Years with the M340i xDrive 50 Jahre Edition

Fifty years ago, BMW launched a small, boxy sports sedan that would go on to define the brand’s DNA. Now, as the 3 Series hits the half-century mark, BMW Canada is celebrating with a special-edition model that pays homage to its heritage — the 2026 BMW M340i xDrive 50 Jahre Edition. Limited to just 100 units, this Canada-exclusive model mixes nostalgia with modern performance in a way that only BMW seems to get right.

At first glance, the 50 Jahre Edition doesn’t shout about its significance — it whispers it. Each example is finished in one of six classic hues pulled from the BMW Individual catalog, each tied to a specific 3 Series generation. Think Madeira Red Metallic from the E21, Avus Blue Metallic from the E36, or the rich Carbon Black Metallic that graced the E46. These colors aren’t just paint; they’re touchstones in a 50-year story of driving joy.

The subtle upgrades continue with 20-inch forged M Performance wheels in Ferric Grey, an M Performance exhaust, and a cabin lined in BMW Individual Merino leather. Open the door, and the sills quietly remind you why this one’s special: “3 Series 50 Jahre Edition.” A small metal plaque on the cupholder cover finishes the job, marking each car as one of 100. No flamboyant badging. No loud anniversary logos. Just quiet confidence — exactly what you want from a 3 Series.

Powering the celebration is a familiar heart: BMW’s B58 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six. With 382 horsepower on tap, it remains one of the smoothest and most characterful sixes in the business — muscular, refined, and endlessly flexible. Paired with xDrive all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic, it turns the M340i into the kind of everyday sports sedan that punches far above its weight class. BMW didn’t need to change a thing under the hood, and wisely, it didn’t.

If the M3 is the headline act, the M340i has always been the deep cut — the one enthusiasts know. It’s the car that bridges BMW’s dual personalities: performance and polish. And this 50 Jahre Edition underscores that balance perfectly. It doesn’t rewrite the 3 Series formula; it celebrates it.

Production kicks off in Germany this November, with Canadian deliveries set for early 2026. Every car gets a numbered plaque, sealing its place in the 3 Series timeline. Given the limited run and historical nods, this might just be one of the most collectible modern 3ers in recent memory — not because it’s the fastest or the most powerful, but because it captures the essence of what made the 3 Series great in the first place.

After all, fifty years on, the 3 Series still defines the sweet spot between sport and sophistication. And the M340i xDrive 50 Jahre Edition is the birthday toast it deserves.

Source: BMW

News

Lamborghini Expands Its Canadian Footprint With a Redesigned Vancouver Showroom and Full Hybrid Lineup

Lamborghini threw a party in Vancouver last night, and it wasn’t just about champagne and ribbon cutting. The Italian supercar brand unveiled its redesigned West 2nd Avenue showroom with the company’s entire hybrid range on display—including the 1,001-hp Revuelto HPEV flagship, the newly minted Temerario twin-turbo supercar, and the Urus SE plug-in Super SUV.

The guest list was suitably high-octane: Lamborghini Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann made the trip, joined by Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Federico Foschini and Americas CEO Andrea Baldi. Their presence underscores just how seriously Lamborghini is taking the Canadian market, particularly Vancouver—a city known for having the country’s densest concentration of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

“Strengthening our presence in Canada elevates the Lamborghini experience for our clients,” Winkelmann said at the event. The logic is sound: British Columbia has become one of Lamborghini’s fastest-growing regions in North America.

The redesigned facility has grown by more than 5,500 square feet and now includes six service bays, a nine-car showroom, a second floor, and a revamped Ad Personam studio where buyers can lose themselves in leather swatches, paint samples, and endless carbon-fiber trim options. It’s not just about more space; it’s about giving Lamborghini’s increasingly demanding clientele a proper stage to dream up their perfect spec.

The timing is strategic. Lamborghini has been on a tear, delivering 5,681 cars globally in the first half of 2025—a 2 percent bump over the same period last year—with the Americas accounting for nearly a third of that total. More importantly, the Vancouver opening marks another chapter in Lamborghini’s Direzione Cor Tauri plan, which completed the hybridization of the brand’s entire lineup in 2024. The goal: carbon neutrality by 2050 without sacrificing the raging-bull performance ethos.

And performance is still very much the headline. The Revuelto, with its mid-mounted 6.5-liter V12 and three electric motors, produces north of 1,000 hp and cracks 350 km/h. The Temerario, Lamborghini’s newest bloodline, is a twin-turbocharged V8 plug-in hybrid pumping out over 900 hp and hitting 62 mph in 2.7 seconds. Meanwhile, the Urus SE proves that even family haulers can be ballistic, blending a biturbo V8 with electrons to summon 789 hp and a 312 km/h top speed.

VIP guests at the event got an up-close look—and an early sense that hybridization doesn’t mean dilution. If anything, Lamborghini’s move into electrification has only amplified its madness. The new Vancouver showroom is more than just a retail space; it’s a statement that Canada’s West Coast is ready for the future of raging bulls.

Source: Lamborghini

News

BMW Canada to Hike Prices Across the Lineup as U.S. SUV Imports Resume

BMW Canada is about to restart shipments of its most important vehicles—the Spartanburg-built X-series SUVs—even if doing so means swallowing one of the nastiest tariff cocktails in the auto industry.

After a months-long pause triggered by Canada’s retaliatory 25 percent tariff on U.S.-built cars (a response to President Donald Trump’s global auto import levy), Canadian dealers are bracing for fresh arrivals of the X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, and the halo XM. For retailers, the move comes not a moment too soon. Inventory of Spartanburg models has been all but drained, leaving showrooms short on BMW’s biggest moneymakers.

The gap hit hard. The X3 and X5—BMW’s Canadian best-sellers in 2024—fell 25 percent in sales by Q2 of this year. Together, U.S.-built SUVs once accounted for more than half of BMW Canada’s business. By mid-2025, they were down to just 38 percent. Dealers say the X1, X2, and i4 helped cushion the blow, but for many stores, losing the X3 and X5 felt like losing the spine of the lineup.

Still, BMW Canada somehow eked out a 5.3 percent sales gain in Q2 thanks to a surge in European imports. But ask any retailer, and they’ll tell you the comeback of Spartanburg SUVs is about survival, not just growth.

The Tariff Math: Brutal

Getting them back on the lot won’t be cheap. Because Spartanburg’s SUVs don’t meet the 75 percent North American content threshold under the USMCA—thanks largely to engines and transmissions shipped in from Europe—they’re sitting ducks for double duty. First comes the U.S.’s 25 percent tariff on imported parts. Then Canada slaps on its own 25 percent countertariff, plus a 6.1 percent most-favored-nation duty. The all-in hit? Roughly 31 percent.

On a $100,000 X5, that’s about $31,100 in tariffs alone—before transport, dealer margins, or profit. To spread the pain, BMW Canada isn’t just raising prices on U.S.-built SUVs; it’s hiking stickers across the entire lineup. Tariff-free models like the X1 and 3 Series will get pricier too, a move dealers hope will keep Spartanburg vehicles from looking prohibitively expensive.

What’s Next

There’s a glimmer of relief ahead. Dealers say a plug-in hybrid BMW X3 built in South Africa is bound for Canadian shores, sidestepping the tariff squeeze entirely. But for now, customers who want an X3, X5, or XM will pay more—possibly a lot more.

In the near term, though, most BMW dealers seem willing to take that tradeoff. “We can’t survive on just X1s and 3 Series,” one dealer told Automotive News. “We need Spartanburg back, whatever the cost.”

BMW Canada may not be saying much officially, but the message is clear: tariffs or not, the SUV backbone of the brand is rolling north again.

Source: BMW