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BMW 3 Series wagon configurator up, priced from $41,450

If you're still smarting from the shock of the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, we have good news for you. BMW has just fired up the configurator for the 2014 3 Series wagon. Prices start at $41,450, excluding an $895 destination and handling fee. The price tag will buy you a 328i xDrive Sports Wagon with a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine boasting 241 horsepower paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment. The automaker's xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive is also standard, as is a fuel-saving auto start/stop function and 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in all-season run flat rubber.
Buyers can step up to Sport Line trim for $2,600, and doing so graces the 3 Wagon with 18-inch wheels, high-gloss black accents outdoors as well as a sport leather steering wheel, high-gloss or aluminum interior trim and a black signature key fob. Luxury Line trim will set you back $2,300 abd features chrome trim accents outdoors and wood trim inside along with other goodies. Buyers can also opt for Modern Line trim at $2,300, complete with a turbine-design 18-inch alloy wheel, matte chrome trim bits outdoors and a range of interior trim options.
Our favorite of the bunch? That would be M Sport trim. While the tweaks are largely aesthetic, we dig the notion of 8-way power adjustable sport seats indoors and exclusive M Estoril Blue paint outside. Expect to pay $3,950 for the pleasure. Head over to the BMW site to build your own.

BMW i8 Spyder gets production nod

BMW could be poised to expand its i8 range, beyond the hardtop version of the plug-in hybrid supercar. A report from Bimmerpost is claiming that the i8 Spyder, which we showed you in concept form at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, will be heading to production.
The website claims the open-roof fuel-sipper was shown to BMW management last Friday as a production-intent model. Other than that, there's not a lot to tell here. The i8 Spyder should feature all the same mechanical and aesthetic features found on the i8 Coupe, just without the confining nature of a roof. It's unclear when we'll see a production i8 droptop make its debut, although this certainly strikes us as the kind of car that should arrive at the Geneva Motor Show.
While an i8 Spyder does seem like a logical leap for BMW's i sub-brand, we're going to keep this one filed under the rumors category until we hear more.

Why BMWs are cheaper than Hyundais in Korea

Bloomberg reports shifting tariff regulations have upended the traditional automotive pecking order in Korea. Thanks to cheaper import taxes, foreign brands have seen market share jump from 28 percent to 41 percent over the last two years. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have all capitalized on the shift, with domestics like Hyundai and Kia suffering at the hands of their German rivals.
Taxes on European imports have fallen from 8 percent in 2011 to just 3.2 percent today. Over the next few years, tariffs will all but be eliminated for most imports, and taxes on US-made vehicles are expected to fall to just 4 percent in 2014. By 2016, that number will be zero. Needless to say, Hyundai and Kia are concerned about the shift.
Hyundai has seen profit fall by 15 percent last quarter, and the company says it is on pace to see the slowest sales growth since 2007. The company's shares have fallen by 12 percent. In order to stem the losses, Hyundai has discounted its midsize sedans and started working on diesel engine options.