Saying automotive journalists like diesel sedans is like arguing the color pink is going to do well with the 5-year-old-girl demographic this quarter. You’re not going to find too many dissenting voices. So, it should be no surprise that we love ourselves some BMW 335d. With plenty of power and impressive fuel economy, the outgoing diesel is a mechanical wonder child. And yet, thanks to the new F30-generation BMW 328i, with its 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine produces 240 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, there’s some competition for the title of most fuel efficient 3 Series.

Admittedly, the 328i’s numbers are a far cry from the 265 ponies and 425 lb-ft of torque cranked out by the diesel-fueled 3.0-liter inline six in the 335d. Even so, the 2012 328i is considerably lighter and more aerodynamic. It also boasts a next-generation transmission, which helps the car get to 60 mph one tenth of a second quicker than the old 335d. That’s surprising, but not nearly as surprising as the fact that the 328i manages 1 mpg better than the diesel in the combined cycle. According to the EPA’s just-released figures, the 328i nets 24 miles per gallon in the city and an impressive 36 mpg on the highway. The 335i? 23 mpg city and 36 highway.

We’ll give you a moment to pick up your jaw from the floor. Now all BMW needs to do, as Automobile points out, is drop a diesel four-cylinder behind the headlights of the 3 Series to go after even bigger green credentials. Fingers crossed.

The Bavarian automaker, much like its fellow German marques Audi and Mercedes-Benz, has exploded its product offerings with spinoffs of its established models. So the two-door 6 Series has bred a four-door GranCoupe version. The 5 Series, in addition to the sedan and wagon, has given us the oddly proportioned 5 Series Gran Turismo. But the upcoming 1 Series Gran Turismo is another kettle of fish in that it is not expected to share the small rear-drive platform with its recently revised namesake, but rather pack a new front-drive platform.

According to BMW Blog, the long-rumored 1 Series GT will finally make its debut next fall at the Paris Motor Show. When it does, the tall hatchback will be targeted directly at the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, slotting (in form at least) in between the existing 1 Series hatchback (pictured above) and X1 crossover. But if front-wheel drive isn’t how you picture your BMW channeling its power, an all-wheel xDrive version is also tipped to be in the cards, as well as a hybrid model.

Autobild recently set out to settle the question of which M vehicle is the fastest in the BMW stable at the moment. Not surprisingly, the German enthusiast publication found the BMW M3 CRT to be the quickest around the Sachsenring, setting the magazine’s fastest time around the track with a 1:38.37 minute lap time. That’s impressive, but not nearly as astounding as the time drummed up by the new BMW M5. The portly sedan did the same deed in 1:38.90, or just three hundredths of a second slower than the special-edition M3.

And what of the sibling rivalry between the BMW 1 Series M Coupe and the standard M3? As it turns out, the magazine’s shoes have given the nod to the smaller of the two coupes. The 1 Series M Coupe barely eked out a win over the M3, though the M3 Convertible took nearly two extra seconds to make it around the course than its hardtop twin.

BMW has issued a recall of five different model lines covering the years 2008-2011 due to a fire risk. Turbocharged eight- and twelve-cylinder engines in the 5 Series, 5 Series Gran Turismo, 7 Series, X5 and X6could suffer from overheating circuit boards that control the electric auxiliary water pump.

The overheating board could cause the pump to smoulder, and in extreme cases among the 102 failures, BMW has found there were two engine compartment fires. BMW will send recall notices for 32,000 vehicles and dealers will replace the pump free of charge. The NHTSA report detailing the recall is after the jump.

BMW has announced that production of the sixth-generation 3 Series has officially begun at its Munichmanufacturing facility. The automaker invested around €500 million – over $700M USD – in the plant in preparation for the new model; a move that BMW says secured around 9,000 jobs. A portion of those funds went toward the purchase of a new press that can operate at speeds of up to 17 strokes per minute and process up to 600 tons of steel per day. The automaker says that the machine can handle the equivalent of all of the metal in the Eiffel Tower in just 12 days.

The new technology is part of the recipe that BMW says will allow the plant to produce around 680 units per day in as little as three months from the start of production. That figure will place the plant’s total output at over 900 units per day. Surprisingly enough, that volume occurs in a space of just 700,000 square feet across five floors, making for an incredibly dense work space. Hit the jump for the press release.