German luxury carmaker BMW is stepping up its network expansion in India, specially in Tier II cities like Coimbatore, Jaipur and Lucknow, in its bid to claim the top spot in the luxury car market by 2010.

Want to own a Merc or Beemer but can't afford it? Here's your chance. With luxury car makers getting ready to launch upgraded versions of models, dealers are offering discounts ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 4 lakh on models that are being phased out to clear inventory.

Germany's richest woman and heir to the BMW car empire has been spared an embarrassing court appearance after her playboy lover admitted to defrauding her of millions of euros and attempting blackmail with intimate footage of their encounters.

The company, which is eyeing the top spot in the Indian luxury car segment, today unveiled its new 3 Series sedan, whose petrol version is priced between Rs 26.90 lakhs (Rs 2.69 million) and Rs 32.9 lakh or rs 3.29 million (ex-showroom), and the diesel variant between Rs 29.5 lakhs (Rs 2.95 million) and Rs 30.5 lakhs or Rs 3.05 million (ex-showroom).

Poland's Robert Kubica gave BMW-Sauber's new Formula One car its track debut on Tuesday as his team limbered up for a first serious assault on the championship.

Justice Kailash Gambhir granted three weeks interim bail to Nanda so that he could meet his ailing grandfather, former Naval Chief S M Nanda, who had a distinguished career in the Navy and played a significant role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Within months of charging the moon, Indian real estate firms are now offering buy-back of properties, free cars and even free apartments to tide over the current slump which has seen sales halve from the beginning of the year.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the city police on a petition filed by Sanjeev Nanda challenging a lower court's decision to sentence him to five years' imprisonment in the BMW hit-and-run case.

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant interim stay on a Delhi high court judgment holding senior advocates R K Anand and I U Khan guilty of contempt of court for trying to influence a key witness in the BMW hit-and-run case. A bench headed by Justice B N Agrawal, however, admitted the appeal filed by them and issued notices to respondents.

BMW-Sauber say they will keep a close eye on the progress of Formula One's youngest race winner Sebastian Vettel after losing him to Toro Rosso last season. Vettel, the first German to win a Grand Prix since seven times champion Michael Schumacher retired in 2006, made his race debut with BMW-Sauber at last season's US Grand Prix.

Anuj Chauhan, one of the two persons injured in Thursday's BMW hit-and-run case in New Delhi, succumbed to his injuries at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday. Chauhan and his friend Mrigank Srivastav, who were riding a motorcycle, were hit by a BMW in the wee hours of Friday, when they tried to overtake it at the Moolchand Hospital flyover.The BMW was being driven by Utsav Bhasin, the son of an influential businessman, who was reportedly inebriated.

The Delhi police have arrested Utsav Bhasin, a businessman living in the Punjabi Bagh area of North Delhi for causing injury to two people on a motorcycle.

The counsel for Sanjeev Nanda, convicted by a Delhi court in the 1999 BMW hit-and-run case, on Wednesday sought his release on probation, highlighting the good work done by him in Tihar jail by conducting English and computer classes for inmates.At the end of the arguments of sentence, the court put off the pronouncement of sentence till September 5.

Sanjeev Nanda, prime accused in the BMW hit-and-run incident, was convicted by a Delhi court on Tuesday. Nanda's car mowed down six persons, including three cops, were in 1999.

The fate of Sanjeev Nanda, prime accused in the BMW hit-and-run incident, is likely to be decided on Tuesday by a Delhi court that is set to deliver its verdict in the case in which six persons, including three cops, were killed in 1999. After several twists and turns in the case that spanned almost nine years, Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar had on August 26 reserved his verdict in the case.

A sting operation by a television channel had alleged collusion between the prosecution and the defence in the high-profile BMW hit-and-run case. The court recommended that the convicted lawyers be stripped of their designation as senior advocates while imposing Rs 2,000 as fine on them.

This is the new 2009 BMW 3 which will be officially saying hello at the Paris Motor Show in October. So the Indian launch should fall into place between March and June 2009.

German luxury carmaker BMW is evaluating over 100 component manufacturers in India to outsource engines and chassis for its global manufacturing operations, according to a board member. "We are impressed with the quality of die casts and forgings in India that we use for our global operations. The quality of products from second- and third-tier is impressive," said Ind Herbert Diess, who is on the BMW AG board.

German luxury car and bike maker BMW, which has been shying away from re-entering the Indian motorcycle market, is now looking to source parts for engines and chassis for its high-end two-wheelers from the country. BMW has started sourcing from India in a small quantity for cars as well, like software parts and has been closely working with vendors such as Mico Bosch and Conti.The BMW group on Tuesday reported a net profit of 3.13 billion euros in 2007.

Sanjeev Nanda, son of arms dealer Suresh Nanda and prime accused in BMW hit-and-run case, would soon be flying out of the country as a Delhi court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to release his passport. The CBI had seized the passports of the father-son duo in a raid at their premises on October 10, 2006. The raid followed registration of a case against Suresh Nanda and others in a defence deal related to the procurement of armoured recovery vehicles.

BMW has launched a new variant in 3 series - 320d Highline in the Indian market. This sedan is priced at Rs 30.70 lakh.

BMW is all set to challenge Merc's No.1 position in India's premium car segment.

Luxury car maker BMW India has no plans of exporting cars manufactured at its Chennai plant to neighbouring countries and was focused on the fast growing domestic market. India has emerged as a booming market though the production of four-wheelers in the luxury segment was at an amateur stage, BMW India President Peter Kronschnabi told reporters on the sidelines of inaugurating the company's first showroom, Bawaria Motors, in Pune.

"I permit Sanjeev Nanda to go abroad as the special public prosecutor has no objection to his plea," Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar said and asked him to come back by January five for day-to-day recording of evidence of defence witnesses.

The channel, which had done a sting operation in May last alleging an attempt to bribe the key witness Sunil Kulkarni, aired a story on Monday night alleging that Kulkarni stayed in the lawyer's house in Shimla between October, 1999 and April, 2001.

Following a successful year in the country, global luxury car maker BMW plans to expand its dealer network in India. While the German giant is considering metros and mini metros in the first round of expansion, it would also target tier-II cities with high consumer spending, Peter Kronschnabl, president, BMW India, said on Wednesday.

In a new twist to the BMW hit-and-run case trial, a medical expert on Thursday told a Delhi court that a blood test on prime accused Sanjeev Nanda just after the incident had proved that he was under the influence of liquor. "As per traffic rules, a person is under the influence of liquor if the blood contains 30 mg or above per 100 ml of blood, wherever in the present case, it was much above it. As per my report, it was 115 mg/ml," doctor Madhulika Sharma said.

In a significant development, a Delhi court on Saturday allowed police to take fresh fingerprints of the accused, including Sanjeev Nanda, in the eight-year-old BMW hit-and-run case, the trial of which is at its fag end.

Heidfeld, 30, and Kubica, 22, have scored 71 points between them this season with BMW now 38 points clear of fourth placed Renault in the constructors' championship.

On January 10, 1999, Sanjeev Nanda allegedly ran over six people with his black BMW while driving in an inebriated state.

Buoyed by good response to its products in India, German luxury carmaker BMW on Tuesday said it is revising sales target for the country upwards and will launch its sports coupe car M Series by next year.

Kulkarni also alleged that ACP Ranbeer Singh had beaten him mercilessly at Hauz Khas police station before the recording of his testimony in the court in 1999.

The Bar alleged there had been misrepresentation of facts by the media and there has been a motive behind it.

A division bench comprising Justices J P Singh and S Murlidhar adjourned the matter after being informed that its May 31 order was complied by the television channel and registrar general of the court.

Anand served a legal notice on the channel asking it to immediately stop telecast of any news story relating to him failing which he would sue them for damages worth Rs 50 crore.

Asked if Sunil Kulkarni will be dropped as a witness, as his motives were suspect in the light of the television expose, the Delhi police chief said this was a legal matter and was being examined by the experts.

However, Khan and Anand washed their hands off the entire episode. In fact, Khan had sent a notice to the channel's chief editor ten days back explaining his position.

Deposing before Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar, Kulkarni said it was a 'healthy and hefty' boy who had come out from the driving seat of the BMW car.

Sunil Kulkarni, a Mumbai-based trader and an eyewitness to the incident in which Sanjeev is facing trial along with three others, also said that he had given a different version about a particular point under police pressure.

The Indo-Czech pair beat Germany's Andreas Beck and Dominik Meffert in the quarter-finals.