September Production Changes for BMW vehicles in the U.S. Perhaps is so that M3 buyers don't have to pay (or pay as much) of a gas guzzler tax? Also, I'm guessing it's to helps w/BMW meeting CAFE numbers or to pay less of a fine (for not meeting them). It's really lame that the "light trucks" (includes SUVs, pickups, minivans and some vans) are totally exempt from the gas guzzler tax. If the amounts were adjusted, thresholds raised and dumb exemption of light trucks were removed, a whole bunch of potential monstrosity SUV buyers might actually be dissuaded...
A car just sounds better off at a stop than at idol. It stops some parasitic losses since alternator only runs when needed to charge the battery BMW needs to get emissions down for the new European rules and engine off when stopped does this. Really it might help differentiate it from the 335i with sport package which offers the M3 and audi S4 competition. It has much better gas mileage and still gets you to 60 in 5 seconds. I agree about the truck tax problem. I don't think you should have to pay a guzzler tax if its a work truck, but the car companies are not selling them as such. Just anouther way corporations have lobbied the tax law to help themselves make money on something worse. That is just one reason why I hate sin taxes like the guzzler tax.
Start/stop features have been around before GM's 'hybrid'. Maybe even longer than the Prius. They can make an improvement in city driving, and even be cheap enough to put on all of a manufacturer's line up. Which can lead to less gas burned instead of them selling a few hybrid along with standard ICEs. GM's failure was trying pass a start/stop system off as something it wasn't, and charging too much for it.
