The folks at BMW M GmbH have been busy in recent years. Having just debuted the all-new M5 and added SUVs to their product portfolio not too long ago, their line up is once again expanded with a new range of BMW M Performance Automobiles, and we are not talking about just slapping an M Sport body kit onto your 528i here.

Read more about the new BMW M550d xDrive, BMW X5 M50d, and BMW X6 M50d after the jump.

Goodyear Malaysia was recently awarded as Perodua’s Best Outstanding Yearly Performance Vendor 2011 under the Quality and Delivery category. The company had scored an ‘A’ ranking in these two aspects for 12 consecutive months in the year.

Commenting on this award, Encik Zakariah Ahmad, Managing Director, Goodyear Malaysia said, “We are extremely proud of this achievement. It is a solid affirmation of our continuous efforts with a business model that focuses on innovation as well as research and development. This also guarantees the production of high quality performance tires that meet a wide range of needs for all.”

Full story after the jump.

In conjunction with the introduction of the new Shell Helix HX7 E synthetic motor oil, Shell Helix is offering members of the public thirty seats to be won in a special defensive driving course tailored specially for owners of compact cars.

To win the invite to the course worth RM1,000, participants will have to go to the Shell Helix D-Academy Facebook page, upload a photograph of their cars and decorate it with the available tools. The thirty most creative entries received from now till 29 January 2012 will be declared winners.

Further details after the jump.

Our friends at Asian Auto had recently announced the results of the Asian Auto Ambank Fuel Efficiency Awards 2011 with the top three cars in each of 18 categories returning home with a prize.

Chief Editor of Asian Auto, Daniel Fernandez in thanking and welcoming guests, said, “Every legitimate car sold in Malaysia was included in the audit this year. The results from the review were surprising; petrol engines are starting to creep up to hybrid cars in terms of fuel efficiency.”

The winners for this year after the jump:

Are you one of those people who are hopelessly negligent in checking your tyre pressures, Goodyear has something that will potentially come to your rescue. It’s not here yet, but Goodyear’s Air Maintenance Technology has been selected by Car & Driver magazine as one of ‘ten most promising future technologies’ in its 2012 10Best edition.

All components of the system, which includes a miniaturized pump, will be contained within the tyre, and what it does is to ensure that the tyre remains inflated at the optimum pressure at all times. The technology remains under development at Goodyear’s Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg. When it finally comes, this technology will indeed be a welcomed convenience.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has smashed its company annual sales record, selling 3,538 cars in 2011 to overhaul the previous record of 3,347 set in 1978 during the era of the Silver Shadow II. The figure represents an impressive 31% increase from the 2,711 cars sold in 2010.

Significant sales growth was reported across the globe, with notable results seen in Asia Pacific (up 47%), North America (up 17%) and the Middle East (up 23%). China and the United States were the most significant individual markets for Rolls-Royce. The United Kingdom performed well with a growth of 30%, whereas in Continental Europe, Germany and Russia were the largest growth markets, each more than doubling sales compared to 2010.

If that was not amazing enough, 2011 also marked a record for the Rolls-Royce Bespoke personalisation programme which offers signature items such as unique paint colours, interior detailing and embroidery, champagne sets, and picnic sets to distinguish your Roller from the one next door. It was reported that nearly every Phantom that left Goodwood, and some element of these bespoke items or other specified in them.

Last September, Rolls-Royce announced plans to expand its manufacturing plant at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, with over 1,000 people employed on site. This will help the company meet further growth in worldwide sales and satisfy demand for highly personalised Ghost and Phantom models. Expansion work will begin in February. Seriously, that many rich people around?

The latest development of Daimler-Benz’s collaboration with the Renault-Nissan Alliance is a deal that sees the Nissan powertrain assembly plant in Decherd, Tennessee help build Merc’s four-cylinder petrol engines.

Production is set to commence in 2014, with the plant able to churn out 250,000 engines at full capacity. The Decherd plant was commissioned by Nissan in 1997, and today it serves to manufacture a range of engines for various Nissan and Infiniti models.

The plant houses its own crankshaft forging and cylinder block casting operations and produced more than 580,000 engines in 2011. Among the first recipient of Tennessee-built Merc engines will be units of the C-Class rolling out from Daimler’s plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Ford has taken the veils off its second generation Fusion mid-sized sedan at the North American International Auto Show 2012 in Detroit. The new model follows up Ford’s promise that the first of its new generation production cars featuring styling cues of its Evos concept car will arrive in early 2012.

Full story after the jump.

Naza World is organizing a Chinese New Year Promotion this weekend, with discounts of up to 20% for the following selected models.

Any of the above tickle your fancy? Head to Naza Auto Mall PJ this weekend and check the cars out yourselves!

Proton has announced a two month programme starting from 29 Dec until 29 Feb 2012 to aid the owners of flood-damaged Proton cars, helping them get their vehicles back to shape.

The ‘Proton I-Care Prihatin Banjir’ programme offers free inspection and assessment of the damages, free towing within a 5km radius of selected Proton authorised service centres and a 20% discount on the purchase of Proton Genuine Parts.

Read more after the jump.