Wow, the sales guy I spoke to at Budds' back in the early autumn was right on. He told me $41k + M-sport optional (despite all the reports).
Question is, will the base 135i have a sport suspension and seats (ie., a 'normal' BMW sport pkg) with the M-sport pkg being mostly cosmetic (subtle trunk spoiler, side skirts, bigger wheels, m-sport badging, etc.)?
Also... I fear you're right about the leasing costs on this little guy too. Only time will tell.
Nearly $44k with the M-sport... or, about the same cost for a G35 S 6-speed. Hmmm....