Paul Tan's Automotive News» BMW at Paul Tan’s Automotive News

World’s first BMW M showroom in Singapore

Paul Tan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:56:10 +0000

Singapore will be the first country in the world to get its very own BMW M showroom. I believe this is something necessary in Singapore as there a high interest in high-performance cars there. Just look at the amount of Audi R8 and Maserati Granturismos going up and down Orchard road.

A dedicated M showroom is probably necessary to pull the rich dude that has a Granturismo kind of price tag in his car buying consideration and doesn’t want to rub shoulders with ‘lowly’ 320i and 520i buyers.

The BMW M showroom will be located at the Teban Gardens Crescent in Jurong East New Town. Alfa Romeo also has a showroom there. The showroom will be set up by Munich Automobiles Pte Ltd, a JV between Prestige Cars and Sime Darby. Sime Darby also owns Performance Motors Ltd, the company which distributes BMW cars and motorcycles in Singapore. Interestingly MINI is not distributed by PML, but falls under Trans-Eurokars who distributes Saab, Opel and Rolls-Royce.

The M showroom will sell the full range of M cars including the BMW M3, BMW M5, BMW M6, BMW X5M, and BMW X6M. It will also sell M accessories.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

New photo gallery of BMW ActiveHybrid X6

Paul Tan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:47:46 +0000

Members of the media all around the world were in Miami a few days ago to drive the new BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, and you should already be seeing the test drive reports pouring in. The X6 ActiveHybrid not only has a 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8, but an additional two electric motors to help it blast along, with maximum traction too thanks to all wheels being driven. As per normal practice, BMW has released a batch of new photos of the ActiveHybrid X6 snapped at the media test drive event. Enjoy the photos in high resolution glory after the jump. The old batch of photos are here.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

New BMW 5-Series set for November 23rd debut

Paul Tan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:29:43 +0000

It’s finally going to be here – the new F10 BMW 5-Series Sedan! BMW has released a teaser video of the new F10 and they say the F10’s debut is ‘about to take place’. A November 23rd (at 8pm CET timezone) unveiling date and time has been set, pretty timely for buyers looking at a mid-size luxury sedan in Malaysia as the W212 E-Class is about to be launched in Malaysia. So if you look at the F10 and decide you like what you see maybe you want to wait until it’s launched in Malaysia to compare the two.

The teaser video uses the kinetic sculpture (metal balls hanging from fine threads) at the BMW Museum to show us the silhouette of the car. Most people are expecting a scaled down version of the F10 5-Series with sportier rectangular kidney grilles rather than the large ones on the F01/F02 7-Series or even the 5-Series Gran Turismo.

Personally this is one of the more exciting car launches for me, as an old 5-Series owner I’m very interested to see how my E39’s ‘grandchild’ will look like, as personally I didn’t like the E60’s design very much though it drove like a dream. And of course after the F10 unveiling is over and done with we can look forward to the next generation F10 M5.

Look after the jump for a video of the kinetic sculpture teaser. You can also view some past posts on the F10 5-Series GT.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

VIDEO: BMW M Power says goodbye to F1

Paul Tan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:29:21 +0000

This video is BMW’s ‘last kopek’ at leveraging its F1 involvement, as the BMW Sauber F1 Team is no more. The team has now been purchased by Qadbak Investments, a buyout that has actually caused some of the other F1 teams to have reservations because of apparent dodginess of the new owners. Anyway enjoy the video after the jump, as you probably won’t much BMW F1 videos after this one.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Some new BMW M3 GTS promo footage shot where it belongs… on the race track!

Paul Tan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:51:05 +0000

I don’t care much for the techno music in the second video, but the burning rubber and the dramatic effect in the first video is probably one of the better ways to sell a person a car such as the BMW M3 GTS. From the press release its implied that you can only have it with a 7-speed M DCT so that may turn off some people who absolutely must have a stick shift, but the thought of an extra 0.4 liters in that monster of an engine makes me drool. Watch the videos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

New BMW M3 GTS with larger 4.4L V8

Paul Tan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:55:55 +0000

After launching a twin pair of turbocharge M SUVs with automatic transmissions, BMW M has gone back to its roots with a new car called the BMW M3 GTS, which it says has pure M genes. The specs list certain looks pretty drool-worthy, the kind that gets you excited even thinking about it.

See, the M3 is a fast car. It’s a really, really fast car, especially once the high-revving V8 gets up to its prime revolutions, you get kicked back into your seat quite violently and the engine screams along to extract a peak of 414hp from its 4.0 liters of capacity. But that’s not enough for the GTS – BMW has upped the displacement from 4.0 liters to 4.4 liters, so the engine makes 450 horses now, mated to a 7-speed M DCT twin clutch transmission with remapped transmission logic.

BMW has dropped some weight here and there from various parts of the car, including the use of lighter seats, a titanium rear silencer, removal of the air conditioning system (like the E46 M3 CSL), etc. BMW has also added rollover protection mounts at the B-column, a fire extinguisher, and a battery master emergency shut-off switch which shows the car’s true race intentions, as if the large rear wing wasn’t enough.

The large wing is functional, as is the adjustable front splitter. While the car is moving, the pressure which builds up in front of the vehicle above the panel of the front splitter which is parallel to the ground is much greater than in the free stream of air below it. This creates downforce.

No doubt many were disappointed when BMW announced they were not going to make a new CSL but they certainly made up for it with this new GTS. The price of the M3 GTS is expected to be 115,000 Euros in Germany, including 19% VAT. The cars will be built to order and the first will roll out in May 2010. It will initially only be available in Germany but other countries will be possible from summer 2010 onwards.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

BMW TV now available at the App Store

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:24:41 +0000

BMW has released a new BMW TV app for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. It’s available free at the iPhone store. Basically you can view BMW TV videos from the app, but it’s not like you couldn’t do that already via the iPhone/iPod Touch’s YouTube app and the BMW YouTube Channel. Watch a video about the app after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Awesome promo footage of the BMW M3 Coupe

Harvinder Sidhu — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:25:48 +0000

A production company by name of Bandito Garage has released a new 2 minute 20 second-long promotional footage of the BMW M3 Coupe titled “Living in the Lights”. The video was shot in Los Angeles and is centered around the M3 Coupe giving a gorgeous lady the ride of her life.

The production crew shot about 15 different angles and used high-tech equipment like state of the art camera cars and gyro stabilized Pursuit Cranes.

Continue reading to watch the awesome video.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

VIDEO: MINI Driver vs non-MINI Driver

Paul Tan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:40:56 +0000

The MINI brand’s advertising quite often never features an actual MINI at all, as with this latest promotional clip featuring the difference of what MINI claims as ‘MINI drivers’ and ‘non-MINI drivers’. “MINI drivers can be recognized by the mixture of lust for life, individuality and spontaneity. No matter what, they do not take themselves and their life too serious. We simply call it the MINI attitude” – the exact words BMW used to describe MINI drivers. Do you agree with that?

Whether you do or not, enjoy the clip after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

F10 BMW 5-Series spyshot snapped conveniently next to a 5-Series GT for comparison

Paul Tan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:53:42 +0000

Click for enlarged high resolution image

The latest installment in the 5-Series sedan range must be very very near to launch as the test units that have been going around European roads are slowly losing their camo, perhaps in a way to tease the public about its impending launch.

The new 5-Series Gran Turismo that had already been launched can probably give us a preview of the design language that the new 5 will carry, but we can see here that there are some obvious differences between the GT model and the regular sedan.

Click for enlarged high resolution image

The bumper looks completely different with the air intake area that’s designed to look more level in terms of height as it spans from the left to right of the bumper. The kidney grilles also have a slightly different shape, and so do the headlamps which are wider and do not point upwards at the edges like the 5-Series GT’s headlamps, helping the car look wider.

Click for enlarged high resolution image

There is more camoflage on the rear though, but we can sort of judge that the rear looks like an evolution of the outgoing E60 model, with new tail lamp designs with the cool organic lightbars that the F01/F02 7-Series have.

Look after the jump for a gallery of 5 spyshots snapped on European roads.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

BMW working on vehicle heat management to help reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions

Harvinder Sidhu — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:23:19 +0000

BMW is currently working on new technologies to better manage heat released from its vehicles. By improving heat management, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions can be reduced. Even a very fuel efficient engine can only convert about one-third of the energy contained in fuel to actually propel a car.

The rest is lost as waste heat via the car’s exhaust and radiator. To be more specific the auto maker is working on three systems including technologies to eliminate cold starts, convert heat from a car’s exhaust into electricity and use waste heat for interior heating.

To eliminate cold starts, BMW is working on improving heat insulation of engines (pictured below) that can help prevent them from cooling down quickly and retain as much residual heat as possible for the next start. With the technology that is being developed, the engine will take longer to cool down and even after 12 hours, engine temperature can still be figured at about 40 degrees Celsius.

BMW claims that each degree Celsius above the ambient temperature can help reduce fuel consumption by 0.2%. To help achieve better heating, a vehicle will be surrounded by fully clad walls and panels using materials that are normally used in the car’s underfloor for insulation.

Heat can also be converted into electric power. The automaker says that between 3 and 8% of the total fuel consumed by modern cars is due to the rising number of electricity-dependent features. BMW is testing a component called a thermoelectric generator (pictured below).

This generator uses the effect of the temperature gradient in thermoelectric semi-conductor elements generating electrical voltage (the Seebeck Effect). The bigger the difference in temperature, the higher the voltage generated. Exhaust gas temperatures, which are usually between 300 and 900 degrees Celsius, are on the hot side of the generator, and engine coolant is used for the cold side.

Basically up to 250 W of energy can be produced by integrating the component with the exhaust gas recirculation cooler. 250 W equals to about half the on-board electricity consumption in a BMW 5 Series. This can help reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 2%.

The final technology of the heat management idea is an exhaust gas heat exchanger. This system can be placed close to the catalytic converter and it can convey heat to other components or areas like the interior. It can replace the need for electrical heating modules which consume additional fuel (by about 1 liter per 100 kilometers).

Furthermore, the feature can also be used to help warm up components like the transmission (example, oil in the automatic transmission). The above mentioned technologies are in testing stages hence it can take years before we can actually see them in production cars.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

New BMW and MINI Bluetooth headsets

Paul Tan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:46:12 +0000

BMW has just made available two mobile phone hands-free Bluetooth headsets – one with a BMW design and one with a MINI design. The headsets are aimed at those who own BMW or MINI cars that did not come with Bluetooth handsfree systems from the factory. In Malaysia, it’s safe to say that all iDrive-equipped BMWs have Bluetooth handsfree systems installed.

The Bluetooth headset by BMW weighs 8 grams and the rechargeable battery offers a talktime of 5 hours and a standby time of 7 days. You can charge them via a charger that you hook up to your car’s cigarette lighter. It can be paired and used with two different mobile phones at the same time.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

BMW X1 with AC Schnitzer wheels: 18, 19 and 20″

Paul Tan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:18:25 +0000

The BMW X1 has not even been launched here yet but AC Schnitzer has already released these photos of the X1 fitted with their alloy wheel designs. A full-on bodykit has yet to be developed, but that will come pretty soon.

A first half of 2010 launch is expected for the X1 here in Malaysia. In line with BMW’s new EfficientDynamics gameplan internationally and recently in Malaysia, you can expect at least one turbodiesel model to be launched.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Fancy a compact BMW wagon with a V10?

Paul Tan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:29:37 +0000

BMW has no competitor for the RS4 Avant as yet. I know there are customers out there that would definitely like an M3 Touring but I guess it’s just not enough for BMW. If you pick up copies of BMW Magazine or Performance BMW from the newstands you can sometimes see E46 Tourings turned into makeshift M3s. Each of the other 3-Series bodies have already received its M3 – the E90, E92, and the E93, but at least the E91 has a 335i, which can be chipped into an M3 contender.

Another option would be to get one of these babies – an “M3 Estate” custom-built from an E91 by Manhart Racing. It’s not exactly an M3 with a touring tail – the engine and transmission package in the engine bay is completely different as well and comes from the ‘older’ E60 M5. This means a big 5.0 liter high-revving V10 putting out 550 PS and BMW’s 7-speed single clutch SMG transmission. It’s already been pre-tuned with various bits and pieces from factory – a stainless steel quad-pipe exhaust, 200-cell racing catalysts, 6-pot front/4-pot rear Stoptech brakes, Bilstein PSS10 coilover suspension, etc.

The rear end of the car is typical E91 wagon (in these photos it is the pre-facelift version) but at the front, the whole unappealing pre-facelift E90 front-end has been replaced by the E92 coupe look, which is the same thing that BMW did with the E90 M3 Sedan anyway. You can buy one for €120,000, and of course converting your existing E91 is cheaper. But at the same time, an M5 Touring only costs under €100,000.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

BMW Heads-Up Display now in full color

Paul Tan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:50:02 +0000

BMW has upgraded its heads-up display technology to have full-colour images instead of a simple red, orange, yellow and green system before this. This especially enhances the use of the HUD for GPS navigation purposes. Not something you’d probably care about but BMW claims the latest version of their display now only requires less than 10 LEDs to function, when older models of the system required over 100 of them. LEDs are energy efficient to begin with but this is one of BMW’s obsession with reducing power consumption (from 13 to 7 watt) in action, or is it to save cost on buying LEDs?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Four new BMW EfficientDynamics turbodiesel models now here in Malaysia!

Paul Tan — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:19:05 +0000

BMW have launched four new diesel models here in Malaysia, complementing the existing X5 xDrive30d model. The four are the BMW 320d Sports, the BMW 520d Sports Edition, the BMW X3 xDrive20d Executive Edition and finally the flagship BMW 730Ld, which also so happens to be the cheapest F02 7-Series available in Malaysia.

The BMW 320d Sports is only RM7,000 more expensive than the BMW 320i. It’s also the 3-Series Sedan with the most torque, save for the 335i Individual and the M3 Sedan. With 177hp and 350Nm, the 320d outshines the 320i’s 156hp and 200Nm of torque. Thanks to that 0 to 100km/h acceleration time is down from the 320i’s 9.8 seconds to 8 seconds in the 320d Sports. Nearly 2 seconds is a big difference in acceleration feel.

The Sports suffix means that it has the full M-Sport kit – bodykit, seats, aluminium interior trim, 320i Sports wheels, and the M-Sport suspension bits. But it doesn’t have iDrive though, so for that you’ll have to go for the 323i and above variants. The 320d Sports consumes just 6.0 liters of diesel per 100km on an average driving cycle and if you’re on long distance trips it should be even better.

The BMW 520d Sports Edition has the same engine as the 320d Sports – a 2.0 liter turbodiesel engine with 177 horsepower and 350Nm of torque. 0 to 100km/h takes a little more time at 8.4 seconds because it is a larger car.

The term Sports Edition means it’s sort of in between a regular 5 and a 5 M-Sport. You have the M-Sport bodykit, M-Sport wheels, M-Sport steering, but no M-Sport seats and M-Sport suspension. So it’s going to be more of a comfort cruiser with the aesthetic go-fast bits tacked on. Like all 5-Series save for the non-SE 523i, you get the latest version of iDrive with the internal hard drive storage and etc.

Both the 320d Sports and 520d Sports have exhaust tips that points downwards. All the non-M-Sport E39 5-Series used to have this exhaust but the difference is it was hidden behind the bumper, out of sight. But with the M-Sport kits on both the 3 and 5 of this current generation, the bumpers show off the exhaust tailpipe in full glory.

The reason for this is due to the rules set by the German HQ. We get Euro 3 versions of these engines due to our diesel quality which is only just Euro 2M and not the Euro 4/5 capable diesel available in Europe, and amongst the various differences is the fact that the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) has been removed because of the Euro 2M sulphur levels.

For cars without DPF filters, the instruction is to have the tailpipe facing the road, so that the particulates are channeled towards the ground instead of straight out. For owners, if you don’t like the look you can probably get that fixed at JFA in Sunway or something or something. Other than that, BMW says they’ve done adequate testing and the engine should run fine on our Euro 2M fuel, at least within the warranty period.

The flagship is of course the 730d long wheelbase with the new aluminium crankcase 6-cylinder diesel engine. This is a new generation diesel engine that I had the opportunity to try out matched with a manual gearbox when it was installed in a 330d in Germany. In Malaysia installed in the F02 7-Series, its mated to a ZF 6-speed automatic.

It’s got 245 horsepower and 540Nm of torque, but consumes 6.9 liters per 100km. The engine felt really amazing in the 330d – unlike other diesel engines its powerband did not taper off at the higher ends of the rev range, which shows somehow with this new generation BMW has managed to control the auto-ignition combustion quite well at high revs. The 7-Series is the only car in Malaysia with this new engine, but the X5 xDrive30d will probably be getting this engine too when its time for it to be facelifted.

Looking at the 730d at the launch also gave us a sneak peek at changes to the 7-Series offerings when it comes to the 2010 model year here in Malaysia. The rear passengers of all 7-Series variants will now get a proper full-fledged iDrive controller, including this new 730d. Previously, rear passenger iDrive was only available on the 750i. The 740i had the dual rear screens but you had to control it with a remote control, and the user interface was a little limited on features. Now with full rear iDrive on all models, the ceiling air conditioning vents have been removed as part of the spec adjustment, presumably so the same price can be offered.

Removing the ceiling air conditioning vents is probably good as the option adds a little box in the boot that intrudes into the bootspace which I initially thought was a subwoofer of some kind, but is in fact the aircond compressor. This means 2010 model cars will have more boot space. I don’t think people will miss the ceiling aircond much as there is still the B-pillar and center console air conditioning.

The following are the prices for the new diesel models:

BMW 320d Sports – RM 255,800.00
BMW 520d Sports Edition – RM 379,800.00
BMW X3 xDrive20d Executive Edition – RM 333,800.00
BMW 730Ld – RM 698,800.00

They include BMW Service Inclusive + Repair for 3 years or 60,000km. Look after the jump for hi-res photos of the three sedans. I kind of missed the X3 that was on display.

GALLERY: BMW 320d Sports Malaysian Launch

GALLERY: BMW 520d Sports Edition Malaysian Launch

GALLERY: BMW 730d Malaysian Launch

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Dow Jones Sustainability Index names BMW the ‘most sustainable’ automaker in the world!

Paul Tan — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:14:34 +0000

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index has named BMW the most sustainable automobile company in the world for the 5th consecutive year. The index was first published in 1999, so it is in its 10th year now. Effectively, this means that right now, BMW is the world’s most ‘greenest’ automaker.

BMW has just established a Sustainability Board in summer 2009, which comprises of the entire Board of Management, determines the strategic alignment for sustainability issues. They meet twice a year to discuss and adopt the strategies and activities proposed at operational level.

Sustainability is not only defined by your product mix. On one hand BMW makes the zero emissions MINI E (though on trial), but on the other hand you also have the BMW X6 M, weighing well over 2,000kg with 555 PS sent to all four wheels yet can only move four from A to B.

No, it’s more than that. It also includes the production plants, production processes, green recycling practices, etc. It also extends beyond the gates of their office buildings and plants, sustainability is also the excuse that they gave for leaving F1. Whether that’s the real reason or not, I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it’ll score some brownie points on whatever index the DJSI is using.

These are the examples of sustainability activities that you don’t see when you take delivery of your new 323i. BMW’s Munich R&D center uses naturally cold groundwater to cool some buildings. This saves about 10,000 MWh of electricity, and translates to 6,300 tons of CO2 a year. At their Spartanburg plant where the X6 M is built, over 60% of total energy requirements are from methane gas from a nearby landfill.

BMW also takes care not to waste any water unnecessarily. The water cycles at BMW plants are designed to reuse water as often as possible. In fact, BMW’s engine plant in Steyr produced 733,500 engines in 2008 without generating any wastewater at all. The aim is for a 30% reduction of water, energy, solvent emissions and waste per vehicle between 2006 and 2012, and we’re smack in the middle of that now.

But for us Malaysian motorists usually when you hear the word ‘green’ or even BMW’s EfficientDynamics brand, you usually think of the product itself – reduced fuel consumption and reduced tailpipe emissions, unfortunately less so the latter with most people. Now with better quality Euro 2M diesel here, you can expect some interesting announcements from BMW this week.

You can probably already guess what it is, but I’ll be back with the full details later this week. I think what’s coming is great and I can only wish that the manufacturers who sell the more affordable cars here in Malaysia are going to do the same.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

BMW Group and Allianz to work closer on insurance and warranty products

Paul Tan — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:28:16 +0000

Not many car companies here in Malaysia have a used car program. BMW has their Premium Selection and Toyota has their TopMark service. It’s not easy to setup but it’s good because it allows the companies some kind of control over their product’s resale value. Not complete control, but at least there is some sort of avenue to influence it if you have a business where you take in used versions of your products, refurbish them, and resell them at a good price with at least a one year warranty for that peace of mind.

New BMWs are potentially full of electronic niggles. Loads of sensors for this and that. Personally I feel the last BMW that’s fairly modern but yet isn’t too full of sensors and electronics is the early batches of the E39 5-Series – the one with the single VANOS M52 engine, I think the production year 96 to 98?

Beyond that, with the E46, double VANOS E39 and etc, things got a little over a ‘fine line’, conventional throttles were replaced by drive by wire, etc. So there’s alot of things that could potentially break when you buy a used BMW.

This is where used car warranties come in. Internationally, BMW and Allianz have just signed an agreement to intensify their cooperation on a global level. The agreement focuses on a range of vehicle and mobility related insurance products for end customers, such as automobile insurances and used-car warranties.

We’ve already seen Allianz insurance products offered under BMW branding here in Malaysia and its called BMW Motor Insurance. It guarantees that the buyer of a new BMW will be entitled to a brand new car if the car is stolen or totalled in an accident within the first 12 months from date of purchase. Even used BMWs purchased from authorised BMW dealers in a similiar predicament within the first 12 months will also receive a full insured value claim settlement with no market value adjustment.

This could potentially extend to things such as extended warranty programs, which will definitely be very valuable to a BMW buyer. The current plan is for BMW Service + Repair Inclusive to be offered for the first 3 years or 60,000km, whichever comes first. Another two years to cover more years of a typical 5 year to 7 year loan will bring peace of mind.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Oxford Twins: MINI Coupe and Roadster Concepts

Paul Tan — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:40:26 +0000

What’s the biggest difference between a MINI Cabriolet and a MINI Roadster Concept? I’ll tell you. It’s simple – boot space. The MINI Cabriolet only has 125 liters of boot space with the roof down, and 170 liters with the roof up. The MINI Roadster Concept? 250 liters whether the roof is up or down.

The downside is that the roof folds into the space where the rear seats used to be, making the Roadster strictly a two seater. But in reality who uses the rear seats of the Cooper and Cabriolet, unless for some reason you’re punishing a friend?

In the engine department, both are powered by the JCW MINI’s engine. The 1.6 liter turbocharged engine makes 211 horsepower and 260Nm of torque, with a short overboost of up to 280Nm over a short time.

Both these cars are going into production at Plant Oxford in the UK, bringing the MINI bodytype range up to 5 now. It could soon be 6 with the addition of an SUV later.

Look after the jump for very high-res images of the Oxford twins posing together as well as “individual portraits”. I wonder which one did BMW intend to be the wilder twin as depicted in the teaser videos? The Coupe or the Roadster?

GALLERY: MINI Oxford Twins

GALLERY: MINI Roadster Concept

GALLERY: MINI Coupe Concept

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Birth of the E30 Coupe Owner’s Journal!

Paul Tan — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:36:56 +0000

I’ve been tinkering with a new toy over the past two day in the company stables – an E30 3-Series Coupe. If you’ve been a long time follower of this site you may remember a post back in end-2005 where in a caffeine-induced moment I went rambling about how I thought the E30’s design was timeless and how I wanted one.

Well, nearly four years later I finally got one, by accident really. A friend had placed a deposit on this automatic Agate Green 320i Coupe with a 325i engine but later found a manual 323i Coupe with a sunroof. He wanted a manual to begin with so he was looking for someone to take over the 320i, and after having a look at the car I was sold.

What really attracted me was the fact that this particular E30 Coupe had an interior in really good condition. Cream interior with leather seats, no cracks on the dashboard, leather seats in great condition, and everything worked, from the electrically adjustable power windows, the dashboard clock, all instrument gauges, etc. No white smoke (or black for the matter) from the engine, though there was a hairline crack in the exhaust header, but that’s a minor issue.

The car had a little timing issue where whenever you shifted gears into D or R from N, the RPM would drop a little and sometimes the car would just die off. This was fixed by raising the engine idle speed a little. That stopped the engine from dying but there was one problem – when you shifted into gear, the oil pressure light would come on awhile and would go away once you revved the engine a little. Well, that was that… or so I thought.

And then the adventure began. We (road tester Harvinder and I) were on the way to the mechanic’s place to get some electric fan issue sorted, the oil pressure light came on permanently. This was somewhere in TTDI.

Panic ensued – an oil pressure issue is not one to be taken lightly. An engine needs oil for lubrication to function properly. Friction is your engine’s enemy. Of course it could mean that the engine oil pressure has dropped to a very dangerous level which could mean the engine’s oil pump has failed, or the oil pressure sensor has failed. We remembered checking the engine’s oil level just yesterday so it couldn’t really be possible for the engine to have no oil.

So within a few minutes we navigated through the TTDI jam into one of the housing area and parked the car. We turned off the engine as soon as we could to prevent or at least minimize any possibility of damage.

For some reason our first reaction was to check whether the oil pump worked or not. This is an easy test, at least on this particular M20B25 engine. Start the engine and open the oil filler cap. Put your palm above the oil cap. You should feel little drops of oil on your palm. These are the splashes of oil from the cylinder head oil squirters. We didn’t get any drops – a bad sign!

Now this could either mean the oil pump is busted or there’s no oil in the engine. We turned the engine off and let it rest for awhile to let the engine oil settle down into the oil pan and checked the dipstick – uh oh. No oil. Why, was the engine leaking oil? Was it suddenly burning oil? Loads of questions quickly flew through our minds…

And then we noticed something that wasn’t there when we first parked the car – a small puddle of oil had accumulated under the engine! The engine was leaking oil! No wonder there was no oil pressure – there was no oil in the engine!

Sheesh – but this didn’t really eliminate the possibility that either the oil pump or the oil pressure sensor might be gone too. We jacked up the car and had a look underneath. Oil seemed to be leaking from something that looked like the oil pressure sensor – so it seemed likely that the oil pressure sensor is damaged and engine oil had been leaking from it.

After a quick walk across the busy TTDI road (it’s insanely hard to cross that road on foot) to the BHPetrol station and back with a 4 liter bottle of mineral oil, we filled the engine up and started it up. We did the palm test again and I think you can see the results above – oh glorious engine oil! The oil pump was working. Now all we had to do was to quickly get to the workshop before the engine oil leaked all out again. We did, thankfully.

It was confirmed that the oil pressure sensor had failed and to make it worse engine oil was leaking out of the engine through it. Replacing it with a second hand unit fixed the problem. We did another engine oil change at the workshop.

The E30 has since been running reliably so far. The BMWs of that age were really built to last. Only a few bushes and suspension parts need to be inspected and changed, and that exhaust manifold crack has to be fixed, then it will be perfect and perfectly suitable to be used as a daily runabout car! It’s going to be used as a run-about for the company whenever it is needed.

Anyway I intend to start a journal to chronicle the experience of a second hand E30 buyer on this blog under a category so that it can serve as a guide for anyone who is adventurous enough to want to go down the same route and drive an old reliable and fun BMW instead of a cheap brand new car. Stay tuned for another update later In the meanwhile, are there any other E30 owners here?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

All 3 teaser videos for MINI’s Frankfurt exhibits

Paul Tan — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:00:26 +0000

Okay, after watching the three teaser videos of MINI’s Frankfurt exhibits I think what they’re trying to say is that there’ll be two takes on the same car at Frankfurt. We’ve already seen the MINI Coupe Concept in full but word is that there will also be a drop top version called the MINI Roadster Concept there, which frankly I don’t see how will be very different from a MINI Cabriolet with the JCW upgrade pack other than the fact that there will be no rear seats. But maybe BMW has some surprises in store – for now watch all three teaser videos after the jump.

VIDEO: MINI – Two Untamed – Mirror

VIDEO: MINI – Two Untamed – Same

VIDEO: MINI – Two Untamed – Shine

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

BMW celebrates 10 years of the BMW “SAV” with the X5 xDrive35d 10-Year Edition

Paul Tan — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 06:28:57 +0000

It’s been 10 years since BMW have been making SUVs (they insist that they’re SAVs), so that means they’ve also held off making an “M” SUV for 10 years now. That’s a long time to wait for an itch to be scratched for their finance department – of course massively high powered SUVs will sell, there’s always the Middle East remember?

To me I think the X5-M an X6-M is already good as a celebration of 10 years of the BMW SUV. After all, it’s basically Munich shoving the middle finger to the law of physics – technologies such as Dynamic Performance Control and Dynamic Drive active anti-rollbars do wonders to such lumbering hulks and turn them into vehicles that are surprisingly apt at tackling the bends for their size and weight.

But of course which finance department would pass off the chance to produce yet another special edition vehicle so here is the BMW X5 xDrive35d 10-Year Edition. The default paint for this special edition is Sophisto Grey, which kind of looks like Sparkling Graphite but with a a kind of slight brownish tinge to it instead of the slightly purple colour that Sparkling Graphite has. You’ve got 20 inch Y-spoke wheels, Matt Aluminium exterior trim and roof rails, and a panoramic sunroof.

On the interior, you get Comfort seats, Anthracite headliners, Carrara Shades Nappa leather, and BMW Individual Piano Black interior trim. To remind you that this is a special edition plaques with the wording ‘10-Year’ are fixed onto the front doors, front door sill plates, and to the dashboard.

BMW now has a total of four X models – the X1, X3, X5 and X6. The X1 will be coming sometime next year, and the X3’s replacement model will grow in size to be somewhere in between the new X1 and the soon to be facelifted X5.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

MINI Frankfurt Exhibits – Teaser Video #1

Paul Tan — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:43:54 +0000

BMW’s MINI division released the video above just a few hours ago and its supposed to be a teaser for the brand’s 2009 Frankfurt show exhibits.

From what we know so far, two cars are going to be exhibited, with one being the MINI Coupe Concept. The other is said to be a MINI SUV that’s much closer to production (or perhaps even a production car) compared to the MINI Crossover Concept from last year.

Anyway, more teaser videos will be coming up, building up momentum towards the actual Frankfurt show. I’ll post other teasers up as they are released.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Confirmed: MINI range to get two new models

Paul Tan — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:50:03 +0000

BMW’s chairman Dr Norbert Reithofer have confirmed today that two new MINI models will go into production at UK’s Plant Oxford, including the Frankfurt show’s MINI Coupe Concept. This ends speculation as to whether the MINI Coupe Concept will be produced or not. Previously other senior BMW officials have said that the concept will be built if public response at the motorshow was good but I think these days with the internet and social media you can already gauge such responses before the public sees a car.

The announcement today also had another surprise – apparently a second car that will be unveiled at Frankfurt will also go into production. I have a feeling this is the MINI SUV based on the MINI Crossover Concept showcased last year. This will give the MINI brand a total of 5 bodystyles – Hatch, Clubman, Convertible, Coupe and Crossover.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Two more videos of the BMW Vision ED Concept

Paul Tan — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:59:49 +0000

I guess she overestimated how far the EV mode would take her…

Two new video clips on BMW’s new Vision EfficientDynamics Frankfurt showcar have been released by the boys at Munich, making it a total of three videos now if you include the first one. One is 3 minute long video while the second one is a short 3D teaser of just under a minute long. I’ve also added the first video in case you missed it, so head on after the jump where you will find all three videos. You can also check out my previous post on the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept car to read more on BMW’s new turbodiesel-hybrid sports car concept.

VIDEO: BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Clip #2

VIDEO: BMW Vision EfficientDynamics 3D Promo Footage

VIDEO: First BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Clip

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

Diesel-electric powered 2009 BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept officially unveiled!

Paul Tan — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:59:29 +0000

And here we have it, BMW’s secretive concept car with the radical rear tail lamps set for its Frankfurt showcase unveiled before the show – the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics. If you’ve been following the motoring scene closely you’ll remember back in early 2008 there was another concept car with the exact same name but with a much less radical body. Come to think of it the design was probably inspired by the GINA concept. 2008’s Vision EfficientDynamics Concept was built using the body of an X5 but featured a 2.0 liter twin turbodiesel (from the 123d) with 204hp mated to a 15kW electric motor.

For this new vehicle, you can see its clearly a sports car, a 2+2 seater to be exact. It’s very aerodynamic, rated at 0.22 for its CX drag coefficient. The car’s 0.22 figure for its aerodynamics were achieved using various methods. At the front, you have active air flaps which channel only the required amount of air smoothly into the car. A number of body elements are used as air deflectors and guide vanes, like the A-pillar. The underbody is completely covered with a smooth surface.

BMW says this car’s development concept was to offer the performance of a BMW M Car and a highly emotional character combined with the fuel economy and emission management of a modern small car in the premium class. Make no mistake, it’s a hint that future M cars might have KERS-like hybrid electric motors for power assist.

Under the hood of the new BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is something very interesting. It’s BMW’s first modern three-cylinder engine in a long time – a 1.5 liter inline-3, mated to two electric motors, one each on the front and rear axle. It is mounted in a mid-engine position behind the rear seats and puts out 163hp and 290Nm of torque by itself, and is mated to a 6-speed twin clutch transmission with its TCU tuned for fuel economy (other twin clutch previously announced by BMW have been 7-speed). Overall system output – 356hp and a massive 800Nm of torque.

0 to 100km/h takes 4.8 seconds and the car goes up to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h. EU test cycle fuel consumption is rated at 3.76 liters per 100km, and CO2 output is pegged at just 99g/km. BMW says it can go up to 700km or just 650km on the diesel motor alone.

The rear motor sits between the turbodiesel and its twin clutch transmission, while the front motor stands on its own and puts its drive through a two stage single speed reduced ratio transmission. It puts out 60kW on its own with a peak torque of 220Nm but can boost this up to 84kW for up to 30 seconds and even up to 104kW in 10 seconds.

The rear motor makes more torque – 290Nm but less power at 25kW constant to a peak of 38kW. The rear motor also performs the brake energy regeneration functions. The exhaust system even has a Thermo-Electric Generator which scavenges exhaust gas heat to generate power – up to 200 watts in this instance.

The Vision EfficientDynamics can run on electric power alone for about 50km – an EV mode as people usually call it. And the 10.8kWh (80% discharged capacity) lithium polymer batteries (98 cells) on-board can be recharged via your wall socket, not just through brake energy regeneration. When plugged in, a full charge can be done in 2.5 hours with a regular 220V wall plug, or down to 44 minutes at most with a 380V quick charger.

I like how BMW is honest in saying EV mode emissions are rated at about 50g/km when you take into account how the electricity that you pump in from the grid is generated typically in Europe. The rest of the manufacturers claim completely zero emissions – of course there are emissions, just not from your tailpipe.

You’re going to have trouble finding tyres for this guy though, the size is quite weird. 195/55R21. The whole chassis and suspension are made out of aluminium while the roof and outer skin of the doors are made out of a special polycarbonate glass which have a darkening function when there is excessive light. Weight is pegged at just 1,395kg with a low centre of gravity. The Vision ED measures 4,600mm in length, 1,900mm in width and 1,240mm in height. Maximum luggage capacity is 150kg, which BMW says the shape and size is enough for 2 golf bags.

Look after the jump for hi-res images of the new Vision ED. Also check out the video which reveals alot more about how the Vision ED looks like especially at night, and how the front flaps move – this isn’t found in the photo gallery.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

VIDEO: MINI Coupe Concept Beauty Shots

Paul Tan — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:17:31 +0000

Here’s some beauty footage of the MINI Coupe Concept’s exterior and interior that BMW typically produces for publications to slice up and use in their videos. You don’t really get to see the car in much action, but in typically quirky MINI style there’s bound to be a promo video of it later depicting the Coupe Concept actually driven by people that are as fun (and overdressed) as their car looks.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept teaser

Paul Tan — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:59:22 +0000

The future is one where engines have not just been downsized but completely eliminated, or at least that’s the prophecy that the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics makes. The Frankfurt-bound concept has been teaser in this new video from BMW. It’s a bumper-view of the concept car racing down some green B-roads and guess what – no engine noise. It’s definitely a really powerful electric car of sorts, not sure if it will be powered by plug-in chargeable batteries or hydrogen fuel cell. But the sight of the bizarre tail lamps above makes the question of how this new concept will look like an equally big questions as what it’s powered by. Watch the video after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

VIDEO: MINI 50th birthday celebration song

Paul Tan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:48:53 +0000

MINI is officially 50 years and 1 day old today, and BMW AG celebrated the MINI brand’s “birthday” yesterday with a celebration video that you will find after the jump. And of course their other present to the brand would be the new MINI Coupe Concept. In your opinion, do you consider MINI a continuation of the old school Mini? Or something completely new altogether that’s only a few years old now? Is MINI 50 years old or is Mini 50 years old? Share your thoughts in the comments.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.

MINI Coupe Concept to debut at Frankfurt 2009

Paul Tan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:42:45 +0000

I was undecided at first what to think of this. My first instict was to exclaim “what’s wrong with them?” but then I had another look and thought, hey, this isn’t really that bad. What came to mind is a German take on the Suzuki Cappucino or Daihatsu Copen with a British badge. Maybe MINI got pissed off that Daihatsu ripped off the MINI with the Mira Gino, so it did the same with the Copen For some reason it also looks like its top is supposed to come off like a targa top or something but it’s actually a normal coupe with a fixed roof.

Don’t be fooled by the name MINI Coupe Concept – this baby is definitely going into production, looking at how ‘ready’ it is, as with every other concept car BMW has unveiled in the past year. You’ll struggle to point out any major difference between the production 5-Series GT and its concept.

The MINI Coupe Concept is a two-seater – with that sloping rear roof, both legroom and headroom for the area behind the front seats are compromised so MINI cannot pretend its a 2+2 anymore, like with the MINI Cooper. Other than rear wheel drive, like any other car that BMW makes, they claim the Coupe Concept has perfect axle load distribution and a low gentre of gravity, but BMW boldly claims the Coupe Concept will take the agility typical of a MINI to a level never seen before.

The concept measures 3,715mm long, 1,683mm wide, and 1,356mm tall. The rear tailgate opens upwards to unveil a 250 liter boot space. Under the hood is a 1.6 liter turbocharged Prince engine carried over straight from the MINI John Cooper Works, and this means 211hpand 260Nm of torque, with a 280Nm overboost.

I think the MINI’s design team has got one of the toughest jobs in the BMW Group now. BMW’s designers have always followed this simple rule: revolution, then evolution, and repeat. The original New MINI was clearly a revolution of the old school MINI and then the second generation R56 MINI Cooper was an evolution of the first new MINI. Soon it will be time for another revolution, and how do you do that with a car that has so much of its identity ingrained in its looks?

Look after the jump for a hi-res photo gallery.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 06:45:28 +0800.