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Chris Bangle left BMW because of Project i (Isetta) disagreements?

February 8, 2009 at 2:23 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars

Chris Bangle

There is some new information, albeit from unnamed sources, on why Chris Bangle left BMW. Apparently he had disagreements with the BMW board and his successor von Hooydonk on the future direction of Project i, which is expected to spawn the spiritual successor to the BMW Isetta.

It seems that the board wanted one way and Bangle wanted another, so he decided to resign because as Head of BMW Group Design he could not take responsibility for a design strategy he did not agree with, or rather did not choose. BMW still wanted him though, and offered him other jobs such as design director of the US-bsaed DesignworksUSA, a company which von Hooydonk previously headed.

Bangle revealed later that he will be starting his own design house, but maintains he will not just be plastering the Bangle name over any industrial design product. Macbook Pros will flame surfacing or a toaster with a Bangle Butt anyone?

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Toyota Camry with E60 5-Series M-Sport bodykit

February 6, 2009 at 1:59 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Toyota

BMW Camry
Click to enlarge

I was tempted to title this story “next generation BMW F10 5-Series spotted in Sunway” but I already pulled something like that before with the BMW Myvi Isetta post sometime last year. It looks like the trend of adapting your car with a bodykit to have E60 5-Series M-Sport front end styling is getting more and more popular. It is already a near-daily sight on Perodua Myvis, but this is the first time I’ve seen it on a Toyota Camry, a far more suitable vehicle as at least it’s of a near similiar size to a 5-Series. It looks like the common saying that Camry buyers want to graduate to an E-Class and Accord buyers the 5-Series is not correct all the time.

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Chris Bangle quits BMW and the auto industry

February 3, 2009 at 11:18 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

BMW Design Team
Bangle and his “machais” (L-R): David Robb (BMW Motorrad), Adrian van Hooydonk (BMW), Ulf Weidhase (BMW M and BMW Individual), Ian Cameron (Rolls-Royce), Gert Volker Hildebrand (MINI)

Chris Bangle has quit BMW, and apparently the entire auto industry as well. Succeeding his position as chief of design for the entire BMW Group (including MINI and Rolls-Royce) is Dutchman Adrian van Hooydonk, who is the BMW brand’s design chief.

52-year old Bangle who has worked in BMW since 1992 is not moving to another car company but is instead leaving to pursue his own design-related ventures beyond the auto industry. Among the work produced by the BMW design team under van Hooydonk’s leadership include the new F01 7-Series, the new Z4 and the upcoming BMW PAS.

This story by NY Times reveals that many of BMW’s controversial designs that made it into production under Bangle’s watch have erroneously been attributed to him. He merely approved it. The “Bangle butt” should more appropriately be called the “van Hooydonk butt”. As for the whole controversial “flame surfacing” design, which many have said is a mere collection of random surface shapes to conceal an unimaginative design, the article claims that to be the responsibility of another American, Chris Chapman.

Look after the jump to check out both Bangle and van Hooydonk’s CVs.
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BMW X1 “spy video” at the Arctic Circle

February 3, 2009 at 3:55 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Spyshots, Videos

BMW X1

In the spirit of “self-published” spyshots by car manufacturers that have been surfacing lately, BMW has released a spy video of the BMW X1 donning a ridiculous camo pattern on its body having some fun in the snowy terrain of the arctic circle. This particular unit would likely have the xDrive system for sure, but word is the X1 might also come in sDrive rear-wheel drive variants. Watch the “spy video” after the jump.
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BMW Progressive Activity Sedan teaser

January 31, 2009 at 2:35 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Concept Cars, Videos

BMW PAS Spyshot

BMW PASBMW has released a teaser video where a narrator uses scribbly drawings to describe what the whole BMW PAS (Progressive Activity Sedan) concept is all about. The BMW PAS is what many consider to be a 5-Series with a coupe-like stationwagon rear end.

You may be wondering what’s the difference between this and taking an X6 and just lowering it and replacing the wheels with more road-like ones? Well, BMW hopes this video will continue to spark your curiosity until the unveiling (in concept form), which is expected to be in the next 2 months or so.

From the video here are some details we can obtain:

  • 2 rows of seating, with the 2nd row having reclining and sliding seats to vary between legroom and luggage space as needed.
  • A dual-opening rear hatch which also includes a regular sedan bootlid, much like the new Skoda Superb’s “TwinDoor” hatch.
  • A semi-command seating position for the driver, somewhere in between a sedan’s sitting position and an SUV’s.

It’s somewhat like taking the Audi A6 Allroad or Volvo XC70 concept abit further with a coupe-ish roofline, the special two-in-one rear hatch and the comfortable 2nd row seats.

Watch the video after the jump.
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Open top MINI goes through an automatic car wash

January 30, 2009 at 5:13 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Videos

MINI Cabriolet

What happens when you drive a MINI Cabriolet through an automatic car-wash machine, with the top down? Find out in the viral video after the jump.
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AC Schnitzer mechanical LSD for BMW and MINI

January 23, 2009 at 9:59 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

AC Schnitzer has announced it will be selling a mechanical LSD kit for the BMW 1-Series, the 3-Series and the BMW MINI. This mechanical LSD will transfer up to 75% of driving power when one wheel slips to the opposite wheel. AC Schnitzer says for the front wheel drive MINI, this helps control steering behaviour.

The MINI Cooper S actually already has an LSD from factory option. If you don’t want that, you can opt for this. The MINI JCW however, does not have any factory LSD option. That’s because BMW considers it to have an LSD. The JCW actually comes with an “electronic LSD”. This is actually an extension of the DSC system.

It essentially uses an open diff, but DSC brakes the slipping wheel, which in a normal open diff causes the power to transfer to the other side. Now the reason why BMW used this new E-Diff is because they found with with a mechanical differential, the MINI JCW experienced “anti-torque steer”.

The JCW has quite a substantial amount of torque, and on full power the mechanical differential tends to kick in too early. This has a side effect – the steering tends to want to center itself on full power. While on a straight road this is fine, but it’s a problem when you want to go full power on a corner and the car keeps wanting to go straight, hence the term “anti-torque steer”. So please just bear this in mind before you decide to equip your MINI JCW with this AC Schnitzer mechanical LSD.

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BMW Sauber F1.09 does her maiden lap at Valencia

January 21, 2009 at 11:05 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Formula 1, Motorsports, Videos

BMW Sauber F1.09

The new BMW Sauber F1.09 Formula One car was unveiled in Valencia, and Robert Kubica was the first to take the car out for a spin at the Spanish circuit. Like its competitors, the new F1 regulations have ruined its aesthetics. The 3-piece front wing stretches across the full width of the car while the rear wing is now slimmer and is unusually high. The front axle has been modified and the rear axle is a new design.

“We have set ourselves the task of further improving our performance relative to the rest of the field. The 1-2 in Canada and a total of eleven podium finishes in 2008 set an exacting standard. In 2009 we are looking to maintain our first-class reliability record while at the same time enhancing our performance levels so that we can be at the front of the pack on a consistent basis. We are aware that we are aiming extremely high. This is the final step in our development, and that’s generally the hardest one to take,” said BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen.

BMW Sauber F1.09

The new car will also have the KERS system, which was developed in Munich under the watch of Markus Duesmann, Head of Powertrain. It isn’t quite ready yet but is expected to be ready by the Melbourne race. Chassis development was the responsibility of Walter Riedl along with his technical team based in Hinwil, Switzerland.

The first shake-down comprised of 73 laps and went smoothly without a hitch. Kubica said they’ve already learned alot about how the car is responding to setup changes, but there was a slight lack of grip than usual despite the slick tyres because there was only one car on the track, so it wasn’t sufficiently warmed up. The car will continue testing in Valencia until Saturday.

Look after the jump for a video of the unveiling and the maiden lap.
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New F02 BMW 7-Series 740Li and 750Li long wheelbase launched in Malaysia!

January 19, 2009 at 1:45 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Local News

BMW F02

The new BMW 7-Series is now in Malaysia! It is sold here in F02 form only, which means long wheelbase for better chauffeured usage. Now one of the reasons which makes this version of the long wheelbase 7 so special is that it doesn’t look like a long wheelbase car. The E66 and E65 looked similiar from the front all the way to the B-pillar, after of which you can see the E66′s rear door looks abnormally extended, spoiling the sleek look of the car. The F01 and F02 look similiar, with the F02 being a longer version but employing more than just a simple stretch to accommodate the longer wheelbase including having a taller roofline to maintain a resemblance to the F01′s roofline.

BMW F02

Two models are available at launch time, the 740Li and the 750Li. These models use 2 of the 3 engine variants that were unveiled during the global launch, with the third being the single turbo diesel 730d. The 7-Series was launched with a 100% turbocharged engine line-up, which is a stark contrast to just a few years ago when BMW was championing the purity of the normally aspirated engine.

BMW F02

The BMW 740Li is powered by the 3.0 litre twin-turbocharged inline-6 engine from the N54 family. It produces 326hp at 5,800rpm and 450Nm of torque at 1,500rpm, which is slightly higher than the version of the engine installed in the 135i and 335i. 0 to 100km/h acceleration takes only 5.9 seconds. Since the 740Li engine now has a 3.0 litre displacement, this is good news for buyers in Malaysia who can save a massive amount in road tax, we’re talking about thousands of ringgit a year here. The 740Li goes for RM848,800.

BMW F02

The 750Li’s engine is the 4.4 litre twin turbocharged V8 that was first installed in the X6. This engine produces 407hp between 5,500 to 6,400rpm and a peak torque of 600Nm between 1,750rpm and 4,500rpm, which is good for sprinting to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds. This baby goes for RM1,138,800. Both the 740Li and the 750Li are CBU units from Germany, as the F01/F02 are currently only built there. Previously for the E66 our CBU 730Li came from Thailand. Speaking of the 730Li, there isn’t one in existence yet at the moment but a BMW Malaysia official said one is in development that will probably feature the N52 3.0 litre normally aspirated magnesium alloy engine producing about 272hp, as found in the BMW X5 3.0si.

BMW F02

BMW F02Our 7-Series now also features the option for a rear seat bench that has massage and ventilation functions. The massage function comprises of 12 massage units and 6 rotating elements that focus on the occupant’s upper and lower back.

We also get additional air cond vents on the roof of the car. The 750Li gets its own iDrive system at the rear while the 740Li uses a remote control that looks like the iDrive controller, which oddly seems to look like a better idea despite being a “lower end” option.

Like the new E90 facelift, the new 7-Series gets the new iDrive system which comes with an 8GB hard drive-based navigation system which can also store your music. BMW ConnectedDrive is not available in our country yet, so the NetFront web browser in the iDrive system will be useless for now. Stay tuned for a test drive report of the 750Li, which should serve its purpose as a teaser before the 730Li that potential customers will likely be eyeing makes its debut here.

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BMW 116i now powered by 2.0L N46 Valvetronic

January 8, 2009 at 4:36 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

BMW 1-Series

BMW has phased out its N45 inline-4 engine family, currently used in the BMW 116i. The N45 is a rather basic engine compared to the rest of the BMW line-up, it doesn’t even have Valvetronic, which these days is only absent on turbocharged BMW engines. The only other application has been in the limited edition BMW 320si, which used an N45 engine with displacement increased to 2.0 litres. That one produced 173 PS at 7,000 and 200Nm at 4,250rpm, but the N45B16 in the 116i only produced 122hp at 6,000rpm and 160Nm of torque at 4,300rpm.

From this year on, the 116i will be powered by the more advanced N46, which produces the same 122hp, but torque has been upped to 185Nm between 3,000 to 4,250rpm. This is because the new engine is actually the same 2.0 litre engine that’s found in the 118i and the 120i, only with different tuning. This engine also has Valvetronic, which provides variable valve lift and operates without using a throttle plate.

This is also happening with many other BMW models. The numbers on a vehicle’s badge doesn’t necessarily indicate the displacement of the engine under the hood anymore. Alot of the x25i cars around are now running with 3.0 litre engines, tuned to produce the same power and torque as a 2.5 litre but with torque over a wider spread of RPMs, to improve driveability. This would be a problem in Malaysia because of the displacement-tied road tax (as opposed to power output or emissions tied), so expect the 325i to continue to be offered with a 2.5 litre engine for the moment.

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