Archive for BMW

BMW is currently making available a special edition BMW Sauber F1 Team Edition of the BMW 320i, which goes for RM236,800.00 OTR without insurance. The special edition has a unique interior trim which will be personally autographed by BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica as well as BMW Motorsport Director Dr. Mario Theissen.

Other goodies packaged with the car include a special edition also includes a BMW iPod interface, 17 inch wheels, and two tickets to the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lounge event on the 19th of March 2008. Heidfeld, Kubica and Dr Theissen will personally autograph the special edition 3-Series cars at this event, so if you’re an owner you’ll be able to see your car autographed in person!

BMW is also currently having a promotion where the 320i and other selected models where you can get financing from BMW Credit & Lease with a 1.58% interest rate, or extend your BMW Service + Repair Inclusive package to 5 years or 100,000km. Customers will also get a 20% discount promotion on all original BMW accessories.

This video shows Chris Bangle speaking on his love of designing cars, as well as “Bangle-bashing” - the criticism of the design cues that he has inserted into the current generation of BMW cars, the most famous being the Bangle Butt.

According to him, it was necessary for product lines to follow a cycle of a revolutionary generation followed by an evolutionary generation followed by another revolutionary generation and so on. The current way BMWs look started with the E65 BMW 7-Series - that was considered a revolution, and the evolution could start with the upcoming production version of the BMW Concept CS.

He also talks about the 2006 Geneva Motor Show where he was accused of being racist when he used the term “Axis of White Power”, and offers his explanation on the matter: apparently he was actually referring to the cars’ paintjobs.

Both videos are viewable after the jump, the interview and the video where he mentioned the Axis of White Power.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Chris Bangle on Bangle-ism

BMW’s new Director of Design Adrian van Hooydonk (he replaces Chris Bangle who has been promoted to BMW Group’s Chief of Design, responsible for MINI and Rolls Royce) talks about the new BMW X6 at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.

Watch the video after the jump.

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Click here to read the rest of BMW at Geneva 2008: BMW X6

BMW’s Project Manager Thomas Muderlak talks about the new BMW 1-Series Convertible at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The 1-Series Convertible is the 4th body type of the new 1-Series, joined by the 5-door, the 3-door, and the coupe.

Watch the video after the jump.

Related Posts:
BMW 1-Series Convertible Official Photos and Details

Click here to read the rest of BMW at Geneva 2008: BMW 1-Series Convertible

BMW exhibited the BMW M3 Convertible at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Carsten Pries, Head of Product Management, M Automobiles and BMW Individual seemed to dodge around the question by the interviewer on whether the M3 family is now complete, which could indicate something else coming our way.

The M3 family currently consists of the M3 Sedan, the M3 Coupe, and the M3 Convertible, all of which come in either 6-speed manual or 7-speed M DCT dual clutch transmission variants. There could be a station wagon version coming along, since there is an M5 Touring. Anyway, watch the video after the jump.

Related Posts:
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Click here to read the rest of BMW at Geneva 2008: BMW M3 Convertible

BMW’s new EfficientDynamics brand was the most obvious thing they were pushing at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. This is an interview with Jan-Christiaan Koenders, BMW’s Director of Brand Communication about what EfficientDynamics is and why it is important for BMW. The gist of it is that BMW wants to incorporate little features that can save energy in all of its cars rather than just lump everything into one flagship hybrid. This is evident with the inclusion of start-stop and brake energy regeneration features across the product range. Watch the video after the jump.

Related Posts:
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Click here to read the rest of BMW at Geneva 2008: BMW EfficientDynamics

This was the car that started it all for BMW’s M division back in 1970s, the BMW M1. It featured a 6-cylinder engine and is the only BMW series sports car with the engine installed in a mid-engine position. The body was designed by Giugiaro, and it was hand-built from 1978 to 1981, with only 456 built. Watch the video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: BMW M1 - BMW’s only mid-engined car

This video produced by BMW WebTV is some form of short documentary (2:27 long) on the history of the BMW M3. Check out the video after the jump, together with links to a previously published three-part series of articles on the BMW M3.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: The BMW M3 - Milestones

This is BMW’s opening video for its 2008 Geneva Motorshow showcase. It includes the new hybrid-turbodiesel BMW X5 Concept Vision EfficientDynamics, the BMW X6, the new M3 Convertible, and other cars in the Geneva line-up. Video after jump.

Click here to read the rest of BMW at the Geneva Motorshow 2008

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BMW will showcase its new BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in mid-March 2008. The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept is essentially a BMW X5 with a turbodiesel hybrid drivetrain.

Under the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept X5’s hood is BMW’s new 2.0 liter twin turbocharged oil burner which made its debut in the BMW 123d. The inline-4 turbodiesel used two turbochargers and produced 204 horsepower and 400Nm of torque between 2,000 to 2,250rpm. The twin turbo system uses a sequential setup - a smaller turbo takes care of the low revs while a larger one comes in at higher revs. An impressive 200Nm of torque is available at 1,200rpm - 50% of the engine’s peak torque.

The hybrid system is a mild hybrid and not a full hybrid system like the one in the BMW X6 Active Hybrid Concept. The electric motor provides an additional 20 horsepower and 210Nm of torque under acceleration, bringing total peak power up to 224 horsepower and a massive 610Nm of torque. 0 to 100km/h takes 8.9 seconds. This electric motor is flange mounted directly onto the new ZF 8-speed automatic transmission (current ZF trannys in BMWs top out at 6 cogs), which will make its production debut in the next generation BMW 7-Series due soon.

High efficiency lithium ion batteries in the boot area stores the power that drives the electric motor. These batteries are charged via Brake Energy Regeneration. A 1.0 meter square roof mounted photovoltaic solar panel can generate power for low-load electrical appliances such as power for your in-car cell phone charger. Power created in this zero-CO2 way can also be used to pre-heat the transmission fluid. Power from the solar panel can either be used immediately or stored for future use. Other design alterations to the X5 with efficiency in mind include aerodynamically-efficient 19-inch light alloy wheels with reduced ventilation. The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept X5 has a CO2 emission of 172g/km and a fuel efficiency of 43.5mpg, or 6.5 liters per 100km.

More images of the concept after the jump.

Related Posts:
BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid
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Click here to read the rest of BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept diesel hybrid