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BMW ConnectedDrive – making for a smarter, safer drive

As far as technological showcases go, there’s nothing like bombing them to bits with an absolute flood of tech – there’s certainly enough of that in the BMW ConnectedDrive arsenal, covering a staggering number of topics. Our earlier story focused on the communications, infotainment and personalisation aspects, already impressive in its breadth and scope, and now, it’s the turn of the driver assistance-related systems, many of which merge into the Efficient Dynamics domain, and these are no less notable in both amplitude and presence.

Full story after the jump.
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BMW “check my machine” music video for F20 1-Series

BMW has made quite a name for itself when it comes to video, after all their The Hire series is well established as the benchmark for videos of its kind – product marketing that’s actually very enjoyable to watch.

Now they’re trying something else – a music video, and the car being promoted this time is the new BMW 1-Series. “check my machine” is a film collaboration between BMW Group’s Electronic Media Department and creative Munich artists Jonas Imbery (Gomma Records) and Mirko Borsche (Bureau mirko borsche). The Brainstormclub and Eyetrip are responsible for production.

“The appeal of the work was to develop a viable, independent, recognisable composition that only makes use of vehicle sounds, such as the blinkers, GPS voice, closing noises, seat belts, doors, safety alarm, to name but a few. The visual resolution at the end shows clearly that the percussive elements such as the bass synthesizer, the vocals and the melodies were produced by the vehicle itself,” said Mirko Borsche.

They could have made the video look better though… what you’ll be looking at is essentially the F20′s production line in the manufacturing plant.

Making music with a car isn’t something new though, even locally we have the Ford Fiesta radio ad jingle made with a Fiesta and Shawn Lee’s beatboxing.

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Refreshed BMW 1-Series duo now in Malaysia – RM423,800 for 135i Coupe, RM319,800 for 120i Convertible

BMW Group Malaysia today introduced the refreshed 1-Series Coupe and Convertible. The Coupe will be available in 135i form and the soft top as a 120i, just like before. The company says that limited numbers of each model will be brought in to “ensure its exclusivity”.

“We only delivered over 30 units of the previous edition of the BMW 135i Coupe and BMW 120i Convertible here in Malaysia and our strategy for these cars would remain the same to ensure its distinctiveness in the premium segment. For a long time now, we at BMW Group Malaysia have promised to make available every single BMW introduced worldwide here in Malaysia and the introduction of these two cars is a testament to this promise.” said Geoffrey Briscoe, MD of BMW Group Malaysia.

Looks wise, the duo feature larger air inlets, new headlights (with milk glass ‘eyebrows’) and taillights (double L-shaped light banks with chrome surround) as well as redesigned air dams. Additionally, two new exterior colours – Vermilion Red and Marrakesh Brown – have been added.

Inside, lighting and air con controls now come with chrome trim. Boston leather is now available in Savannah Beige. The 120i Convertible’s leather has SunReflective Technology which reflects long-wave light and prevents surfaces from heating up in the sun. The 135i Coupe doesn’t get this, but will come with BMW ConnectedDrive.

Under the hood of the potent 135i Coupe is a turbocharged 3.0L in-line six with 306 hp and 400 Nm from 1,200 to 5,000 rpm, sending the small coupe from 0-100 km/h in just 5.2 seconds. That’s still great performance, even if the 1-Series M Coupe is the new range topper. In contrast, the 120i Convertible is no bruiser, but a gentle cruiser – its 156 hp four-pot pulling the car to 100 km/h in 10 seconds.

By the way, the topless one has 260 litres of boot space with the top down and 305 litres with the top up. The transformation process takes 22 seconds.

For the abovementioned exclusivity, you’ll need RM423,800 for the 135i Coupe and RM319,800 for the 120i Convertible. Prices are on the road, without insurance, but with BMW Service Inclusive + Repair.

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Hybrid powerhouse: BMW ActiveHybrid 7 driven in Munich

Over the past month, I’ve sighted on average five to six Honda Insights in my daily travels in Klang Valley. The costlier “full hybrid” Toyota Prius is a less common sight than the motor assisted Honda, but they’re still more of them around compared to in 2010. This is of course the effect of Budget 2011, which abolished import and excise duty for hybrid cars below 2,000cc.

The hybrid car as we know it, is a more efficient and eco-friendly alternative to regular gasoline powered cars. With the assistance of a battery powered electric motor, cars like the Insight can get away with just a 1.3-litre engine. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions drop as a result, not to mention that road tax is just RM70 per year in the Honda’s case.

Recently, we were lucky to be able to sample a different sort of hybrid, one that’s more about 700 Nm of torque than RM70 road tax. In the BMW ActiveHybrid 7, the batteries aid km/h, not km/l. Welcome to the performance enhancing hybrid car.

Continue reading the report after the jump.
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F12/F13 BMW 6-Series now available as M Sport

Both the BMW 6-Series Coupe and Cabriolet are now available with the M Sport package. We only have a few pix of this new red coupe for now, but we’ll update the gallery in this story as soon as we have more pix. Other than the bodykit, the M Sport kit includes these 19 inch M wheels you see here as standard, along with dark chrome exhaust tailpipes, High-gloss Shadowline exterior trim and black brake calipers.

On the inside, you get the usual M Sport look which consists of black headlining, Aluminium Hexagon trim, Sport seats and an M Sport multi-function leather steering wheel.

Along with the new M Sport bodykit, BMW has also added a new diesel engine to the F12 Cabrio and the F13 Coupe, which were both previously available only with petrol engines. The new diesel model is the 640d, which uses a 3.0 litre twin turbo inline-6 diesel making 313hp at 4,400rpm and 630Nm of torque from 1,500rpm.

Look after the jump for a small gallery.

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F07 BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo M Sport revealed

BMW has finally added the M Sport package to the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo – probably one of the longest a BMW has gone without an M Sport bodykit to accompany it. We only have a front three quarter view for now – not sure how the rear looks like.

The interior gets the M Sport treatment as well – everything’s black and silver. I wonder how this treatment looks like in real life, as the 5 GT has a very bright and airy interior – will the black pillars and headliner affect this feel?

BTW, those wheels look like the ones from the 7-Series M Sport, and not the 5-Series M Sport. To me, this helps even further drive home the point that the 5 GT is more of a 7-Series liftback than a member of the 5 family.

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F10 BMW 5-Series gets new 2.0L turbocharged inline-4

BMW has revised the F10 5-Series model range, with these new engines added for the September 2011 production. Most of the updates concern four cylinder engines, but keep reading and there’ll be something for the inline-6 and V8 fans.

First up is a new variant called the BMW 520i, which will feature the new 184hp/270Nm 2.0 litre inline four cylinder engine that was first announced for the X1. The 520i does 0 to 100km/h in 8 seconds.

Next up is an updated 528i, which dumps its 3.0 litre inline-6 engine for a higher powered version of the 2.0 litre turbo four pot in the 520i, thanks to increased boost pressure and a revised fuel injection system. As expected from the power ratings in the X1 and Z4, the new 528i makes 245hp and 350Nm, propelling the sedan to 100km/h in 6.3 seconds.

The oil burner 525d has also got 2 cylinders lopped off but it gains one extra turbocharger – it is now powered by a 2.0 litre four cylinder engine with two turbos, an engine that was previously only found in smaller cars like the 123d. The new four cylinder 525d makes 218hp and 450Nm of torque.

There’s also a new version of the 520d that’s called the 520d EfficientDynamics, which retains the same 184hp/380Nm power output but gets 10% better mileage thanks to low rolling resistance tyres on Streamline design alloy wheels, a longer final drive ratio for lower engine RPM during highway cruising, and a range of other EfficientDynamics features such as Auto Start-Stop, Optimum Gearshift Indicator, Brake Energy Regeneration and Active Aerodynamics.

The 530d and the 535d also gets some revisions to their 3.0 litre turbodiesel inline-6 engines. The 530d now has 13% better fuel consumption, while the 535d gets a power boost up to 313hp, up from 300hp.

The four cylinder and six cylinder F10 now also faetures the new ECO-PRO button, which adjusts engine mapping, throttle sensitivity, automatic gearshift points, where applicable, and the amount of power consumed by electrical ancillaries including climate control and heated seats. We first saw this ECO-PRO button in the new 1-Series.

We’ll update you as soon as any of these changes roll down to our Malaysian market.

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Regas Premium Auto – new BMW dealer in Kuching

BMW Group Malaysia has appointed a new 4S dealer in Kuching – Regas Premium Auto Sdn Bhd. The new dealership will operate from the former Auto Bavaria Kuching showroom along Rock Road, which has been operating for over 20 years. Regas is already planning for a larger BMW 4S premise in the Kuching area, scheduled to open in Q2 2013.

Regar Premium Auto is part of the Regas Group, whites tarted out as Regar Motor in 1981. Other than their new BMW dealership, they also run a few other dealerships and service centers including Hyundai and Isuzu.

“It is a privilege for BMW Group Malaysia to welcome to our dealership network a business partner as established as Regas, which has had vast experiences and successes in the automotive segment in Sarawak. East Malaysia as a whole continues to grow as an important market for the premium segment of the Malaysian automotive industry. In 2010 alone, the market accounted for over 300 cars for the segment. With this new partnership, BMW Malaysia remains on track to increase our presence in the region,” said BMW Group Malaysia Managing Director Geoffrey Briscoe.

The Regas Premium Auto Sdn. Bhd. 4S BMW dealership is located at Lot 103, 2½ Mile Rock Road, 93250 Kuching.

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New BMW X1 sDrive20i features 2.0L turbo: 184hp/270Nm

BMW has been on a roll overhauling its engine line-up recently, and the latest update is a new “20i” engine, finally replacing the anaemic normally aspirated 2.0 litre 4 cylinder found in the 320i in Malaysia. You can expect the F30 320i to be equipped with this new lump.

The new 20i engine makes its debut in the BMW X1 for the 2012 model year. The new BMW X1 sDrive20i now features a 2.0 litre four cylinder engine with a twin scroll turbocharger producing 184 horsepower between 5,000 to 6,250rpm, and 270Nm of torque between 1,250rpm to 4,500rpm. 0 to 100km/h will take 7.4 seconds. This new engine will be mated to BMW’s 8-speed automatic transmission.

184 horses is as much power as the current 20d range, but 270Nm is less torque than the 20d’s 380Nm. The 28i engine, also based on a 2.0 litre turbo four cylinder, makes 245 horses and 350Nm. I wonder if a simple remap will be able to take the 20i up to 28i levels, or at least half way there.

I would expect an X1 sDrive20i (or xDrive20i) to be introduced here in Malaysia to replace the sDrive18i, to satisfy those who want a little more go from their compact X1 but don’t find themselves warming up to the efficient xDrive20d model.
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Carbon loaded BMW M3 CRT – 70 kg lighter, only 67 units

What happens when the BMW M3 Saloon is put on a carbon rich diet? You’ll have this, the limited edition BMW M3 CRT. CRT stands for Carbon Racing Technology, and besides being motorsport inspired, the M3 CRT debuts a new production process for carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) components.

For instance, the bonnet of the M3 CRT and the bucket seats for the driver and front passenger are made from a cellular carbon honeycomb, which is produced in a unique process pioneered for the manufacture of body components for the upcoming BMW i3 and i8, two new vehicles that will debut as part of BMW’s project i.

The process enables the cuttings left behind in the construction of the body to be reprocessed. The basic material (CF thread) can now be woven into CFRP mats of any size before being impregnated with synthetic resin and hardened.

Scheduled for a Frankfurt debut and volume production in 2013, the i models will feature a body consisting entirely of CFRP in the passenger cell area. For the M3 CRT, this allows the creation of a bonnet made from two CFRP mouldings encasing an aramid honeycomb structure, which is 50% lighter than the standard aluminium bonnet.

CFRP is also used for the car’s bucket seats. Here, the CFRP layers are wrapped around a recycled-paper honeycomb, with a better looking carbon layer (made using conventional production technology) added to visible areas. The rear spoiler and an air-channelling front lip are also from CFRP. A titanium muffler and model specific sound proofing are the other measures.

The M3 CRT’s unladen weight of 1,580 kg undercuts that of the standard M3 Saloon by around 45 kg. Take into account the equipment on board, BMW says the weight saving is more like 70 kg. A big portion of the saved weight is from the front end, which aids agility.

Under the CFRP bonnet is the M3 GTS’ high revving 4.4 litre V8, which makes 450 hp at 8,300 rpm and 440 Nm at 3,750 mm. Then engine features motorsport inspired details, such as a bedplate crankcase construction in a special aluminium-silicon alloy, individual throttle butterflies, a knock control system with ion current technology and a dynamically-optimised wet sump oil supply, among others. Power to the rear wheels travels via an M double-clutch seven-speed transmission with Drivelogic.

There are also some changes to the chassis. There’s now a rigid rear axle subframe and coilover suspension whose dampers are individually adjustable in their compression and rebound. The six-piston, fixed-caliper brakes – discs measure 378 x 32 mm at the front and 380 x 28 mm at the rear – are of a low-weight compound construction.

The new M3 variant also uses Stahlflex brake lines and model-specific brake pads. The Y-spoke M wheels are 19-inch items. DSC has been retuned to match the “greater dynamic potential” here as well as the changed weight distribution. Top speed is capped at 290 km/h.

Quite a nice last hurrah for the E90. Only 67 units will be available, but you can have your own, wallpaper, in the gallery after the jump.
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