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BMW confirmed Front-Wheel Small Car for the future

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:49:18 +0000

If some time ago there were some rumors saying that BMW is going to build a front-wheel small car, well, as you can see, those rumors have been confirmed officially by BMW which is very cool because if you’re using your car more in the city, well, maybe this new future BMW product is going Related posts: BMW – Vision in the future Confirmed BMW 5 Series Wagon Development of a 100% BMW electric car confirmed

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BMW confirmed Front-Wheel Small Car for the future

BMW CEO reconfirms future FWD vehicle

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:52:56 +0000

MegaCity Vehicle rendering illustrated above A report by Automotive News Europe confirms our previous statement: BMW will indeed build a new front-wheel entry-level vehicle. Confirmed today by BMW CEO, Dr. Norbert Reithofer during the Annual Accounts Press Conference, the FWD vehicle and a four-wheel-drive vehicle architecture will underpin a new range of entry-level BMW cars as well as next-generation Mini models. Klaus Draeger, Head of Research and Development, said that the new FWD vehicle will debut in 2014 with the arrival of the third-generation Mini hatchback. While not confirmed, we’re incline to believe that these new vehicles are tied to the previously confirmed MegaCity vehicle. Draeger said the new architecture will enable BMW to produce a range of vehicles that are between 3800mm and 4300mm long. This will put the new entry-level BMW in the same segment as the Volkswagen’s Fox, Polo, Golf, Beetle and Scirocco. The new front-wheel-drive models will fit below the 1 Series models. While not officially confirmed, Automotive News quotes a source that mentions the new architecture will underpin up to 20 different BMW and MINI models. The pressing question: Why a FWD BMW? Reithofer said today: “We expect the premium small car segment to grow by 4-6 percent annually until 2020″. Also, by 2012, BMW will have to adhere the more strict emission regulations. Two valid reasons that influenced BMW decision to move forward with a front-wheel drive model. With the previous rumors now confirmed in an official setup, we expect to learn more about the new architecture in the near future. [Source: AutoNews ]

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BMW CEO reconfirms future FWD vehicle

BMW CEO Dr. Reithofer Annual Accounts Press Conference 2010

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:36:14 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, As you can see here: we are creating the future. And, we are on a path to profitable growth. In line with our strategy Number ONE, we moved the company’s strategic realignment forward during the 2009 economic crisis. We have sharpened our profile as a sustainable company. We have launched attractive new models. We have invested – in our sites, in new engine technologies and in future projects. We have cut costs significantly. Today, we are a leaner and more powerful company than ever before. We have created a new and emotional design language for our cars. Our technology package, Efficient Dynamics, is the best in the industry, combining maximum performance with minimum fuel consumption. All these points demonstrate that we have approached the economic crisis as an opportunity and have capitalized on it. In 2007, we set in motion our strategy Number ONE with a clear vision: In 2020, we will be the leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility. An important milestone in this effort is meeting our profitability targets for 2012. In the current business year 2010, we will take an important step in reaching this milestone: We plan to post Group earnings significantly above the 2009 level. We expect growth in the solid one-digit percentage range by selling over 1.3 million cars. Today I would like to highlight the following: 1.) What did we do to succeed in 2009? 2.) Why is the BMW Group on the right track towards future growth? When we met here last year I told you that 2009 would be a transition year with two priorities: crisis management in the short term, and investing in our future success in the long term. Today our fixed costs are lower than in 2005. We also managed to cut material costs dramatically, thanks to our ability to increase scalability efficiencies in our processes. These changes have been implemented in collaboration with our suppliers and partners. We have always made continuous quality improvement a priority. From our perspective, quality is a key aspect of our customer focus. As a premium car company, we constantly strive to improve standards. Despite the economic crisis, we continued to invest in our future. First off, we invested in new technologies such as hybrid- and electric-motors as well as Efficient Dynamics, an area in which we managed to extend our lead further. We also have invested in our production plants: In 2009 and 2010, more than one billion Euros is being invested in our German plants. We will have invested around 750 million US-Dollars in our Spartanburg plant from 2008 through 2010. Growth markets will increasingly be found further east. One of our business principles is that production follows the market. In November 2009, we announced our strong commitment to China as a production location. We are going to expand our capacities in Shenyang from a little over 41,000 to 100,000 units. Together with our partner, we will invest a total of almost 600 million Euros. As a result, we will be able to produce up to 300,000 cars at the Shenyang plant in the long term. In January and February 2010 alone, we doubled our sales volume in China compared to the previous year. Customer focus is the core of our basic principles at the BMW Group. Chinese BMW owners mostly ride with a chauffeur. This is why, as early as this year, we will present a long version of the new BMW 5 Series exclusively developed for the Chinese market. We took the right actions to steer the company successfully through a challenging year. You are already familiar with the key data: In 2009, we posted positive pre-tax Group earnings of 413 million Euros, up 17.7 percent from the previous year. All in all, we sold close to 1.29 million cars. And it should be noted that national incentives such as the scrappage program in Germany only had a marginal effect on sales. We stood our ground as the world’s leading manufacturer of premium cars and further increased our market share in the premium segment. Our sales volume increased significantly in January and February 2010. Due to various model changes, March will be weaker than the previous months. A few remarks about BMW Motorrad: In 2009, we delivered a total of 87,300 BMW motorcycles to customers, down 14 percent from 2008. Current sales figures show an upward trend in sales – with an increase of almost 25 percent from February 2009. Our shareholders and investors have remained loyal to us despite the difficult and volatile situation and we believe shareholders should share in our company’s performance. The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board will propose a dividend for the same amount as 2008 at the Annual General Meeting. The positive development of BMW ordinary shares, which were traded 47 percent higher at year-end than in the beginning of 2009, demonstrates the confidence the capital market has in the company’s future. In 2009, we have once again showed that BMW stock is a sound, long-term investment. Moving onto the second topic: Why is the BMW Group on the right track for future success? We are really putting the pedal to the metal this year when it comes to new products. From October 2009 to December 2010, we will launch 17 new or updated BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce models: The BMW 3 Series Coupe and the 3 Series Convertible, as well as the BMW X5 have been updated. Starting this spring, customers will be able to purchase the BMW brand’s CO2 champion: the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition. This car uses only 4.1 liters per 100 kilometers and emits only 109 grams of CO2 per kilometer. In addition, it is a truly athletic car with 163 Horse Power. No other premium car company can offer customers more performance with fewer emissions without ever compromising on sheer driving pleasure. The Countryman, due out in September, will be the next addition to the MINI family and the first MINI with four-wheel drive. And Rolls-Royce will provide new customer segments with the Ghost. The new BMW 5 Series Sedan is the start of a new era for the BMW Group. The 5 Series is not only an image driver, but also a strong contributor to Group sales and revenue. It is with this new model that we were able to harness all the newly gained efficiencies in our production process and modular system. The new 520d is a technological masterpiece: This car’s four-cylinder engine needs only 5 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers and emits only 132 grams CO2 per kilometer, while offering the typical BMW performance with 184 horse power – making the 520d the world’s most efficient luxury sedan. Next year, the 5 Series will also be available as a full hybrid. Those who prefer not to wait can buy the first BMW hybrid models as early as April of this year, namely: the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 and the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series. They represent the state-of-the-art BMW ActiveHybrid technology. In the future, we will select the optimal hybrid solution for each model from a modular system. Developing innovations is part of our DNA, and this is not going to change. Our innovative strength helps us tap new growth potential for the company. Again and again, we present our customers with new offerings. Two examples: When we launched the BMW X5 about 10 years ago, it was the first premium SAV. As an example of its success, both the X5 and X6 outsold all competitors combined in 2009. And with MINI, we have successfully established a premium brand in the small car segment. MINI is not a miniature version of another model series. MINI is and will remain the Original – with a signature face, a unique tradition and over 1.5 million fans around the world. In the future, we will generate growth both in the large model segments and in the compact and sub-compact model segments. We will launch more MINI and BMW models and variants – also in the small car segment. This segment is expected to grow further. And we will take advantage of this opportunity. We are exploring the possibility of developing a joint architecture for the front and four-wheel drive systems of these cars. In other words: There will be front-wheel drive BMWs in the smaller vehicle classes in the future. We all know that the cost structure in the small car segment is different from that of the larger model classes. We intend to grow profitably in this segment as well. Because there is one element that applies to the entire process chain: We will increasingly apply modular manufacturing kits to various models and brands. This approach enables us to cut costs further – without compromising on top quality. Ladies and Gentlemen, Premium is also defined through sustainability. As we see it, there are three components to this: an economic, an ecological, and a social factor. Without financial success, we are not able to invest in eco-friendly technologies. Our products need to be profitable in order for us to create new technologies like e-mobility. Customers are currently testing the MINI E for us. Some drivers have told me that they would love to keep their MINI E. Our annual report actually includes a section on customers and their experiences with the MINI E. BMW will follow suit in 2011 with a customer test fleet based on the concept study “BMW Concept ActiveE”. This test fleet will be built at the Leipzig plant. Thanks to Efficient Dynamics, we have accomplished much more than our competitors. In other words: Efficient Dynamics represents Sheer Driving Pleasure 2.0.The average emission of our European new-car fleet is only 150 grams per kilometer, equaling a fuel consumption of 5.9 liters per 100 kilometers. And what’s even more amazing is the performance our cars achieve with these low emissions: 170 Horse Power or 125 kW. And we plan to reduce our fleet’s CO2-emissions worldwide by at least another 25 percent between 2008 and 2020. However, ecological responsibility as an automaker is only met if we maintain a sustainable production system as well. 2009 marked the fifth consecutive year that the BMW Group was named the world’s most sustainable automaker by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In the superior discipline of yacht racing, the team “BMW ORACLE Racing” won the world’s oldest sports trophy – the America’s Cup. We are also involved in the Olympic Games: BMW will be the automotive partner of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. Thanks to Efficient Dynamics and our sustainability approach, the Sustainability Club chose the BMW Group as the fleet supplier for the next games in London. As a National Supporter, we are also assisting the Cities of Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in their bid for the 2018 Winter Games. As a sustainable company, the BMW Group wants to have its share in making the games sustainable. BMW will continue to be a sport-inspired brand. We at the BMW Group continue to deliver maximum performance, tackle new challenges and sharpen our competitive edge. Premium constitutes a special obligation to assume responsibility as a good Corporate Citizen. In 2009, we hired a total of almost 300 new staff worldwide. More than 1,000 young people started their apprenticeship with BMW AG. This year, we will recruit about 500 university graduates, primarily experts in the new technologies such as hybrid or e-mobility as well as experts in sales and financial services. We have set up a junior executive program to ensure our future supply of talented managers. The program’s focus is on international experiences, social leadership competences and a solid understanding of economic and social aspects. At the same time, we support teenagers who have not been able to find an apprenticeship position. The BMW Group offers these teenagers pre-vocational training. An important aspect of our strategy Number ONE is defining our leadership approach. I am convinced that outstanding leadership is the decisive factor that separates a good company from a great one. Simply put: Today, we at the BMW Group are a much stronger and more focused management team. Ladies and Gentlemen, Growth will pick up in key automotive markets such as the US and China this year. Nevertheless, the effects of the crisis will persist and continue to define our business for quite some time. Although the competition will remain fierce, we at the BMW Group are all motivated and ready to rise to the challenge. We have two priorities in 2010: Profitability and shaping our future. Here is a perfect example: The BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics: This is sheer driving pleasure at 3.76 liters per 100 kilometers and 356 Horse Power. This is the sophisticated combination of different drive systems. This is future-oriented design and can only be made by BMW. And you can be sure: Our Megacity Vehicle will also be fascinating. This innovative car will be built at our Leipzig plant, our future Center for E-Mobility Production. Two Bavarian locations are also involved in this project: Wackersdorf will manufacture carbon fiber in a joint venture with the SGL Group. The carbon fiber will then be sent to the Landshut plant to be turned into CFK parts – from reinforced carbon fiber – for the Megacity Vehicle. We consider carbon fiber a cutting-edge material for the auto industry. Our efforts will make sustainable mobility possible in urban environments. In line with our corporate philosophy, the energy demand for producing carbon fiber will come from hydropower. We are currently looking for a suitable location in North America to set up our joint venture plant. We believe that a company’s global footprint and its ethical principles will play an increasingly important role in the way people do business. Acting sustainably now will pay off in the future. The BMW Group is clearly leading the way. In early March, the BMW Group was ranked by Fortune Magazine as the most admired automotive company in the world. This distinction was given to us because we are not only the leading premium automaker with regard to sales volume, but we also managed to use our resources efficiently and reduce our fleet emissions significantly in a very short period of time. You can be certain: We have a clear path forward. We will remain an independent company that takes a long-term approach and acts in the best interest of all stakeholders. This year marks the turning point toward long-term profitability as we remain focused on achieving our 2012 targets. Thank you very much!

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BMW CEO Dr. Reithofer Annual Accounts Press Conference 2010

More about the BMW M Bike

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:12:23 +0000

We wrote you some time ago about the first bike created by the BMW’s M Division. Now we’ll focus more on this bike. BMW is offering a new bike for their cycling enthusiasts customers. This time, the new bike is developed by the M Division and weighs 12.9 kg. M division’s engineers of BMW had created Related posts: Photo and details about the BMW M Bike BMW Bike Concept No BMW M3 CSL

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More about the BMW M Bike

Spy photos with the new 2011 BMW 6 Series

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:13:27 +0000

If you’re looking on the internet for spy photos with any BMW car, I bet that most of those spy photos will be with this 2011 BMW 6 Series because as I remember, in the past time when we talked about some spy photos, we certainly talked about a 2011 BMW 6 Series prototype. As you Related posts: Spy photos with the 2011 BMW 6 Series Spy Photos: 2011 BMW 6 Series Spy Photos: 2011 BMW 5 Series

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Spy photos with the new 2011 BMW 6 Series

Top Gear’s BMW X6 Off-Road Review

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:04:06 +0000

TopGear brings us on their off-road expedition aboard the BMW X6, the same very controversial and little appreciated Sports Activity Coupe by Jeremy Clarkson . The X6 was never meant to be a true off-road vehicle, that job remains partially for the X5, or ….for a vehicle like the Range Rover, but can the X6 still do the job? We shall find out. “When BMW called the X6 a ‘Sports Activity Vehicle’, it never said what sports, or specified what activities… though one suspects that BMW probably regards the designation as involving over-aerobicised lifestyle droids rollerblading followed by a stint of vigorous casual posing. Something picturesque and over-clean that means you can’t see the bovine glaze in the model’s eyes, or the ribbons of silvery drool from the corners of their vacant mouths. Photographer Justin Leighton and I, on the other hand, regarded it as an open door for imaginative interpretation. Which is why we are now stood – woefully underprepared – in a 60,000-hectare Polish wilderness trying to lure wolves from their hidey holes with half-eaten ham sandwiches. In the middle of the night. A sport? No. But you’ll be hard pressed not to class it as an activity. …………………… Of course, with no real idea of how deep we can wade, we go for brute force and ignorance. Bizarrely, the X6 is so duck’s bum watertight that it floats across deep bits. Hit the shallower parts at speed and the car will also use its very flat undertray to skip across water. Possibly not what BMW engineers had in mind, but effective and undeniably spectacular. And it might have sent 30-foot jets of spray into the air, but a quick look inside the engine bay revealed not a drop under the bonnet. Seals that good usually come on the Space Shuttle. The local beavers undermine the causeways so they collapse and leave several inches of wading water. Not a problem until you realise that the ‘fen’ off the causeway is actually three-metres deep, so there’s no chance of driving around the obstacle. Enough to swallow the X6 before you can get a towrope out. If there was anything to attach a towrope to. Which there isn’t. Continued here

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Top Gear’s BMW X6 Off-Road Review

Best Barn Find Ever: 2 Brand-New BMW E30 M3s

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:46:05 +0000

Our buddy Wes over at Jalopnik got tipped tonight by one their readers on one of the rarest finds in a barn: two BMW E30 M3s with only 37 miles, respectively 57 miles on their odometer. Considered one of the best Ms of all times, the E30 M3 is one of those rare cars that excite even the most experienced car enthusiast. Based on the 1986 model year E30 3-Series, the first M3 was introduced with a 2.3 L I4 S14B23 engine. The engine design was based on various BMW genealogy; basic block layout from the M10 4 cylinder (found in the 2002 and 320 series) overbored and reinforced to similar specifications of the BMW M88 inline-6. One of the main reasons for production of the road car was to homologate the M3 for Group A Touring Car racing. One of the reasons often cited for its creation was that it was to compete with the “2.3-16V”-model of the Mercedes-Benz W201 190E which was introduced in 1983, although this was only speculative. When the E30 M3 was in its final years of top level competition, the 2.5 liter S14 engine in full race trim was capable of over 340 hp (250 kW) naturally aspirated. Now imagine this: you’re a car collector and you come across two BMW E30 M3s with almost no mileage on them…..To us, that sounds like a dream you would never want to wake up from. Along with the the two classic bimmers, the lucky car collector from Swansea, England, also got his hands on Ford RS200 , another rare find. One of the M3’s was sent to a dealer to have all its gaskets, seals and other items that could be suffering from dry rot. Days after, apparently the E30 M3 started without a problem. We do wonder how much these two M3s are worth at the moment…. We are still collecting more information on how the owner came across these “jewels”, but in the mean time, you can follow this saga on S14.net Thanks for the tip Octavio!

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Best Barn Find Ever: 2 Brand-New BMW E30 M3s

BMW adds news from CNN to BMW Assist

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:42:32 +0000

The online magazine The Diesel Driver reports that BMW is adding a CNN newsfeed to the BMW Assist system. Drivers now have access to different type of news from CNN, a feature comparable to the BMW Online system available in Germany that gives drivers access to news, along with unlimited web access. Until now, the information services offered by BMW Assist were limited to weather, stock market quotes and fuel prices. Since safety is a top priority for BMW, an advanced text-to-speech technology is used to related the news through audio to the driver. Each news articles is limited to to a couple of sentences, more like headlines review. Back in 2008, BMW became the first automaker to allow drivers to send destination information directly from Google Maps to their car, along with Google searches perform within the BMW Assist’ user interface. The video below demonstrates the CNN news feature.

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BMW adds news from CNN to BMW Assist

The New BMW 5 Series prices for Romania

admin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:43:08 +0000

BMW released today the prices for the new 5 Series generation for Romania. I know this may be not very interesting for you, but I have to make my duty for our few readers from Romania, because I’m also from Romania. The sedan goes from 42,661 euros, price applied to the 204 horsepower 523i version. The Related posts: BMW X1 Live Tour in Romania Prices: BMW 550i Gran Turismo BMW ActiveHybrid X6 & 550i GT Prices for U.S. Market

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The New BMW 5 Series prices for Romania

S 1000 RR Dinner Spot most successful BMW film on YouTube with more than 1.8 million views

admin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:07:28 +0000

With currently almost 1.8 million views the S 1000 RR Dinner Spot became the most successful BMW film on YouTube ever. In the course of the Spotlight International Advertising Film Festival in Mannheim the film was awarded in the category “Web and Mobile” at the beginning of March. It is about a well-known magic trick, where a magician pulls the tablecloth from a small table all set up with china without damaging anything. In “Dinner for RR” the BMW S 1000 RR knows the trade even better: Thanks to its acceleration of 2.9 seconds from 0 to 100 k.p.h. the bike is able to pull the tablecloth even from a huge, impressing banquet leaving all the china and glasses intact. Great viral from BMW and this video shows one more time the reach of online media, through videos, blogs and social networks.

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S 1000 RR Dinner Spot most successful BMW film on YouTube with more than 1.8 million views