BMW July News Roundup
August 1, 2008 – 10:04 am by Ivan ChongPages: 1 2
X3 production reaches half million mark
The 500,000th BMW X3 has rolled off the production line at Magna Steyr, in Graz, Austria. BMW’s compact Sports Activity Vehicle has followed in the X5’s wheel tracks to become the second X model in the BMW product range to pass the half million milestone. To date a total of more than 1.25 million X models have been sold worldwide, confirming the international success story of these benchmark vehicles.
BMW X3
This milestone has passed at the same time the nomenclature of the X3 and X5 ranges changes to mirror that of the X6. Now, for example, the 3.0-litre diesel-powered X3 will be referred to as the BMW X3 xDrive30d. Every other X3 model will follow this format with the last two digits and letter denoting which engine is used.
New BMW X3 models announced
Two special edition BMW X3s are now available in the UK. The BMW X3 xDrive20d SE Edition Premium and the BMW X3 xDrive20d SE Edition Exclusive come with additional equipment as standard compared to existing models. The Edition Premium adds uniquely-styled 17-inch light alloy wheels, chrome exhaust pipe and chrome kidney grille with graphite vertical slats, Space Grey metallic paint and matching interior trim. Pearlpoint cloth and leather upholstery is standard but can be upgraded to Nevada leather upholstery.
BMW X3 xDrive20d SE Edition Premium
The BMW X3 xDrive20d SE Edition Exclusive comes with bespoke 18-inch light alloy wheels, chrome exhaust pipe and chrome kidney grille with graphite vertical slats, extended lighting, headlight wash and xenon headlights. To complete the package Mineral Green metallic paint, Nevada leather upholstery and a LightWalnut wood interior trim are standard.
The BMW X3 xDrive20d SE Edition Premium costs £30,345 OTR and the BMW X3 xDrive20d SE Edition Exclusive costs £31,925 OTR.
BMW X3 xDrive20d SE Edition Exclusive
30 years of BMW M cars
2008 marks the 30th anniversary of BMW M. Born from the M1 project of 1978 when the company built a mid-engined racing car to compete in a newly formed ProCar series, BMW M has since gone on to represent the pinnacle of performance BMWs.
BMW M3
Its adage of ‘From the race track to the road’ applies to the development of all its products. The BMW M3 is still the most successful touring car in history and this racing heritage is why M products remain popular with enthusiasts. Such demand is the reason BMW M recently delivered its 300,000th vehicle. The BMW M3 Coupé in Alpine White was presented to a customer in Regensburg, the home of M3 production.
Today BMW M cars account for around one percent of the BMW Group’s overall turnover worldwide with the USA, UK and Germany representing the three biggest markets.
Google Send to Car gets personal
BMW’s innovative ConnectedDrive facility is now available with added capability courtesy of a link-up with Google. Customers who have specified their cars with navigation are able to use a new Google Send function to locate non-business addresses. The enhanced Google Send allows the driver to locate personal addresses as well as 750,000 business listings.
Google Send to Car allows the user to send the desired address straight through to the car’s navigation system from his or her office desk for added convenience, thus reducing the need to input navigation addresses manually. BMW is the only car manufacturer currently able to offer the bespoke Google function.
BMW wins more awards
BMW has been presented with the Editor’s Award by What Car? magazine at its prestigious Green Awards held at London Motor Show. The marque scooped the honour for its widespread EfficientDynamics programme. It is the second time the car industry’s buying bible has commended the BMW product range for the advances engineers have made in performance, emissions and fuel consumption. What Car? awarded a similar accolade to BMW at its annual new car awards ceremony held in January, 2008.
BMW 118d World Green Car of The Year
BMW has also been presented with two honours in the 2008 Green Car Awards from the Environmental Transport Association. The BMW 520d won the Executive category and the BMW 320d the Large Family award for their EfficientDynamics derived low CO2 emissions figures and fuel consumption.
The Environmental Transport Association assessed over 1,300 cars on sale, examining their power, emissions, fuel efficiency and even the amount of noise produced to create a definitive ‘green’ buying guide for customers. Judges noted that BMW had achieved an 11 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions during the past 12 months with four BMW Group models making it into the top five ‘most improved category’.
The BMW 5 Series scooped the award for Best Executive car in the Fleet World Honours. The medium sized executive car beat other premium rivals to top spot on account of its driving dynamics, class-leading performance, consumption and emissions, and its comparative low running costs. The BMW 3 Series won Best Compact Executive car, the BMW X5 won Best SUV, while the BMW Group was presented with an industry-wide award for its EfficientDynamics programme.
BMW 118d sets new unofficial 24-hour record
A new 24 hour record has been set in a BMW 118d. The team of drivers from BMW Car magazine took the current World Green Car of the Year on a pan-European endurance test to see what real-world performance figures could be achieved in the award-winning vehicle.
Their BMW 118d covered 1,461.9 miles in its 14 European country marathon, with the team recording an average speed of 71.6mph, but using just 150 litres of fuel. The average consumption figure of 43.4mpg was commendable despite some faster autobahn driving and high-gear mountain passes being negotiated en route.
The drive began in the UK and finished in the Czech Republic and the team nearly made it 15 countries but ran out of time only 50kms from the Polish border. The four-man crew consumed 12,000 calories in the form of sweets, snacks and fizzy drinks – next stop the dentist then…
Price adjustments across BMW model ranges
The BMW range will be subject to a price increase in July 2008. The average price of cars increases by approximately one per cent. A full breakdown of the changes is outlined below.
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