Category: BMW

Here is a video of BMW’s Design Director, Adrian van Hooydonk, showing us the M1 Homage concept unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2008.

Adrian van Hooydonk confirms that the German carmaker has no plan to bring the concept car to production and sees it more like a celebration of its heritage.

Here is a video of the next-generation Z4 around the Nurburgring that BMW will launch next year.

The next Z4 will grow in size and will be more expensive in an attempt to compete with the Porsche Boxster and the future Nissan 370Z. This market move will also enable the carmaker to make room for the rumoured small Z5. Unlike the current model which features a soft top, the next Z4 will come with a metallic folding roof like the Mercedes SLK.

The next Z4 is expected to take its styling cues from the CS concept seen at Geneva last year and will likely feature a larger front grille and LED rear lights. A M version is rumoured to be powered by turbocharged inline-six petrol engine with a power output of 350bhp.

BMW took the wraps off the M1 Homage at the first public day of the classic car show “Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este”.

The M1 Homage commemorates the thirtieth anniversary of the M1 supercar which was produced by the German carmaker from 1978 to 1981. It isn’t confirmed whether this show car previews a future model or not. However, BMW has sees the supercar market as a opportunity to catch and it is rumoured that the carmaker is currently working on a new supercar.

With the success met by the Audi R8 and the future Mercedes SLC, BMW is certainly tempted to add a supercar to its lineup.

After China, BMW has decided to focus on increasing its sales in India to become the market leader in the premium car segment.

Compared to China, the premium car segment is a tiny market where only 4,400 cars were sold last year. BMW sold 1,387 vehicles last year and plans to sell 2,000 units this year. With estimated sales of 10,000 units in 2010, BMW aims at becoming the leader by increasing its investments there.

BMW is currently assembling its models at its Indian factory located in Chennai, but until recently, the company was importing kits in completely knock down (CKD) condition. Now, 10 per cent of the components are sourced from India and BMW wants to increase the share of Indian components. BMW India President Peter Kronschnabi said that the company was screening the Indian auto components industry for its plans to make the country a major source for outsourcing for the German carmaker.

This BMW isn’t an official concept car unveiled by the German carmaker, but a design study realised by a your designer Maël Oberkampf.

The BMW M-Zero was designed like a true BMW although this supercar takes some styling cues from Audi, Aston Martin and even Mercedes for the rear lights. The final design is appealing even if the model lacks some visual details that would classify as a beautiful car such as the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

No doubt that powered by the 507bhp V10 petrol unit, this M-Zero would be an answer to the Audi R8. Unfortunately, the M-Zero will remain a design study.

BMW has announced that it will start selling a 5-Series version powered by the 4.4-litre V8 that appeared in the X6 SUV coupé.

At this moment, the top of the 5-Series range is powered by a 367bhp 4.8-litre V8, if we forget the specific M5. With the new engine, the topping version will become 555i. The engine is an all-new twin-turbo V8 petrol unit. This is the second company’s engine to come with twin-turbocharger architecture. A 4.4-litre unit, it pumps out a power of 407bhp and a torque of 443lb ft between 1750rpm and 4500rpm.

With this new V8, BMW will make it a bit harder for less premium brands like Volvo or Saab to match the company’s offer. Rumoured to offer 350bhp, the next 9-5 would have been able to take on the current 550i. With the new engine, BMW keep leading the market segment.

After the power race, premium carmakers seem to be launched in an automatic transmission race. After Mercedes who launched its seven-speed automatic gearbox and Lexus who stepped up with eight-speed gearbox, BMW will feature its first eight-speed gearbox on the next-generation 7-Series.

Due to be unveiled at the next Paris Motor Show, the new flagship saloon will be the first  carmaker’s model to be equipped an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Among other changes, the gearstick will be moved from its controversial position behind the wheel to the central console.

Technically, the new gearbox will be as large as the six-speed unit offered in the current model. One does expect the eight-speed gearbox to be smoother and the carmaker expects the future gearbox to increase its flagship’s fuel efficiency by 6 per cent.

Along with this new gearbox, the future 7-Series will feature a more classical design as spyshots have revealed until now.

BMW is renowned for building some of the best engines in the world and receives multiple awards every year for it. In a surprising move, the German carmaker might sell engines and components ot other carmakers.

Last year, BMW announced its will to increase its profitability. Among the planned measures, the carmaker decided to lay off more than 8,000 employees and entered in talks to share the platform of the next-generation Mini with other carmakers. But in an interview with Automotive News, BMW board member Friedrich Eichiner revealed that GM, Daimler and Fiat were interested in buying the company’s engines. BMW will decide by the end of the year because "it does not make sense to go on talking and talking forever," Eichiner told Automotive News.

The awarded engines like the M units won’t likely be on offer as BMW will want to keep the crown jewels. One doesn’t expect to see a Corvette powered the V10 petrol engine of the M5. However a Chevrolet Kalos powered by a BMW four cylinder engine might become a reality soon.