Category: BMW

BMW has announced it will increase the production capacity of its American factory by investing £375 million by 2012.

The investment will boost the facility’s production capacity from 160,000 to 240,000. Located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the factory will increase its area by 60%.

In addition to the 5,400 current employees, BMW will hire 500 new people within the next four years. The news doesn’t come as a surprise. Indeed BMW had already announced its intention to increase the production capacity to 200,000. Last month, the carmaker had announced it will eliminate 8,100 jobs, mainly in Germany and unions had to be prepared to bigger job cuts if the Euro becomes stronger.

The X5 and X6 are being built in Spartanburg. BMW will add the next-generation X3 to the factory’s assembly lines.

BMW has launched the 3-Series Cabrio at Geneva powered by the V8 engine of the M3 coupé which promises incredible sensations with the roof down.

The transformation from coupé to convertible has obliged the engineer to reinforce the structure of the current convertible in order to handle the power. Compared to the coupé, the M3 Cabrio is 230kg heavier which has almost no consequences on the performance. The M3 Cabrio can still run the 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, just 0.4 seconds more than the coupé.

The M3 Cabrio is featured with a new gearbox, a seven-speed dual-clutch called M-DKG, which offers eleven modes: five in automatic mode and six in manual. All modes evolve gradually from soft driving to sporty conditions.

The German carmaker will likely offer a mild-hybrid version on the next-generation 7-series due to be launched next year.

The future ‘green’ 7-Series would be powered by a mild-hybrid solution which differs from the system used by Lexus. Indeed, the car won’t be capable on only using the electric engine to move although the 7-series will be able to charge the batteries through regenerative braking.

At this stage it is unknown which engine will be hooked to the electric motor although some observers believe the car maker would use the 4.5-litre V8 diesel engine.

Due to be unveiled next year, the future limousine will be more conservative than the current model and will be available in two distinct form, a short model with sporty credentials and a more luxurious lengthened version.

Source: Just Auto
Source photo: Motorauthority

BMW has announced that it will launch the new ConnectedDrive technology at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The new technology will enable BMW owners to access the Internet from the iDrive system.

The ConnectedDrive service will be provided by EDGE technology (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which is the same service that Apple uses to connect its iPhone to the internet. The connection will be slower than what’s known as a 3G connection and the interface will be controlled via the iDrive button.

In using the internet, the BMW iDrive Controller acts in the same way as a conventional computer mouse. The display presents internet sites in high resolution, an additional function serving to enlarge specific sections on the display by a factor of 1.5 or 2.

The presentation of internet sites on the display is only possible for safety reasons with the car at a standstill. As with the configuration of TV and/or DVD functions available as an option on cars with BMW iDrive, the internet site disappears as soon as the vehicle exceeds a speed of 3mph. But on models equipped with an optional DVD system in the rear, the internet function might also be added, allowing passengers on the rear seats to surf the net also when driving at higher speeds above 3mph.

The ConnectedDrive technology is only available in Europe at first but will likely be launched in other countries in the upcoming years.

While celebrating the 5 millionth built 5-Series vehicle, BMW is working on the sixth generation 5-Series which was spied in saloon and estate forms in Germany.

Under the project code F10, the German carmaker is readying the next 5-Series to take on the other members of the German clique but also Lexus and Infiniti on the American market. With the new model. BMW won’t go into the wild and the car won’t be as radical as the current generation was at its debut. The design is being overseen by BMW’s head designer, Adrian van Hooydonk. The new 5-series will be longer but will still be less than 200” long. In the meantime, engineers focus on weight reduction by using some aluminum in the construction.

With the next 5-Series, BMW wants to match Mercedes in terms of embedded technologies. The car will feature an eight-speed automatic gearbox like Lexus. The executive saloon will embed, of course, the company’s Efficient Dynamics system.

The engine range will be similar to the current model’s although it is likely that the next-generation will feature the new V8 that debuted on the X6 crossover.

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Suspension specialist Eibach has launched a new sports kit for the BMW 1-Series coupé. The small coupé looks like it becomes the new BMW to own like it was the case for the 2002 or the three door 3-Series years ago.

The Pro-Kit Performance Springs bring the centre of gravity closer to the road by lowering the car by roughly 1.2”. Eibach also offers the Pro-Spacer Aluminum-Wheel-Spacers which in turn promises to furthermore optimise the car’s overall impression and handling.

BMW has unveiled the plan to cut costs by €6 billion by 2012. Two-thirds of the amount will achieved by slashing material costs.

Chief Executive Nobert Reithofer gave concrete details about the new strategy adopted by the car maker in last September. He announced that BMW will cut costs by slashing material costs. He also revealed that the personnel costs will drop by up to €500 million a year from next year. The company signed agreement with the union leaders which favors temporary staff and promote early retirement or buyout offers with filling the left vacancies.

The car maker confirmed that it plans to increase its profit margin from a current 6 percent to 8-10 percent by 2012. However the company also added that a weak dollar would make the goal harder to achieve.

BMW also expects to increase the part of shared components for its future models. Chief Financial Officer Michael Ganal said BMW was making “good headway” in talks with other carmakers.

BMW Group sales dropped by 22% in January with 16,935 delivered vehicles.

The BMW brand recorded a 26.7% decrease with 14,475 units while Mini scored a 20% increase to 2,460 units.

BMW expects its 2008 year sales to increase despite the fear of a recession in the US. The German car maker expects the 1-Series model to meet a big success thanks to the coupé version and the eagerly-awated 1-series convertible.

According to AutoExpress, BMW is currently working on a small car set to compete with the Smart ForTwo and the future budget model Volkswagen in order to reduce its fleet average emission levels and comply with the 2012 EU emission regulation.

According to the sources, BMW won’t feature hybrid technology as result of cost cutting. Instead, the small car would be powered by small turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. Sitting on a front-wheel drive platform, BMW engineers would ensure the city car offer enough driver appeal.

The lineup would be positioned below the BMW Mini despite a similar length. BMW is seriously considering selling the car under a new label. Some observers talk about a possible revival of the Isetta brand. The car would be built by Magna-Steyr which will also build the future Mini Crossman. However, engines and powertrains would still be built by BMW.