BMW why BMW?

 

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BMW working on an environment friendly supercar

Words from the mouth of a BMW Insider say that the company is working on a new eco-friendly supercar. Likely to be based on the M1 Homage Concept, the new supercar will be a showcase of the cutting edge technology developed by the company. BMW's Efficient Dynamics program will be involved in a big way to lower environmental impact. An aluminum spaceframe and carbon-fiber body panels are also likely to be used, in order to lower the weight of the car. The automaker has not decided on the layout or the powertrain to be used in the car. Reportedly, BMW bosses are considering a mid-engine layout or a front-engine configuration. Similarly, though a twin-turbocharched inline-six-cylinder is currently the favored candidate to deliver power, the final engine may have an engine with new variable-vane turbochargers; a new hybrid powertrain cannot be ruled out either. BMW isn't working on new projects right now, and the car hasn't been given the go-ahead yet, but the source has been quoted saying: It just makes good sense given the sort of focus that is being placed on the environment today. The technology that has been proposed is already largely in place. It's just a matter of applying it in one purpose-built package. Image: BMW Via: Autoweek

 

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Hit-and-run cases: Why blame the beemer?

"No BMW, go for any other beast but not the BMW", this is what my friend's dad pressed when we decided to go for the vehicle. The whole family was against the idea as the beemer has been getting some extremely bad press for quite sometime. Whenever it has come in the news, it has been with connection to some hit and run case or the other. India has seen two high profile hit and run cases recently, one involving Sanjiv Nanda, the grandson of a formal Navy Chief, and the other one involving teenager Utsav Bhasin, the son of a renowned industrialist. Both of them come from affluent families, and the car involved in both the accidents, was a beemer. Media, pounced upon the cases with the tagline - "BMW Hit and Run Case".  The Indian television news channels, who aspire to be more sensational than the best thriller you ever saw, have also been more dramatic and repetitive than any daily soap can ever claim to be. Discussed around the television screens at an amazingly repetitive and sensationalized coverage, the general public has been more than confused. While many people may not know the name of the people involved in these incidents, or of the lives lost as a result, what has stuck is the brand of the car(s) in these incidents. The result – A tarnished brand image. A basic fact that appears to have been overlooked in the media scrutiny of these cases is that cars don't drive themselves. The name of the marque is repeated so vehemently in certain sections of these reports, it almost appears that the vehicle decided to disobey its master and to ram into some innocent bystander. So, I will take a leaf out of the television reporter's dictionary and repeat myself; Cars don't drive themselves. It is common sense that things will go awry when a person is driving under the influence of some kind of intoxication - be it alcohol or something else - the brand of the car involved is quite immaterial in such circumstances. When the reins are in the driver's hands, why blame the brand? Now to get back to our fascination for the beemer...no worries! With the arguments set out above, it was a matter of time before we made the elders see our point of view. No wonder, BMW won two Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards at the 2008 New York International Auto Show. Check out more in the gallery and decide for yourself.

 

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BMW India ‘bimming’ ahead

While many manufacturers are closing down plants to stop piling up inventory, BMW has defied the downturn, at least  in India. BMW's specialist 'M' or the 'Motorsport' division has improved on sales internationally and the BMW brand as a whole has posted impressive sales in India. The Bavarians say they have recorded a 100% growth in the sales of their cars here in India in 2008. BMW, which had already delivered 2,700 cars in India by the end of November this year, plans to get to the 2,800 figure by the end of this month. Given that BMW had only sold 1,387 cars in India last year, the above figures are certainly commendable. And while the company does expect sales to dip in 2009, it still plans to increase its dealership network, spreading to relatively smaller tier 2 cities like Ludhiana, Bhubaneshwar, Jaipur and Coimbatore. This should balance the sales and keep it stable. BMW's Chennai plant runs on a single shift producing 3000 cars a year but expect it to run in two shifts if the demand increases. Definitely interesting that BMW is still performing well in certain markets and this can be comparable to the Eastern Europe market where the BMW SAV sales have been nothing but impressive for the past year. Many of the X6s and X5s manufactured here in the States found a home in these markets, of course, at a premium price. This is an exclusive article for BMW Blog from indianautosblog.com

 

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Review: 2009 Euro Wagon Shootout: BMW 535xi Wagon, Mercedes E350 Wagon, Volvo XC70 T6, Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Wagon

Station wagons, or "estates" as they are known across the pond, occupy that strange place in the auto market between SUVs, minivans and sedans. On the surface, wagons promise the holy grail of cargo schlepping and fuel sipping. But they're not as sexy as a sedan, not as practical as a modern crossover and they can't haul as much crap as a minivan. In the new world "station wagon" brings up PTSD style flashbacks of 1970s Country Squire wagons with a roof-rack and eight kids in the back on the way to summer camp, 8-track blazing, and your dad at the helm wishing he had a terrier and a 240Z instead. Thankfully, this is not your dad's Oldsmobile Customer Cruiser. For this comparo we've selected the BMW 535xi Wagon, Mercedes E350 Wagon, Volvo XC70 T6 and the Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Wagon.

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World's fastest sedan: BMW M5 Hurricane RS by G-Power

Sedan drivers wish they were driving supercars. Usually a need for space to haul kids and clients means a Bugatti is not in the driveway. Well rich dads of the world can now unite and get the little ones to soccer practice in record time. German tuner G-Power took a BMW 5-Series and turned it into the world's fastest sedan. G-Power now says that it has documented a 228.4 mph top speed on its M5 Hurricane RS. The Hurricane RS seems to accomplish this using brute force, as the V10 engine

 

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An Expression of Joy: Painting Dynamics, created by the new BMW Z4

Imagine a canvas nearly as large as a football field. On it bold, swirling shapes in primary colors like red, yellow and blue. As the eye uncovers the rhythm of the lines, curves, circles and color splotches, something else is revealed: these forms must have been created by tire treads! A work of art like [...]

 

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