BMW renews its lineup.

The year 2008 will be year with a lot of innovation for BMW. Indeed, sees circulating of the shots of the hidden tests of the future models of the brand.

Future series 7:

The sales of series 7 are better than the old models, but much of people were stopped with the purchase because the design is a little special for this category of car. BMW hopes to rectify that with future series 7. The presentation of this new car should be taken place of the auto show of Paris 2008 and this profile much slimmer than the current promises beautiful things.

Future series 5:

If the future limousine BMW Series 7 must appear at the end of 2008, its small sister series 5 must follow in 2009 according to the rumor. Its commercialize is planned for 2010’s spring.

This shot of the first prototype of future BMW series 5 will not teach large thing on this model because the project is still masked by its heavy camouflage. But it is known that one automatic transmission with 8 gears, 4 driving wheels, a system anti dead angle by camera are already envisaged on this model… To be continued...

The Z4 future:

Much coming to commercialize, the new roadster of BMW Z4 is planned for the end of 2008.

BMW is for much people synonymous with sportivity, it is what BMW seeks like public image. And in order to arrive at this image, BMW spare no effort, with for example two news:

Series 1 tii :

Since the launching of small BMW series 1, the rumors said: will it have a M version?
To the auto show of Tokyo, BMW gave some answers with the concept-car Concept Series 1 tii. BMW gives the large axes of future Series 1 “Sport” : lightness, agility and a very sporting style.

This concept was a stylistic study resolutely directed towards the automobile sport, but now, with the success, it is a coming commercial reality.With this concept-car, Series 1 tii adopts materials used in aeronautics, like the carbon fiber plastic (CFP). For the occasion, the CFP is just covered with a transparent varnish, letting appear its structure. It is for more contrasts with the color “alpine” white of the car.

Concept 1 Series tii does not seek the discretion, but the performance and the image of sportivity.In short, Concept 1 Series tii, it is young, sporting, but especially very sympathetic.

No details concerning its motorization… But BMW provides to put the engine at the same level that the rest of the car… interesting!

Nürburgring lap record :

Less than two months after the record of the turn of Nürburgring was established by Pagani Zonda F ClubSport in 7 minutes 27 seconds and 82 hundredths, it is an unexpected pretender which comes to sign a lower time of more than 5 seconds. Which car can outdistance well a super sport-car such as ClubSport… It is simply a BMW M3 CSL!

BMW is not series, but what imports, the base and the stopwatch being there. The car does not develop 360 HP but 532! Thus prepared with the assistance of BMW and with at his wheel the Swedish pilot Richard Göransson, M3 CSL proudly asserts a 7 minute 22 seconds and 80 hundredths on the stopwatch !

BMW show that super sports-cars such as Pagani Zonda, Koenigsegg CCX or Porsche Carrera WP can be made beat by a BMW… BMW holds the record of the lap of the series’ cars. It is an enormous publicity for this brand which keeps up image of sportivity.

Up and coming BMW

BMW developed an automatic system of control in a BMW 330i for a dynamic demonstration on the circuit of TOP GEAR.
Contours of the race track are before located with GPS then the data are memorized in a super calculator embarked in the car.

This research does not have the role to replace the drivers but to bring solutions to the people having problems at the wheel. Research will surely help to guide public transport of the future.
The system allows for the moment to contribute to the training for the best pilots to refine their trajectories. The data-processing power command at the car to follow the ideal trajectory.
The precision of the system is a few cm.
Soon will see a computer “super pilot” testing the new models of the brand on the circuits in an impartial way? Or to replace the pilots in the championships?

BMW shows at all the manufacturers his desire for advancing in the technological and safety domain with this research.

the “Green Wheels”

I spoke about it in the preceding articles, BMW uses the current ecomovement. It is congratulated today for these actions in this domain.
The German weekly magazine “Bild Am Sonntag”, thus launched the “Green Wheels”. This new price rewards a technology corresponding to a projection in the domain for the protection of planet. This year, it is BMW who receive the distinction for his program Efficient Dynamics.
To summarize, the program is to reduce the CO2 emissions. It is composed of the function “Start & Stop”, of the recuperation of energy to braking, an indicator of change of gear, tires offering less rolling friction and of a work on aerodynamics and an electric power-assisted. Set up in first on Series 1, Efficient Dynamics extends gradually to all BMW lineups, but also to the Mini.

BMW's offensive strategy.

In the last conference, the president of the BMW group announced his strategy for the future of the brand. With two major stages: 2012 and 2020. It is a long-term vision!

This plan shows a strong ambition of economic growth: the objective of the group is to pass from 1,4 million vehicles sold in 2006 to 1,8 million in 2012, then more than 2 million in 2020! It’s big increase and without leaving of the “premium” market. It even expressed its ambition to become the number one in all segments in 2020.

It didn’t exclude the possibility that a fourth brand join BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce. However, it would be necessary that the brand brings the same contribution for the benefits as the current brands of the group. Difficult because today, BMW and Mini form a part of the most profitable brands of the world.

It is a beachcomber of products which is announced, with innovations which should shake the small world of the car. BMW should present in the next automobile shows three vehicles which frighten competitors: a small SUV “X1”, a sport-car inspired by the Concept CS and a mysterious model baptized “Progressive Activity Sedan”. This last would be, a kind of Mercedes Classe R on a frame of X5. Models will be born by 2012.

Here what will guide the BMW group for the 13 years to come… Of course, all that with ecology, with Efficient Dynamics and hydrogen. In spite of its 90 years, BMW is thus in full form and always ready to run after the domination of automobile planet.