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Simply fantastic product and fantastic people. I had been suffering from white exhaust smoke and burning oil. I came across lots of symptoms on forums and came across the dreaded swirl flap issue. Needless to say I was very concerned and got in touch with PMW. There help, advice and expertise was invaluble.
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One of the most important derivatives of the BMW 7 Series has gone on sale. The long-wheelbase BMW 730Ld is the latest addition to the marque’s flagship model range and is a welcome introduction for chauffeurs and business users. Priced at £56,790 OTR, the BMW 730Ld offers an additional 14cms of legroom for rear seat passengers and a wealth of optional enhancements aimed at cocooning occupants in a hi-tech, luxurious environment.
The latest BMW 730Ld builds on the standard-wheelbase specification with self-levelling rear suspension, chrome rain channels in the roof, illuminated interior rear vanity mirrors and an electrically-powered sunblind for the rear window.
For full specs and photos see BMW news
The new Porsche Panamera will be presented to the public for the first time at Auto Shanghai in China from 20th - 28th April 2009. The unique, four-door Gran Turismo will be making its world debut at a press conference on 19th April 2009 prior to entering the market in late summer.
The four-door Porsche Panamera combines a wide range of features seemingly contradictory at first sight, yet offering a unique synthesis quite unparalleled in the premium segment. The Porsche Panamera offers the sporting and dynamic characteristics expected from a Porsche combined with a very high standard of driving comfort. Despite its extra-low and sleek coupe silhouette, in turn, the Porsche Panamera offers more than ample space and roominess inside for four passengers and space for a substantial amount of luggage. And last but not least, the Porsche Panamera proudly boasts power units offering a high standard of fuel efficiency - despite the car’s outstanding performance.
Read more at Carpages
The Mercedes Benz S-Class has been honoured as Best Luxury Car for the third consecutive year at the What Car? Car of the Year 2009 awards.
Steve Fowler, Group Editor of What Car? magazine commented that “The Mercedes S-Class diesel remains the epitome of affordable luxury motoring, but does so without cutting corners. The finest materials, scrupulous attention to detail and total focus on what buyers of the finest saloon cars expect.”
Over the last 10 years the Mercedes Benz S-Class has received the accolade ‘Best Luxury Car’ eight times from What Car? magazine. Dermot Kelly, Managing Director, Mercedes Benz Cars said: “We are delighted that What Car? continues to recognise the world beating qualities that the S-Class offers drivers and passengers alike. The refinement, efficiency, comfort, safety and luxurious feel of the S-Class all contribute to its success. Our customers demand the best.”
Article continues at Carpages
Two of the biggest stories to emerge from the ongoing 21st annual Detroit motor show are the successes reported by two companies, Jaguar and BMW, with both announcing increased profits despite the difficult year for much of the sector. A closer look at exactly how they have managed to do so well in the current climate points the way forward, at least for non US firms, to capitalise on the US sector’s vulnerability.
The big success for BMW has undoubtedly been in the surge in MINI sales in the US market, with over 54,000 sold last year (representing a rise of 29%), while Jaguar’s profits have risen at a respectable 8% overall. Amidst the spectacular difficulties of their American counterparts (Chrysler and Ford GM for example), BMW have seen the tricky conditions as a useful opportunity - after all, Americans aren’t going to all abandon cars in general; just big fuel guzzling US models…
For this reason the fashionable, but also crucially fuel-efficient and diesel-available Mini has been a great success in terms of satisfying the new demands of the huge US market (it is not alone obviously - Toyota is seeing similar success with its Prius model for example). Understandably US companies see a government bailout as their only way through the crisis but their European counterparts, many of whom are perfectly well equipped to make up for losses elsewhere by expanding into the gaps appearing in the US market, are actually in a pretty decent position - even without European industry bailouts.
Ultimately the lack of foresight shown by US manufacturers is a key element in the extremity of their difficulties. Had production not been so heavily geared to the larger-vehicle end of the market (which undoubtedly brought impressive short term financial gains), then the desperation of their position now would be proportionately lessened. Not to suggest that the difficulties now faced are entirely of the industry’s own making - but just to acknowledge that astute planning and preparation could have minimised the effects of otherwise unavoidable factors.
In essence the catastrophic problems faced now by GM and Chrysler mean that their European and Asian counterparts have all the more room to expand into the huge US market which the big domestic players are rapidly relinquishing. In other words, MINI’s success - and BMW’s consequent financial gain - simply represents a clever exploitation of a market which is currently up for grabs. Such is free market capitalism; GM’s troubles translate to vast opportunities for their international competitors…
Dejan Levi
With the new Mercedes Benz E-Class, Mercedes Benz is presenting the benchmark when it comes to safety, comfort and environmental compatibility in the market segment. With more than 20 new or further technical developments, this saloon further consolidates the leading position of Mercedes-Benz in the luxury class. They include trailblazing innovations for safe driving that are available from no other manufacturer worldwide in this combination. Examples include the standard Attention Assist, optional Adaptive High Beam Assist and automatic emergency braking, which is activated when there is acute danger of a collision.
Mercedes Benz has improved the already exemplary long-distance comfort of the E-Class even further in the new saloon, including intelligent bodyshell technology with up to 30 per cent greater rigidity, further improved seats and a newly developed suspension whose shock absorbers automatically adjust to the current driving situation. The optional airmatic suspension now works together with an electronic damping system.
Full article available at Carpages
BMW is pleased to announce the launch of the new 116d - the marque’s most fuel efficient and least polluting vehicle. With a combined consumption figure of 64.2mpg and a CO2 emissions figure of 118g/km, the BMW 116d even trumps the current World Green Car of the Year, the BMW 118d.
Available in both three- and five-door guises, the BMW 116d is powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine producing 116hp. The 1,995cc powerplant with its 260Nm of torque from 1,750rpm ensures it is capable of a zero to 62mph time of 10.2 seconds (10.3 seconds for the five-door) before going on to a top speed of 125mph.
Read more at Carpages
Porsche has taken over Volkswagen, Europe’s largest car manufacturer, having bought over 50% of VW shares, the sportscar manufacturer announced last night. Porsche said in a statement that it had bought new shares and it ‘will thus increase its participation to 50.76%’ of the group’s capital, compared with 42% before.
Oddly, Porsche must now make an offer for outstanding shares in truck maker Scania in which VW is the dominant shareholder, under Swedish law. However, the carmaker said it has no ‘strategic interest’ in Scania and therefore will bid the minimum price.
Article continues at Pistonheads
A road safety advisory board has last week given a strong thumbs up to the use of speed-limiting devices in motor vehicles, as a means of reducing both accidents and fatalities on the UK’s roads. The proposals state that such devices, if made available for voluntary installation, would also improve fuel efficiency at certain speed limits (i.e. better motorway efficiency - worse in 30mph zones).
However there seems to be one quite serious drawback to the idea that would make me personally sceptical about installing the technology in my own car - put simply; the technology could also make avoiding certain types of other accidents much more difficult, if not impossible.
Even for the most cautious drivers, a sudden burst of acceleration - taking one above the speed limit at which the rest of the traffic might be moving - is sometimes absolutely essential for getting out of tricky situations. Its pretty hard to drive on a regular basis without ever making a mis-judgement - and nigh on impossible to always avoid those of other drivers. In these situations a quick burst of acceleration helps us avoid a much worse outcome than a momentary contravention of the speed limit.
If this technology is to be adopted voluntarily (and it is that or nothing at all - governments of car-producing nations are unlikely to even consider uniting to make such stuff mandatory at the production stage), then this issue must be addressed first and foremost. If the technology would allow for a short ‘grace period’ of speeding (maybe a minute or two?) before regulating acceleration, then this proposal might stand a chance - as it is, I can hardly imagine it being taken seriously by motorists.
Dejan Levi
The latest in BMW’s long and successful roadster family has been revealed. The all-new BMW Z4 will go on sale in May 2009 and features a host of innovations never before showcased during BMW’s 75 years of roadster heritage.
The BMW Z4 is the first to come with a two-piece, electro-hydraulically operated Retractable Hard-Top roof that can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds. The new roadster is also the first vehicle to be offered with Adaptive M Suspension. Electronically controlled dampers offer three different configurations and lower the ride height by up to 10mm for a more dynamic drive. By way of comparison, the Sport+ setting of the new car is comparable to the outgoing Z4’s standard ride comfort level.
Read the full article at BMW News
Porsche this week celebrated its formal victory in its legal campaign to prevent the introduction of a £25 congestion charge on larger vehicles driving in London by presenting its award of legal costs to Skidz, a charity devoted to training at-risk young people in mechanical skills and maintenance.
A cheque for £375,000 was presented by Andy Goss, Managing Director of Porsche Cars GB, to Steve Godfrey, Project Director at Skidz, at a ceremony at Porsche Centre Mayfair, in the heart of the capital…
ARticle continues at Carpages
