BMW Gran Coupe to be branded as 6 Series sedan

Yet to be confirmed by our own sources, apparently the recently unveiled BMW Gran Coupe will go into production in the second quarter of 2012 and will carry the 6 Series badge. The information comes from the UK magazine Autocar citing a BMW source.

The new concept from BMW is built on the ‘backbone’ platform that underpins the current 5-series, 7-series and 5 GT. Design wise, despite having an unique look, the BMW Gran Coupe takes some design cues from the now defunct CS Concept, the beautiful four door sporty car that was unveiled in 2008 at another Chinese motor show, Shanghai Auto Show, and canceled two years later when BMW decided to pursue their EfficientDynamics plans.

Article continues over at BMW blog online

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Interesting news on the 2011 BMW 5 Series Sedan and Touring

BimmerToday magazine and its own Managing Editor, Benny, participated at the official launch of the new BMW 5 Series Touring. Along with some exclusive photos, we are bringing some behind the scene news around the 2011 5 Series Sedan and Touring.

The sales of the new 5er Sedan have been nothing but excellent for BMW. Since its launch in Germany on March 18, BMW sold over 13,000 units and new customers anticipate delays up to three months, despite the Dingolfing plant working at full load.

Also, BMW confirmed that the 5 Series full hybrid will come to market in 2011. This fall, BMW will also launch the 535d, a twin-turbo diesel developing 300 horsepower.

Full article contines over at BMW blog

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Testimonial: Steve Harrison 08/06/10.

E39  530d Tourer Sport Auto (142K):
Thanks to Daniel at PMW for fitting me in with next to no notice. Was a relief to have the swirl flap issue sorted before i felt like pulling my own teeth out;  and wouldn’t you know, while I was there a call came through from someone unfortunate enough to be suffering from swirl flap failure, so its not just some forum scaremongering!

Also spotted that crankcase breather (preventative maintenance) needed taking care of, for peanuts in the big scheme of things.  Just had an Inspection 2 elsewhere and though happy with the service this £19 item was not replaced;  says to me that PMW really do want to prolong the life of your car with you only having to steal from the tooth fairy !

PMW are priced about the same as other swirl flap stockist / experts but clearly enjoy offering a good service.
Will be the first I call for next maintenance works and advice !
Thanks

Steve

An eco-friendly Range Rover? A ‘green’ Porsche Cayenne? The times they’re a-changing…

I’ve been coming across some quite unusual write-ups and reviews of SUV’s in recent weeks, mainly along the lines of their environmental credentials, which seem to sometimes be better than I expected and, in some cases, much, much better.

Now, I’m not talking about standard petrol or diesel engine SUV’s - which, as we all know, are notoriously inefficient regarding fuel consumption, and hence produce rather hefty CO2 emissions (and cost a lot to tax in the UK as a result). Hybrids, however, seem to be quite a different story altogether…

For example, Land Rover recently announced their plans to launch a Range Rover hybrid in 2013 which will boast CO2 emissions of less than 100g/km CO2 - i.e. the same as most Ford Fiestas produce these days. Similarly, a Porsche Cayenne hybrid is already on sale which offers CO2 emissions of 193g/km - which is not much more than my old Ford Escort used to produce.

In other words, it seems the major manufacturers of SUV’s have realised that green must be the future, especially with fuel costs escalating by the month and new systems of road tax being introduced based on CO2 emissions (as is the case in the UK). Of course, it must have been much easier for the manufacturers to accept this greener future with the aid of massive grants from our governments in order to help develop the technologies, but nonetheless, it does seem that some pretty effective engineering and design work is being carried out.

The reality is that, in the UK at least, a new Range Rover will cost £950/year to tax, while the hybrid version which we can expect to see around 2013, would fall into the free category - which makes a pretty massive financial difference to almost anyone considering such a purchase.

We shouldn’t get too confused just yet - standard SUV’s are still extremely fuel inefficient and represent pretty bad news for your wallet and the environment: however, it does seem that with the next generation of hybrid SUV’s this might no longer necessarily be the case. Perhaps there will be a future for the formerly notorious gas-guzzlers after all, unlike other previously popular models such as hummers, which seem to be firmly consigned to the dustbin of auto history.

Dejan Levi

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Editorial: What is a BMW Supercar?

It may seem like a silly question – especially to enthusiasts – but there has only been one true BMW supercar in the entire history of the company. Yes, they’ve produced sports cars and GT cars with the likes of the M Coupe and M6, respectively, but there hasn’t been a true “supercar” BMW since E26 M1 went out of production in 1981 – leaving its place in history as the first fully developed M car. The E26 M1 was the product of a difficult birth which laid the ground work for a very short production run and racing history.

The M1, based on the BMW Turbo concept of the early 70’s, was penned by car design icon Giorgetto Giugiaro and powered by the “big six” M88 3.5L inline-6 churning out 273HP. Construction and some technical points for the M1 were outsourced to Lamborghini, S.p.A. which went into receivership in 1978 and caused BMW to reportedly steal back M1 blueprints to continue production on their own with Baur – the notable German coach and convertible builder.

Full article continues at BMW blog

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The Mercedes Benz S-Class Named Best Luxury Car

The Mercedes Benz S-Class has been crowned Best Luxury Car at the 2010 Fleet World Honours.

The Best Luxury Car award for the Mercedes Benz S-Class was presented to Adrian Freeman, Regional Corporate Sales Manager for Mercedes Benz UK at a special ceremony at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall on Tuesday 18th May 2010.

Steve Moody, Editor of Fleet World commented: “The luxury sector is about to become even more competitive, but all new entrants have one model to beat, a model that continues to define the very best in corporate motoring and luxury: the Mercedes Benz S-Class. New more efficient engines have made the line-up even more formidable than ever before.”

Full story continues over at Carpages

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707 horsepower BMW M3 by Emotion Wheels

A new tuner goes full spead ahead into the BMW tuning world and the results are quite impressive. The popular BMW M3 has its engine replaced by a tuned up version of the powerplant found in the BMW X6 M. The original M3 engine is a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 developing maximum output of 414 horsepower and maximum torque of 400 N·m (300 lb·ft) at 3,900 rpm.

Emotion Wheels upgraded the 4.4 liter V8 twin-scroll engine from the X6 M and it now produces 707 horsepower. The upgrade was made with a few tricks to the turbocharged V8 engine and some slight adjustments made to the chassis and suspension in order to handle the powerful upgrade. They also installed a modified sport exhaust system that also contributes to this power boost a bit.

Article continues over at BMW blog

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