Official Release: BMW of North America today announced the names of its top performing dealerships in the US. The 31 BMW dealers out of 338 nationwide awarded the “2009 Center of Excellence Award” were selected based on the criteria of customer satisfaction, brand representation, and operational excellence.
Over the last 10 years, the BMW dealer network has invested over $2.1 billion dollars improving its sales facilities and repair workshops, refining processes and focusing on top-tier customer service, making it one of the most successful franchises in the US.
With the press embargo on the new Z4 lifted this morning tons of reviews started hitting the web. The international press was able to drive the top of the line Z4 sDrive35i throughout Spain. We have covered the new Z4 and all its features at great lengths here in the past and hope to complete our own in depth review in the future but for the time being here are some excerpts and links to other reviews.
These reviews paint the picture of a larger more sophisticated car that has lost some of the previous generations rawness. Handling, fit, finish, acceleration and performance appear to be much improved over the past models but at a cost of the driver being less connected to the overall experience. That is not necessarily a bad thing for most drivers today but for a true enthusiast it may put this car at the bottom of the short list of sports coupes; we will leave that up to you until we can put the car through the paces. Regardless of performance, this car is a looker on the inside and out!
BMW RAHAL LETTERMAN RACING TEAM EXPERIENCES MIXED RESULTS IN 12 HOURS OF SEBRING QUALIFYING
03/19/2009
Sebring, Fla. – March 19, 2009… Bill Auberlen, driving the No. 90 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3, qualified seventh for the 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring. Auberlen’s lap of 2:04.566 minutes around the 3.7-mile Sebring International Raceway places him and co-driver Joey Hand in the top-half of the 15-car GT2 class field for the team’s debut race.
Dirk Müller, driving the No. 92 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3, experienced mechanical problems immediately after leaving the pits and did not complete a qualifying lap. Müller, who will co-drive with Tommy Milner, will have to start from the rear of the field.
Yes we said “V”6. According to a roundtable discussion documented by Motor Trend the M Division is looking to downsize the current M3 drivetrain from a V8 to a Six cylinder and introducing either single or twin turbos. Normally a six cylinder would mean an inline six, the heart and soul of BMW’s drivetrain across all products. However because of packaging M is seriously looking at creating a V angled six cylinder.
Of course the M Division is just weeks away from debuting it’s first modern turbo-charged powerplants in the X5 M and X6 M. That turbo V8 will also be fitted to the next generation M5 and M6 due in about two years time.
According to BMW it’s new efficiency standards from both the US and the EU governments along with higher fuel prices are the driving factors behind this.
The following is a full transcript of Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG at the annual Accounts Press Conference in Munich earlier today. In it he outlines all the various cost savings that the company is making while focusing on products. A great read for anyone who cares about the health of the organization.
Ladies and Gentlemen—
Fortune Magazine and Hay Consulting recently surveyed 4,000 global business leaders and experts to ascertain: Which are the world’s most admired companies?
The BMW Group has been ranked “most admired company” in the automotive industry for the second time in a row. Not in Germany or Europe, mind you, but worldwide. This is exactly how we see ourselves—as a global company facing global challenges and global markets.
On Fortune’s general list covering all industries, the BMW Group is the only German company ranked as one of the “Top 50 All Stars”.
However, in the current economic situation, every company has to demonstrate that it is able to overcome challenging times.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. BMW’s 2008 annual report is out and while it doesn’t paint the best picture for 2009, they have officially announced that the long range targets of the company are safe from the chopping block. Here’s the full release:
Despite the current challenging economic times, the BMW Group is confirming the long-term targets set out in its Strategy Number ONE. “2009 will be a transitional year for which we cannot yet make any reliable forecasts. Nevertheless, our long-term profitability targets for 2012 remain intact. We want to preserve the independence of the BMW Group,” stated Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG Norbert Reithofer at the Annual Accounts Press Conference in Munich on Wednesday.
This may just be one of the simplest to install accessories you can add to your E90 3 Series BMW. No tools required; that is right NO tools! So those of you afraid of a wrench or messing with the “ultimate driving machine” you are safe with this one.
In about 15 minutes you can add some functional storage to the underside of the rear-shelf. This drawer works great for keeping miscellaneous items (such as bike components) from banging around the trunk. It also allows easy access to these items even when other stuff is taking up the main trunk area; the major setback to storing things under the cargo floor. As you can see from these photos; BMW over engineered the drawer and it even retains the ability to hold up the lower load floor to make accessing items under it easier.
There are three parts for this install:
Luggage Compartment Drawer Part # 51477131155
Left Adapter Part #51476956665
Right Adapter Part #51476956666
Pricing varies from dealer to dealer but as with many BMW parts you may find the best prices at GetBMWParts
Official Release: BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team completed the third of three pre-race testing sessions this afternoon in preparation for this Saturday’s 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring. Today’s one-and-one-half-hour session followed two yesterday with the two BMW M3s recording times in the upper half of the 13-car GT2 class field.
A total of 109 laps were completed over the two days with BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team personnel working together with BMW Motorsport engineers to continue chassis and tire development. On Monday, the team took full advantage of the first time both M3s tested together and tested Dunlop tires for future races.
BimmerFile is dedicated to bringing you the most interesting news, links and reviews related to the BMW brand and it's vehicles.
We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: Official News Mar 20th, 2009 4 Comments 
