Sections: Rolls Royce Mar 24th, 2009 1 Comment Over the last year there have lots of rumors about BMW forgoing a new generation V12 altogether for the F01 7 Series. While that still may be true BMW will be indeed be developing the new V12 but it’ll end up in the new RR4 Rolls Royce.
Sections: Motorsport Mar 23rd, 2009 No Comments Official Release: It’s all change in Formula One as the new season gets underway amid great intrigue and excitement. A raft of rule changes mean the cars will be sporting a totally different look and be fitted with slick tyres. The F1 engines now have to last twice as long as before and those who want (or are able) to will put their faith in a Kinetic Energy Recovery System. The pre-season testing – which the new rules stipulate will be the last of the year – threw up more questions than it answered. Favourites were riddled with worries, despair turned to encouragement for others whose survival in the sport had been in doubt. Preparations may have gone smoothly for the BMW Sauber F1 Team, but putting a finger on its progress remains a tricky business. The crystal-ball gazing will come to an end, however, on Saturday 28th March 2009. At 17.00 hrs local time (07:00 hrs in Central Europe) qualifying will finally get underway for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. continued →
Sections: //M\\ | E86 Z4 M Coupe Mar 23rd, 2009 7 Comments 
It’s been reported previously here and elsewhere on the web but last week the M Division once again stated that they had no plans to develop the current Z4 into an M product. And it makes sense with the amount of work ahead of themselves (X5 M, X6 M, M5, M6, 1 Series Supersport and the next M3) they have no shortage of products to fill the gap.
So for those waiting and hoping for the return of the M Coupe or Roadster, you may want to start looking in the classified section for low mileage used examples.
Sections: //M3\\ | Motorsport Mar 22nd, 2009 1 Comment With Dr. Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport and F1 Sauber director) in attendance to show support for the Rahal/Letterman ///M3 in the 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring, the pressure was on. There was a huge problem though; the cars were not up to up what Sebring was dishing out. Sebring is notoriously hard on cars and this race was no different, with many cars not seeing the checkered flag.
Both BMW cars made it through testing and qualifying during the week. The No 90 car driven by Bill Auberlen even qualified 7th. Bill and his car however would not start the race on the grid as the ///M3 suffered from serious electrical issues during warm ups that would take the first hour of the race to fix.
The ///M3 (No. 92) driven by Dirk Müller had moved up to 5th place from his 12th position start in the first hour of the race. Several pits and cautions later with Milner at the helm the car was now only one lap down and in second place. Both the car and racers were in top form and gaining on Ferrari. continued →
Sections: E81/82/E87 1 Series | Motorsport Mar 20th, 2009 2 Comments 
Official Release: The heralded BMW 135i Coupé is set to take on the muscle of Albert Park at this year’s 2009 Australian Grand Prix.
A specially equipped 135i Coupé, bearing the famed tii livery and featuring BMW Performance gear, will take part in the Ultimate Speed Comparison.
A race between a V8 Supercar, fully prepared BMW Sauber Formula 1 car and road going BMW 135i Coupé, the Ultimate Speed Comparison is a crowd favourite which pits three high performance forms of motoring against each other in a one lap race to the finish line. continued →
Sections: Official News Mar 20th, 2009 4 Comments 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. continued →
Sections: E89 Z4 Roadster | In the Press Mar 20th, 2009 5 Comments 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!
Sections: //M3\\ | Motorsport | Official News Mar 19th, 2009 No Comments 
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. continued →
Sections: //M3\\ | //M\\ Mar 19th, 2009 8 Comments 
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. continued →
Sections: Official News Mar 18th, 2009 1 Comment 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. continued →
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