Section: In the Press
Aug 26th, 2010
Earlier today BMW of North America announced that Jack Pitney, vice president of marketing, was killed “in a tragic accident while on vacation at his farm.” It is believed that he was working on his tractor when the tragedy occurred.
Pitney, 47, lived in Ridgewood, NJ with his wife, Quincy, and their five children. According to The Star Ledger
Jack was a passionate man who was an enthusiast through and through. His passion was evident at this past years NY Autoshow when he rode a BMW S1000RR out in front of a packed hall; not many execs would dare do that.
One of his many accomplishments was helping launch MINI in the states back in 2001 as the brand’s general manager and vice president. As the vice president of marketing for BMWNA he has been responsible for the marketing and launch of countless vehicles including the 1er and X SAVs. He was a critical player in the expansion of the Joy campaign, and was a proponent of making Joy become real by including enthusiasts. He recently announced BMW becoming the official mobility partner of the USA Olympic Committee.
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Aug 11th, 2010
Looks like the battle for what ///M stands for continues on. Edmunds Inside Line contrasts the original ///M3 to what is currently offered in dealer showrooms. Is it even fair to compare two cars that are separated by 25 years? Bluetooth, cell phones and the like were not even things most people could fathom let alone require- Marty McFly was busy flying back in time when the original E30 M was made, today that movie series would more than likely never be produced but it is classic.
There is poise and fluency to this car that the years have not diminished. The chassis responses are so beautifully judged that a rhythm comes naturally to your driving. So many modern sports cars demand a point-and-squirt technique, because their performance is so colossal relative to the confines of the road. The E30 is not like that. It encourages you to think about driving again and then it responds with an enviable repertoire of skills.
The full article is well worth the read over at Edmunds
Image: Edmunds Inside Line
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Jun 24th, 2010
A serious accident on back roads near the ‘Ring has claimed the life of Toyota’s famous chief test engineer and driver, Hiromu Naruse. He was behind the wheel of a Lexus LFA prototype when it was involved in a crash with a BMW 3 Series.
The BMW involved was a production 3 Series sedan with two people working for BMW on board. The Police investigation is ongoing so BMW will not comment on circumstances of the crash.
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Jun 23rd, 2010
Apparently we are not the only people on the planet to think the new 5er is phenomenal. Bloomberg is reporting that the newly redesigned 5 is sold out in all markets and future customers may be looking at a 3 to 4 month wait for one. The 2011 5 recently went on sale in the US but has been parading across the EU since March with the vast majority of automotive journalists raving about it. Needless to say, such demand is great for BMWs bottom line and reaching the modest goal of increasing sales targets from 1.29 million sales in 2009 to 1.3 million this year.
“The 5-Series is at the core of the BMW brand and we knew it was going to be a very strong vehicle for us,” Ian Robertson, BMW’s sales chief, said today in an interview at an industry conference in Bilbao, Spain. “In the U.S., where it’s doing very well, it could come to between 15 percent and 17 percent of our business as we ramp up.”
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Jun 15th, 2010
Our friends over at The Diesel Driver venture to BMW Plant Leipzig in a five-door hatch. What the 120d offers up is 177hp from the spark-less engine which is ample for Autobahn style cruising and achieved 52 mpg. Here is a small bit of their experience driving one of BMWs most popular offerings in Germany, be sure to read the entire story here.
“The drive from Munich to Leipzig is ca. 425 km and the route takes us on the Autobahn A9 for all but 20 km of the route. Our 120d came in an elegant space grey metallic with business navigation and multiple BMW EfficientDynamics fuel-saving options including regenerative braking and auto start-stop. Regenerative braking recovers energy that would normally be wasted as heat through the brakes and the start-stop technology turns the engine off to avoid unnecessary idling when stopped.
The 120d’s engine puts out 177 hp (130 kW) with a combined fuel economy rating of 4.7 l / 100 km (~ 42 mpg in the EU test cycle. The EU test cycle has three components: city or urban driving (the first 800 seconds of the test), highway or extra urban driving (the next 400 seconds), and combined (the complete cycle).
On a 300-km stretch with an average cruising speed of 120 km/h (75 mph), the 120d only used 4.5 l / 100 km or 52 mpg.”
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May 25th, 2010
Our good friend Jonathan Spira at the Diesel Driver is passionate about diesels. This is a great thing for all of us diesel fans as he recently reviewed BMW’s new 530d. While this model is not headed stateside in the immediate future, rumors and carefully placed leaks have a diesel version of the F10 5er coming sometime next year along with a hybrid version. The US currently sees a sequential turbo inline six cylinder advanced diesel in the 335d and X5 35d.
The diesel starts up with a purposeful growl. Once underway (which can take a few moments since the safety detents on the gear selector require a ritual sequence of button pressing in order to change gears), the three-liter engine, introduced last year, delivers massive amounts of torque. The car weighs a mere 30 kg (66 pounds) additional compared to its petrol equivalent but it goes from 80 to 120 km/h in just 5 seconds (the petrol-powered 528i takes 7 seconds for the same exercise). Indeed, it’s hard to reconcile this amount of power with its miserly use of fuel.
For the full review head on over to the Diesel Driver. It is well worth the read.
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Apr 20th, 2010
The spewing ash from the Icelandic volcano has not only caused a major disturbance of air travel for passengers. The flight ban has created all sorts of headaches for the manufacturing sector as well, BMW has not escaped from the white dust unscathed. According to multiple sources, including the Wall Street Journal, BMW will temporarily halt production in Germany at certain sites this week due to flight restrictions.
BMW will temporarily halt production Tuesday evening in Dingolfing, southern Germany. Similar stoppages will take place in Munich and Regensburg on Wednesday and Thursday.
According to BMW this production stoppage will delay the construction of approximately 7,000 1, 3, 5 and 7 Series vehicles.
BMW production in the US has also been impacted by the flight restrictions. BMW is cutting production at its assembly plant in Spartanburg, S.C., as well. BMW produces the X6 and X5 SAVs at this sole US plant with some components coming from over seas. BMW spokesman Jan Ehlen says volcanic ash is grounding planes that bring leather seat covers from South Africa and transmissions from Europe. He says the plant will not stop production, but employees will work shorter shifts until the supply of parts returns to normal (via AP)
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