BMW and Mercedes-Benz team up for electric car project

May 18 2012

BMW, Mercedes-Benz along with Daimler, Siemens and Continental Automotive along with many other German companies are combining to develop a brand new electric vehicle for the mass market.

Visio.M – $10.8 million funding

BMW are said to be leading the project, named Visio.M. The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research are said to be pumping in €10.8million for funds.

Weighing just 400 kg – 20 BHP of power

The project hopes to develop a car that has an overall kerb weight of only 400 kg without the battery. The battery will contain 20 BHP and 15 kW of power, at the same time meeting European L7e-class heavy quadricycle. Safety ratings will not be anything exceptional and will meet the same standards of a normal vehicle it has been claimed.

The TUM MUTE prototype to be used

TUM’s MUTE prototype electric vehicle will be initially used in order to carry out tests. These will include tests on the vehicle’s powertrain, energy storage and operational software. The MUTE has already been seen, firstly at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It was developed by 200 staff and students from the Technical University of Munich.

A great type of electric car

The car uses a lithium ion battery which has a range of 100 km. A zinc air battery reserve will give the vehicle further mileage according to the university. The whole car itself weighed just 500 kg. There is space for two people with a decent amount of luggage space.

Sporty driving experience

However this is not your typical type of electric vehicle. It offers a unique and sporty driving experience, elements which are usually not heard of within electric vehicles. According the university, the car has “good cornering stability and excellent driving performance”

Stability control

As with most new vehicles, this car has stability control. During instances of when the car is dangerously unbalanced, stability control plays a major part in keeping everyone safe.

Weight saving everywhere

A central touchpad handles the entertainment system and navigation system. This is a weight saving measure. This also links into to smartphones.

How difficult it is

It seems unheard that BMW and Mercedes-Benz would team up for anything. However they have put their rivalry to one side in order to develop an electric vehicle. This is a testament as to how difficult it is to create an electric vehicle that is destined for the mass market.

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7,600 BMW 3 Series recalled

May 17 2012

News reports from the United States have confirmed that 7,600 BMW  3 Series vehicles have been recalled. Just after the 2012 model has been released BMW have just had to release the worst possible news.

The new generation models being recalled

The reason behind the recall is said to be faulty headrests. This has the ability to cause severe neck injuries in the event of a collision. It is the new generation BMW 3 Series’ which have come under fire, with the variants built from the 18th October 2011 to 8th March of this year.

Fitting chips will solve the problem               

In order to rectify the problem, BMW centres will fit the vehicles with chips which will solve the problem.

A 25mm limit imposed

Laws in the United States state that headrests must stand at a maximum height of 25mm. The headrests within BMW vehicles are too high. Tests by authorities indicated that the headrests were too high which has subsequently led to a recall. When the headrests are lifted and standing in their highest position, it is understood that they exceed the 25mm limit.

No injuries reported

It be noted that no neck or back injuries have been officially reported. BMW will contact all owners in order to inform that their vehicles must be examined for potential faults. Their headrests must be thoroughly tested to discover whether they are standing higher than the law states.

Where’s the danger?

It is feared that the headrests sit so high that during the event of a crash they could in effect move downwards. This will potentially cause a greater deal of damage to the driver and front passenger.

Is this good news for Mercedes-Benz and Audi?

The BMW 3 Series is the company’s flagship model. It has been BMW’s top selling model since the company were first established. It was hoped that the revitalised BMW 3 Series will help the company blow Mercedes-Benz out the water in the battle for number one this year. Today’s negative press will not help matters. Can Mercedes-Benz and Audi take advantage of the situation?

Owners in the United States are being urged to contact BMW if they have not been contacted already regarding the problem. BMW are planning to notify all owners at some point this month. All repairs will be carried out completely free of charge.

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BMW report record sales all over the world for April

May 16 2012

BMW sales have once again hit record highs. April sales confirmed BMW as the world’s number one luxury car manufacturer. Sales increased by 6.1 per cent. 145,505 BMW’s in total were sold last month alone, with the figure also including that of MINI and Rolls Royce brand. In April 2011, the BMW Group sold 137,195. For the whole year so far to date, BMW have sold 571,040. Throughout the same period last year BMW only sold 519,958. That represents an increase of 9.8 per cent.

The Asian and American car market

Almost every single market that BMW are involved in reported rises. Asian sales grew by 25.1 per cent with almost 39,770 vehicles being delivered. Last year in April just 31,803 cars were sold. Chinese sales hit 27,197 last year which represents an increase of 30.8 percent, meaning last year within the same month BMW sold just 27,197. The United States sold 25,247 vehicles in April of 2011 but has upped that figure to 26,793 this year, hitting an increase rate of 3.9 per cent.

Sales in the European car market

Sales throughout Europe dipped by 2.0 per cent, with just 68,033 sold compared to 69,409 sold in April 2011. Considering the circumstances of the European market this is quite a satisfactory result for BMW. Holland sales increased by 29 per cent, selling 2,100. France sold 5,150 which represented a great 9.2 per cent increase. BMW’s home country of Germany saw an increase of 6.2 per cent with sales of 27,192, after selling 25,600 vehicles last year.

Most successful April ever

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing said “Following on from the best first quarter in the company’s history, we have just reported our most successful April sales ever. We are well on course to achieving a record year in 2012. We are clearly benefitting from a very attractive product line-up which is finding success with customer’s right across the globe. This momentum will continue as we add new vehicles throughout the year, such as the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé in June”

Will they stay on top?

Can BMW keep their momentum up and remain as the world’s number one luxury car manufacturer? They are fending off the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Audi at present. We believe they will be seen on top of the charts in December.

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BMW 116d EfficientDynamics review

May 15 2012

The BMW 116d is the latest car to receive BMW’s special EfficientDynamics badge. The vehicle is on sale now for a price of £20,885. For those who want a luxurious BMW without the high running costs, the 116d EfficientDynamics could be the car you are looking for.

Extremely economical

The car is one of the most economical on the road. It is able to achieve a fantastic 99g/km of C02. On average the car will be able to achieve 74.3 MPG thanks to the vehicles advanced EfficientDynamics technology.

How the Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf compare

The likes of Audi and Volkswagen now have a serious contender. Many may opt to purchase the BMW as it has the greater amount of power. The BMW 116d’s 1.6 litre engine hits a total 114 BHP. Audi’s most economical vehicle produces 104 BHP. The same statistic goes for the Volkswagen Golf. From 0 – 62 MPH, the BMW makes it in 10.5 seconds. The Audi A3 hits 11.3 seconds and the Volkswagen Golf hits 11.4 seconds.

Three different driving modes

The BMW 116D EfficientDynamics comes with 3 different driving modes. These include Sport, Normal Eco Pro. The Eco Pro must be utilised in order to get the very best out of the car’s technology. Owners will get the most out of the car’s efficiency. There will be gear change reminders and encouragement not to over rev the vehicle. It is fairly safe to assume that BMW are aiming for the more conservative type of driver with the BMW 116d EfficientDynamics.

Sport mode

Sport mode removes all of those annoying warnings. It doesn’t necessarily take the car to new heights in terms of speed but does offer a more thrilling drive.

The car drives wonderfully, being 10mm lower than standard BMW 1 Series models. The ride is firm and very satisfying thanks to it’s new springs. The car grips to the road wonderfully. Sharp handling will increase the vehicle’s excitement. The noise of the engine is not what most would expect from a diesel.

BMW iDrive system

A wonderful feature within is BMW’s iDrive system. The driver will be able to control the vehicle’s main navigation along with the car’s entertainment functionalities.

Increased space

In terms of space, that has been increased compared to current models. Being a 1 Series, don’t expect a great deal of room.

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MINI employees accept new conditions

May 11 2012

Employees of MINI’s Cowley plant had previously threatened to go on strike over a dispute regarding pay. However the BMW Group, owners of the MINI brand have stepped in and offered better working conditions.

Original deal thrown out

Negotiations were in full swing last month. The Workers Union were offered a deal to cut tea breaks by 11 minutes in order to receive a pay increase of six per cent. This deal was completely thrown out of the window, being deemed by many as completely unacceptable.

BMW employees to receive an increase of 6.8 per cent

BMW’s workers will receive a pay increase of 6.8 per cent over the next two years with breaks remaining as they are. The increased pay will be paid into employees accounts in June’s wages and would have their increase backdated back from January of this year.

A good deal

Fred Hanna, a member of the Unite Union regional officer has expressed his satisfaction with the final deal. He said “It has been a good result. A done deal, with no strings attached. There has been a sensible approach by the company and that has been reflected in the members’ vote.”

A wanted conclusion in the end

Discussions finally reached a conclusion after starting back in November 2011. They took a turn for the worse previously with an offer made by BMW being so fiercely rejected by the union that a further strike was being considered amongst the 3,700 workforce. Executives will be breathing sigh of relief that their latest offer was accepted. A spokesman from BMW said “We are pleased the workforce has accepted the pay offer.” A Unite spokesman said “recognised the contribution the workers at Oxford make to the continued success of BMW Mini,”

April sales for BMW were down this month, selling just 23,789 which is 0.2 per cent down here in the UK.

Worldwide sales for the MINI brand so far this year has hit 92,000 which is a dramatic increase of 8.6 per cent.

Strike action would have cause mayhem for BMW’s MINI plant. Workers will be happy that the final deal does not involve a change of hours or restructuring the company’s bonus plan. BMW originally wanted the reduced breaks in order to increase productivity, which according to them would have given workers 30 extra hours of work for each individual over the course of the year.

 

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In depth look at the BMW ActiveHybrid5

May 10 2012

We have already taken a look at the BMW ActiveHybrid in our blog on numerous occasions but as it edges closer to being showcased at the Olympic games, we’ll make a further in depth review. BMW are the official automotive partner at the Olympics 2012.

Facts and figures

The engine within is a powerful 3.0 litre which works alongside an electric motor. The gearbox transmission is an eight speed automatic, with the total amount of power able to be achieved being 306 BHP. Being one of BMW’s flagship economical type of vehicles, it will be able to achieve a total of 44.1 MPG. Carbon emissions read at 149g/km. The performance of the ActiveHybrid5 is something to be admired. The top speed hits 155 MPH with the acceleration of the vehicle shifting from 0 – 62 MPH in just 5.9 seconds. The car comes at a price of £46,855.

The ActiveHybrid 5 transporting Usian Bolt

The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 will play a major part at London’s Summer Olympic games. It is expected to ferry the likes of Usian Bolt and Chris Hoy around to their events. BMW will provide 4,000 cars in their fleet. Officials and executives will also be transported within numerous other BMW vehicles.

Standards to be met

In order for BMW to meet requirements to be an official partner at the games, they had to meet certain efficiency standards. The London organising committee set a target of the whole fleet achieving 62.4 MPG and emitting just 120g/km on average, a tough ask by any means. BMW tests showed that their vehicles can hit 64.5 MPG along with achieving emissions of 116g/km. That’s a great achievement considering the fleet of cars is full of luxurious powerful vehicles.

The BMW 520d EfficientDynamics

Most of the BMW 5 Series variants at the games will the BMW 520d EfficientDynamics model. This has a turbocharged 2.0 litre engine which emits just 119g/km of C02. Total fuel consumption hits 62.8 MPG. It is one of the most economical vehicles in it’s class.

A great alternative

On paper the BMW 520d may look better than the ActiveHybrid5, but the technology within the ActiveHybrid5 is far superior. The combination of electricity and a petrol engine, being powerful and very economical at the same time is truly remarkable. It offers a wonderful alternative to powerful 3.0 litre gas guzzlers.

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Mercedes-Benz beat BMW in April

May 09 2012

Mercedes-Benz have beaten BMW in the United States for the month of April. Sales rose by 24 per cent for Mercedes-Benz allowing them to maintain the pressure on their German rivals. The gain was even larger than Audi, who have been long established as the fastest growing luxury car manufacturer in the world.

April sales for BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi

In April Mercedes-Benz sold 22,336 vehicles. BMW deliveries hit 21,062 which in itself was an increase of 12 per cent when compared to the previous year. The news is heavily contrasted with Lexus’ sales, who recorded just 17,551 sales which is a 0.1 dip. The Japanese company have had a huge fall from grace after being the top luxury car company in the country for 11 years. 2011 saw BMW take the lead for the first time, with Mercedes-Benz extremely close behind them.

January to April sales

So far from January to March (Quarter 1) Mercedes-Benz have sold 83,849 which is a tremendous rise of 17 per cent when compared to the period in 2011. BMW edge Mercedes-Benz however for the first quarter, with 36 vehicle increase. But when taking all four months into account, Mercedes-Benz are indeed 1,238 cars ahead of BMW. BMW’s sales have increased by 16 per cent during the first four months with Lexus recording an increase of 2.6 per cent during the same time period.

Plenty of drama to come

Many experts have predicted that this will not be the pattern for the rest year. Many believe that Mercedes-Benz will not necessarily run away with the title. There are plenty of twists and turns to occur as the year progresses. BMW could indeed have a hugely successful month where they significantly beat Mercedes-Benz, gaining an unexpected lead.

Smart cars, Sprinters and MINI excluded

It must be noted that all results exclude Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans as well as Smart cars along with BMW’s MINI brand. They are not considered luxury vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class and M-Class

The newly refreshed Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan had increased deliveries of 23 per cent. The Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV was one of the most improved cars with an increase of 54 per cent.

Audi

Audi’s deliveries were recorded at 11,521 in the United States. This is the 16th consecutive month that the company has reported record sales. Audi are currently ahead of the Cadillac brand, hitting figures of 40,817.

The United States have possibly the most luxury car battle. The fight is closer than that of the company’s home country of Germany. No one will be able to anticipate this year’s winner.

 

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BMW to develop a new PC racing game

May 08 2012

BMW have teamed up with Eutechnyx, a UK based games Development Company. BMW will develop a unique type of new racing genre game whilst building a new car community.

PC only game

The game when released will only be available on the PC. As it is not necessarily a pure type of racing game, it is understood that the game is very unlikely to reach the Playstation 3 or Xbox console. The game will be based on reality, a type of simulation game like Gran Turismo 5, not like Need for Speed.

Some of the cars available in the game

BMW fans are sure to take a huge interest with the game containing some of the vehicles that the company has to offer. These include the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, the BMW 135i, the BMW M3 Coupe, the BMW M5, the BMW Z4 M Coupe amongst others to come.

Great for BMW enthusiasts

BMW Vice President of Brand Communication Andreas-Christoph Hofmann spoke the games benefits. He said “Our customers are tech-savvy and love to be able to put their dream car together the way they want. Auto Club Revolution has the possibility to make our models accessible to a large number of car enthusiasts. It was extremely important to us that our models be portrayed realistically. In Eutechnyx we found a partner who shares our highest quality standards.”

Made to work for the BMW 1 Series

The game is also set to contain a new type of gaming mode named the “BMW experience”. This will have a specially designed track, racing a BMW 1 Series around it. Only once that level has been completed, the BMW 1 Series is then able to be utilised during the game.

A challenge to bring reality into the game

Doug Wolff, Leader of the Auto Club Revolution said “It is always a real challenge to build a vehicle’s distinctive handling accurately in a game – generating the models from CAD data is just not enough. To reproduce the handling of the BMW 1 Series M Coupé in Auto Club Revolution in an authentic manner, we first took it out on the real racetrack. That is the only way to know exactly how the car corners, for example,”

 

Auto Club revolution – bringing fans closer

BMW have been involved in the game development process since the start. As mentioned earlier BMW are aiming to develop a type of car community which will be named “Auto Club Revolution”. This will be a forum for enthusiast to discuss a number of subject. BMW hope that it will give fans a closer connection to the brand.

 

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BMW official Olympic fleet unveiled

May 04 2012

The London Olympics 2012 just under 3 months away with BMW being the Official Automotive partner for the London Games. The largest luxury car supplier in the world is set to offer 3,122 to the games.

BMW will benefit from naturally raising their profile at the world’s biggest sporting event, which only occurs every four years. The German car giants will use the opportunity to showcase their vehicle’s low fuel consumption and low carbon emissions. A number of BMW’s vehicles at the games will be EU6 emission compliant cars.

Uses of the vehicles

The fleet vehicles will be used for a variety of roles throughout the games. This will include athletes and officials being chauffeured in these vehicles in order to keep everyone on the move. Along with that, there will be BMW security vehicles with cameras installed along with horse ambulances.

Efficiency target easily met

A major reason behind the Olympic games decision to pick the final brand was how economical their vehicles would prove to be. The Olympic game organisers set a target of vehicles to average 120g/km of C02. BMW are confident that their vehicles’ average will better that figure, hitting 116g/km. The average MPG will be an outstanding 64.5 MPG.

Efficient Dynamics vehicles

EfficientDynamics technology will play a big part within the BMW vehicles at the games. This is BMW’s method of keeping the emissions down.

The majority of the fleet vehicles will consist of the BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics. 1,550 of them will be route command vehicles with a primary role of transporting officials and doctors. The larger 520d Efficient Dynamics vehicle will see 700 models on the road.

The BMW X3 and BMW X5

Vehicles containing more practicality will be called upon, with the X3 and X5 4×4’s needed for transport of event such as sailing.

Electric vehicles

The BMW 1 Series ActiveE and MINI E will be used for short distance urban trips as those sort of journeys typically consume the most fuel.

A great partnership

The Transport Director for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, Richard George said that  “From motorcycles to electric vehicles and 4×4s, the requirements of the 2012 fleet are hugely diverse. It was vital that our partner could deliver a one-stop shop solution and meet our sustainability targets. BMW has surpassed our requirements and we are delighted to be working with them.”

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BMW Malaysia hits record profits in Q1

May 03 2012

BMW Malaysia has posted their first quarter results for the year so far, hitting new records. Results taken into account were from the BMW, MINI and Motorrad brands which are seeing an increase in demand. The vast majority of vehicles sold were from BMW however.

Sales figures

BMW said in March 2012, a total of 1,515 vehicles were sold when taking into account all of the company’s brands. 1,362 of those were BMW’s with 80 of them being MINI’s and 74 of them were Motorrad vehicles.

New technology a key factor

Geoffrey Briscoe, the BMW Malaysia Group Head has put the company’s recent success in the country down to new technology which has been installed onto BMW vehicles. He said “It has enabled us to serve a market which is becoming increasingly conscious of the need to conserve resources and the environment. We expect to further build on our success with the imminent introduction of our BMW Active Hybrid variants this year, and electric vehicles in the near future,”

BMW EfficientDynamics Technology

BMW’s EfficientDynamics Technology has had more of a present in BMW vehicles within Malaysia recently. This has a huge difference. With luxurious vehicles now containing advanced technology to keep carbon emissions low and fuel efficiency high there has been a greater number of sales. Diesel vehicles account for 18 – 20 per cent of BMW sales within the country. That is a testament to how environmentally conscious Malaysian motorists are.

Number of dealerships expanded

The number of dealerships within the country has expanded to 15 across the country. The massive increase in demand has forced BMW to provide more outlets. Cities to recently receive new car showrooms include Kuala Lumper, Johor Baharu, Kuantan, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. The cities of Kuching, Kota Kinabalu also have new MINI service centres.

The BMW 3 Series

The BMW 3 Series is expected to generate further sales as the year progresses. The first quarter saw 586 units of the vehicle sold, this means that 43 per cent of sales were down to the BMW 3 Series. Mr Briscoe said “We are confident that the BMW 3 Series will continue to be a key contributor to our business success here in Malaysia with additional new variants still on the way.”

Will things get even better?

Quarter Two’s performance is expected to better that of the first quarter, according to some experts. We believe BMW will continue to gain momentum and beat records.

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