As we indicated a few days ago (we sat on it for a while as per a request from a source) BMW would be utilizing engines similar to the four cylinder turbo specifically utilized in the John Cooper Works MINI Cooper S. Weeks ago we discussed the 7 series will be offering a hybrid. Today it was all made official:
BMW to use engines jointly developed with PSA in BMW brand cars
05.06.08, 1:32 PM ET
FRANKFURT (Thomson Financial) - Bayerische Motoren Werke AG. will use the four-cylinder engines it has jointly developed with French carmaker PSA in BMW brand cars, chief executive Norbert Reithofer said in a pre-release of his interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
He said the future generation of the BMW 1 Series will be fitted with these four-cylinder engines.
The report said BMW had previously intended to use these engines only in the MINI brand cars.
Reithofer also disclosed the new generation of the BMW 7-Series, which will be launched this year, will be fitted with a new hybrid engine.
Just in hot off the presses. BMW has announced price increases.
Base prices and packages will see increases depending on the model of car. The models released this calendar year will not see base increases (1,//M3, X6) but will see packaging increases. So for all those that wondered why the 1 was so closely priced to the 3, you now have your answer: BMW built the increase in already!
We thought it would be nice on a Tuesday, which just happens to be the day after Cinco De Mayo to give you some news that may help your headache (or make it worse). That is if you partook in the festivities a bit too hard.
For all you SAV lovers out there we give you the test mule of the next X3. Yes it is an X3 in underpinnings and drive train but looks like an E91 with some serious fender flares. This is a drive train mule. It is still in the early stages of testing, the actual prototype sheet metal will begin its testing mid summer.
When people discuss cars receiving a “facelift” it is meant to describe a car that is receiving a cosmetic change. A nip here; a tuck there, you know like Joan Rivers. These are usually simple exterior bolt on changes; bumpers, side skirts or new lights. Many manufacturers perform these little “upgrades” to freshen the look of the car and improve sales.
When the updates are more than skin deep, such as in a BMW it is referred to internally as a LCI or Life Cycle Impulse. A mid-cycle refresh is also a good way to describe what takes place. The E90/91 will shortly receive a Life Cycle Impulse to update the look and technologies inside and outside the car, as well as drive train. The designation of the car will remain the same because the floor pan (as many call it) will remain the same.
The newest Z4 has been getting some play around the car world recently due to the numerous spy photos that have appeared. It has dropped its cladding and is now sporting some vinyl swirls.
Our sources have given us some clues to what the lines of the car will end up being and if you look closely the lines are there though muted. It will have the reverse of the CS broken shoulder line. The front line will go down towards the rear wheel arch and stop and above the rear wheel arch the rear character line will come down towards it but not intersect.
The car is going to be much more aggressively styled than the soon to be released 7 and takes many cues from the CS. Construction of the new Z4 will utilize lighter materials such as the full aluminium front end like the E60 and additional aluminium body panels. Even the folding hardtop will be a lighter steel than used in the E93 3er Cabrio.
A few BF readers may have seen a life-like image of what appears to be a low-slung BMW supercar all over the web this weekend. As most of you probably guessed, that image has nothing to do with BMW and is certainly not a uber secret product that BMW has been developing. Instead it’s a rendering based off of an old Ford GT press shot (flipped horizontally). The wheels are from the recent Mazda Kabrua Concept and the details and ripped from the new E90 M3 and even the Audi R8.
We’re not going to even bother posting an image here but you can find it all over the automotive web if you look hard enough.
Here is a nice video with CGI that shows the premise of the X-drive system in many BMW models. The X6 is the only exception. The system transfers power from front to rear as needed.
BMW reported April sales today. For the month sales were up when compared to last April but for the year sales are still down as a whole.
BMW GROUP REPORTS APRIL SALES
BMW Group (BMW and MINI combined) US sales up 9.6 percent in April. Year-to-date sales are down 4 percent.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 1, 2008… The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) today reported April vehicle sales of 31,448, an increase of 9.6 percent from the 28,692 vehicles sold in the same month of 2007. For the first four months of 2008, BMW Group sales are still down 4.0 percent, to 99,977 vehicles versus the 104,125 sold January through April of 2007.
The Nordschleife Nurburgring has been synonymous with the BMW brand since the 1930’s. BMW and its products are probably more closely tied to the ‘Ring than any other manufacturer. Every car BMW designs and engineers ultimately makes its way to the ‘Ring for what some would consider the most important part of its development process.
The beauty of the Nordschleife is that you can actually drive any street legal car on it much of the year. All it takes is around $30 and you have a chance to tackle the most famous (and perhaps dangerous) track in the world. Having driven it in the past I can tell you that there is simply nothing that can totally prepare you for the experience. No matter how great video games have become, there is no way they can match the sensation of the real track. And beyond that the paddock area is about as close to automotive heaven as you can get. Every kind of car from every manufacturer is there in one of the best impromptu car shows you’ll ever see.
Yesterday BMW released a short video of Adrian Van Hooydonk talking about the new M1 Homage Concept. While we could have simple grabbed the file from the BMW press site and posted on Youtube like any other automotive site, we thought we’d try something a little different. In an effort to give you a better appreciation for what the M1 (in both road and racing form) we’ve edited together a handful of related clips (including quite a bit of vintage M1 footage) throughout the talk. Enjoy.
Official BMW AG Press Release: The effects from the international financial crisis resulted in the recognition of exceptional expenses in the first quarter. Thanks to the strong operating performance, the BMW Group nevertheless remains on course towards achieving its ambitious targets for the full year. “Adjusted for the exceptional gain on the settlement of the exchangeable bond on shares in Rolls Royce in 2007, we are still aiming to post higher pre-tax earnings than last year” stated Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG on Tuesday in Munich. The BMW Group is still heading towards sales volume records for all three brands in 2008.
First it was 460 hp AMG. Then there was the 500 hp M5. Then Ingolstadt rolled out it’s 600+ hp RS6 Wagon. Okay that may be simplifying it a bit but there has been an escalation in power out of the Germany manufacturers (and the Americans to some degree) over the last five years that has raised a few eyebrows. And now, it seems to be coming to an end. Car Magazine interviewed Wolf Zimmerman, R&D boss of Mercedes AMG and he had these comments:
“We’re almost a the top in terms of power now. There’s something in the pipeline, but we’re nearly at the top. Then cars will become less powerful.”
Those are (excuse the pun) powerful words. The quote is followed up by a description of how AMG will be going green, presumably along with the other German makes as well.
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: E81/82/E87 1 Series, EfficientDynamics, F01 7 Series, Official News May 6th, 2008 6 Comments 
