Remember those impressive look parts BMW rolled out for the tii concept in Tokyo and Chicago recently? They are now officially available worldwide. However as previously reported on BF, they will not be marketed with the new tii sub-brand but simply “BMW Performance” accessories similar to what debuted for the 3er last year.
Here’s an excerpt from the highly recommended article:
What happens when you redesign 80% of a car that has been on the market for less than two years, leaving only the glass, doors, trunk lid, lights, and load bearing structure in common with the latest variant? For many companies, bankruptcy is the next step in this progression. For BMW, it’s just a step in the creation of the latest version of the M3. “Often, this is the only car in the household,” says Larry Koch, M Brand manager, BMW North America, “so we had to make it usable.” In truth, all M3s since the first E30-based version back in 1986-a car created so that BMW could build the 5,000 road versions required to race in the German Touring Car Championship-have been usable. They just haven’t always been enjoyable off the track, a point punctuated by the first M3 with its 192-hp inline four-cylinder, and the last version with its 333-hp inline six-cylinder. Both have the high-strung edginess of a methamphetamine addict.
We’ve reported previously that BMW won’t be creating an M1 with this current generation 1 Series. However that doesn’t mean that BMW has considered a special edition 1 Series. While we’ve specifically heard from several sources that BMW won’t be doing anything further than offering a la carte accessories for the current 1 Series, the rumor of a tii model is hard to not get excited about. So today’s news from Car Magazine is particularly interesting. Here’s an excerpt:
BMW chief Norbert Reithofer has confirmed to CAR Online that a range of tii performance options will be launched soon on the company’s smaller models. He has finally ruled out a rumoured M1 version of the 1-series and said the tii spec would be the most performance-oriented model, claiming the the twin-turbo 135i was quite fast enough (it does 0-62mph in 5.3sec, after all).
A number of blogs and forums have been discussing a recent interview with BMW AG CEO Norbert Reithofer and the German magazine Auto Mund Und Sport. The interview that took place was in regards to BMW cutting the production of the V8 diesel which is currently only utilized in the 7 series for the European market (and it is not a big seller to begin with). In this interview Reithofer indicated that BMW made this decision because they are able to achieve similar results and greater efficiency with current and future six-cylinder engines all while producing less emissions. He also stated that BMW will be exploring more ways to “cut” cylinders and utilize smaller engines (six-cylinder) to achieve the levels of the larger naturally aspirated engines.
That being said, somehow someone interpreted (we assume from this interview that we have seen and translated, and re-translated) that this meant the //M division and it has been widely reported over the net. We are still waiting for confirmation or acknowledgment from our sources that this is a valid concept but from our translations there was no indication this was meant for //M or even cars meant for the US.
Next Generation H7 to run only on hydrogen. There is only one major hurdle: there is currently no public infrastructure to fill these marvels up at! It is not like your corner Shell has a hydrogen nozzle….. yet.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – March 31, 2008… BMW announces its latest milestone in its pursuit of the hydrogen future, the BMW Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel. Based on the BMW Hydrogen 7 bi-fuel version (gasoline and hydrogen), the mono-fuel vehicle’s internal combustion engine is optimized to run solely on hydrogen and shares the performance, comfort, and safety qualities of every production BMW
7 Series. The BMW Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel will be featured at both the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Conference in Sacramento, CA (Mar. 30 – Apr. 3) and the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit, MI (Apr. 14 – 17).
The BMW Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel is equipped with a V12 internal combustion engine (ICE) which has been engineered to run exclusively on hydrogen . Compared with the bi-fuel version, this vehicle achieves incredibly low emissions, increased engine performance, reduced consumption and greater range.
There have been many questions, comments and wishes from our readers in regards to the upcoming release of the BMW Advanced Diesels. We now have some further answers and many of our original beliefs have been validated by sources close to these vehicles. You can view our original story here
There will only initially be two models for the US and BMW will use these to gauge the fledgling market and future model offerings; the 335d sedan (rwd) and the X5 xDrive35d (name verified) both will be 2009 model year vehicles. So no, is the answer to the 5er, and the sport-wagons.
BMW Automobile Sales
Monthly sales of BMW brand automobiles increased 2.6 percent in March, to 19,231 versus 18,746 in 2007. During the first quarter of 2008, BMW automobile sales are down 10.6 percent to 46,153 versus 51,616 reported in the same period last year.
BMW Sports Activity Vehicles
Sales of BMW Sports Activity Vehicles were down 41 percent for the month, to 3,884 vehicles compared to the 6,579 reported in March 2007. Year-to-date, BMW SAV sales are down 22.4 percent to 12,212 vehicles from 15,744 in 2007.
BMW Brand Sales
BMW brand sales were down 8.7 percent, to 23,115 vehicles compared to 25,325 vehicles sold during March 2007. Year-to-date, BMW reported sales of 58,365 vehicles compared to the 67,360 reported in the same period a year ago, a decrease of 13.4 percent.
BMW currently offers buyers the the ability to stream music (wired) and use a mobile phone wirelessly. You can use your Apple iPod (or many other music player) through the optional USB audio interface – and for wireless hands-free mobile phone calls use Bluetooth (included with BMW Assist or the premium package) both can be easily controlled via the car’s infotainment system (iDrive or the radio).
The real news is that BMW is currently developing an in-car Bluetooth-based playback solution for music files. It will offer stereo quality music streamed from a device (must be compatible) wirelessly to the cars infotainment system. The files would remain on the device and not need to be transfer to the car system in any manner.
Official BMW AG Press Release: The star came in pure white: When the 64th Paris Motor Show opened its gates in autumn 1978, sports car fans and lovers had only one destination - the stand of BMW Motorsport GmbH. There they were able to admire a super-low, dynamic new model which made it clear at very first sight that this was Germany’s fastest road-going sports car: the BMW M1, 1,140 millimeters (44.9″ ) high, 204 kW (277 bhp) strong, and well over 260 km/h (160 mph) fast. “Everybody was crowding around BMW’s new mid-engined sports car”, wrote the press. And: “The list of orders coming in exceeds even the wildest expectations - an American fan of BMW, just to mention one example, has already put in an order for three M1s.”
That was quite something, considering that BMW’s super-sports car had a price-tag back then in 1978 of exactly DM 100,000, enough for four BMW 323is plus a couple of optional extras. It is fair to say that few cars have ever been expected with such excitement and anticipation as the BMW M1 which represented all of BMW’s know-how in motor racing. Project E 26, as the then still nameless M1 was initially called within the Company, had started in 1976. This was to be the first really unique car built by BMW Motorsport GmbH, BMW’s motor racing subsidiary established in 1972. The racing company, having already made a great name for itself in the international racing scene with the fast BMW 2002 and the highly successful BMW 3.0 CSI, now planned to lift this success to an even higher level with a competition car specially built and prepared for the Group four and five racing series.
We have received a good deal of interest/inquiries about the upcoming diesel models in the US. Though we are not currently scheduled to receive this model the guys over at Top Gear have turned out another fascinating review and comparison between the gas and diesel powered 5.
It is worth noting they did not compare the diesel against the gas six-cylinder but to the monstrous V8. The 3 series with this diesel should be even quicker. Also, the block is aluminum not steel so the weight difference is minimal! Enjoy.
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: Accessories, E81/82/E87 1 Series Apr 3rd, 2008 3 Comments 
