2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid

After recently introducing the BMW 7 Series Hybrid, the Bavarian manufacturer is now offering the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, its second gasoline- and electric-powered hybrid model. In fact, the X6 will be the first hybrid vehicle sold by BMW since it will arrive here in December, several months before the 7 Series. This is because, like all other models produced at the Spartanburg, North Carolina plant, the X6 ActiveHybrid will be offered on the North American market first, which is not the case for the 7 Series.

Of course, the X6 is a sport SUV and BMW doesn’t intend to try to rival the Toyota Prius: far from it. Rather, the manufacturer wants to offer an engine that performs like a V8 but with fuel consumption similar to that of a V6. I don’t think that having a BMW X6 in with a “Hybrid” logo in your driveway will win you any prizes for environmental activism, but at the very least, it will give the well-to-do a clear conscience and save them from a few disapproving looks.

Hybrid or diesel?
Although the manufacturer offered the X5 with a diesel engine, you have to wonder which technology of the future – hybrid, fuel cell or diesel – the manufacturer will ultimately choose. Given the uncertainty, none of the technologies can be put aside so as not to miss the boat. Moreover, according to Jochen Frey, BMW’s director of communications, many technologies will be available in the future and the choice will be a matter of how you plan to use the vehicle. However, since BMW tends to combine diesel with performance, wouldn’t it have made more sense to offer the X6 with a diesel engine and the X5 with a hybrid engine considering the purpose of each? In Europe, the X6 is already offered with a diesel engine which, unfortunately, is not the case here, although it’s a safe bet that an X5 ActiveHybrid is soon to follow. Problem solved...

The BMW X6 ActiveHybrid (its official name) has few differences compared to the conventional versions. With the exception of a few emblems that identify it, its engine type is drawing all the attention. The only version offered is a very well equipped model with the same engine as the X6 50i, a 4.4-litre biturbo featuring 400 horses for a torque of 450 lbs-ft. Throw in a couple of 2.4 KW electric motors for a total power of 480-hp and 575 lbs-ft of torque and you have the most powerful SUV hybrid currently on the market with a 0-100 km/hr time of 5.6 seconds. Not bad for an environmentally-friendly vehicle…

This engine is paired with a seven-speed automatic continuously variable transmission and, as with all versions of the X6, all-wheel drive comes standard. Developed jointly with the now defunct Daimler-Chrysler Corporation, BMW’s technology is similar to Toyota’s in that it allows you to drive in electric mode. In the case of the X6, you can accelerate up to 60 km/hr or drive a distance of about 2.5 kilometres in electric mode but it’s very hard to do without making those following behind impatient. This is a common criticism of all hybrid vehicles. There’s a world of difference between theory and practice.

BMW Bringing Trio of Hybrids to LA Auto Show

BMW recently announced pricing for its ActiveHybrid X6, but they aren’t done just yet. In addition to the 480-hp crossover, BMW is bringing its ActiveHybrid 7, and Vision EfficientDynamics concept car.

As you might have guessed the ActiveHybrid 7 is a hybrid 7-series. The hybrid 7 features a twin-turbo “High Precision Direct Injected” V8 with a 3-phase electric motor that gives the eco-luxury ride a total combined output of 455 hp and 515 lb-ft of torque. Along with the 8-speed automatic transmission the ActiveHybrid 7 gets 15-17% better gas mileage. According to our calculations, that translates to about 26 mpg. But this hybrid is no slouch, sprinting to 60 in 4.7 seconds. That’s a little quicker than the Lotus Evora that was just announced.

The real eco-car at BMW is the Vision EfficientDynamics concept, which gets a staggering 62.6 mpg. Power comes from a 3-cylinder turbodiesel and an electric motor at each axle. Following the path of the other BMW hybrids this thing still hauls. Producing over 350-hp and almost 600 lb-ft of torque the concept hybrid rockets to 60 in 4.8 seconds. The immediate take-away from pictures is the aerodynamics of this lightweight automobile. We also wouldn’t be surprised if this thing showed up in the upcoming Tron.

BMW launches Roadster Z4 sports car in India

BMW India debuts the roadster segment with the launch of the new Z4 priced at Rs 60 lakh. The company is aiming to sell a round 40 units of Z4 in a year, CNBC-TV18’s Swati Khandelwal-Jain reports.
This second generation two-seater sports car will be imported from BMW's plant in Regensberg in Germany. It will sport a six-cylinder petrol, 258 bhp engine, which can accelerate from 0-100 km/hr in 5.8 seconds with a top speed of 250 km. The Z4 will compete with the Audi TT, Mercedes-Benz SLK, Porsche Boxster and the soon to be launched Nissan 370 Z.
Peter Kronschnabl, President, BMW India said that the company is very confident of maintaining the number one position. “We have seen a 18% jump this year versus last year so far. You will see couple of more launches early next year.”
BMW already holds the number one position in India's luxury car market. The company is all geared up to launch the new 7 Series which will be a completely built unit with an expected price tag of Rs 90 lakh.

BMW unveils new 5 Series sedan

BMW officially released the new 5 Series sedan at the Olympic Stadium in Munich,Germany. Internally known as the F10, this is the all-new upgrade we were talking about in our E-Class versus A6 versus 5 Series test in the November 2009 issue of OVERDRIVE. Officially the 2011 5 Series shared its platform with the latest 7 Series (and therefore, with the Rolls-Royce Ghost). The car itself is 10 cm shorter in wheelbase than its larger cousins. But, it is also over 7 cm longer than its direct competition, the new E-Class.

The sharing of the platforms, according to BMW, allows significant sharing of components and the joint development and now the joint production — at BMW's Dingolfing plant — will give BMW a big efficiency boost. The platform sharing also means that the strut-setup in the old BMW 5 (the E60) has been replaced by a four-link setup as in the BMW 7er. The F10 also replaced the E60's active steering with a new electric power steering assist mechanism, to reduce parasitic power losses — and therefore boost economy. The system is similar to the 7 Series' as expected and given that we found nothing to complain about in the 7, the 5 should be good too. On the options list - we're not sure that this option will come to India - is active rear wheel steering. And the F10 also boasts active roll control, adaptive damping - both optional and brake energy regeneration.

The interiors bear even more 7 Series cues. The dash layout, for instance, is turned to face the driver. Also facing the driver is the fourth generation of iDrive. All the models will get an in-dash seven-inch LCD for audio and aircon information display with the navigation-equipped models going up to a 10-inch screen. The car will also get an electro-mechanical parking brake. The BMW ConnectedDrive suite of driver assistance gizmoids now include a parking assistance, a collision warning with brake application in the Active Cruise Control system - and that also works with the Stop & Go system, a new speed limit warning. The night vision and HUD will be there, of course, but the night vision can now pick up individual persons and there's a lane departure warning system as well.

The new BMW 5 Sedan has been announced with a fair range of engines. The top engine is a turbocharged V8. Other petrol engines include a turbocharged petrol six cylinder and two normally aspirated petrol sixes. In the diesel range are two turbocharged six-cylinder options and a four-cylinder turbo with common rail direct injection.


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New BMW 5 Series Has Hints of the 7 Series

The new BMW 5 Series has grown a few inches and will weigh more than the outgoing model.

What does the new BMW 5 Series have to do with a new Rolls-Royce Ghost? Each is being built on a modified BMW 7-Series chassis.

BMW unveiled the new 5 Series – the sixth generation of the midrange German luxury car – this week in Munich. The unveiling, at the stadium where Munich hopes to host the 2018 Olympic Games, was attended in person by BMW executives and employees, and broadcast on television in Europe.

But BMW aficionados elsewhere in the world were rather curiously shortchanged. The company says it is not planning on introducing the 5 Series lineup at any of the upcoming auto shows – a departure from tradition.

The changes to the vehicle include styling touches meant to make the 5 Series look, feel and drive more like the pricier 7 Series. To that end, the 5 Series has grown a few inches in most directions. And it weighs in at several hundred pounds heavier than the equivalent outgoing models. Despite a 7 Series lookalike grille treatment, the new 5 bears a lot of resemblance to the smaller 3 Series lineup, especially in profile.

The 5 Series is likely to come with four engine options, including a 6-cylinder turbo-diesel.

The new chassis has a double-wishbone front suspension with cast-aluminum control arms, as well as BMW’s Integral-V multilink rear suspension.

In Europe, the 5-Series range will include five different sedans and seven different powertrain choices — one V-8, three in-line 6s, two in-line 6 diesels and one in-line 4 diesel. The United States is likely to get a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 with 407 horsepower, single-turbo 3-liter in-line 6 (306 horsepower), a 3-liter in-line 6 (258 horsepower) and a turbocharged 3-liter in-line 6 diesel (245 horsepower).

2010 BMW X6 M

THE BMW bites into the track at the Monticello Motor Club, hurtling down the straights and exploding out of every tricky rain-dampened corner.

The scene is the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge, where a handful of journalists and private car owners have been invited to compete against Robert A. Lutz, the irrepressible 77-year-old General Motors vice chairman, and his mighty 556-horsepower CTS-V sport sedan.

But the Bimmer I’m driving in the rehearsal laps is a rather unlikely competitor for the CTS-V. It is neither the M3 high-performance coupe nor the M5 über-sedan, but the X6 M, a 5,300-pound battering ram that looks like what Batman would drive, if Batman drove a crossover S.U.V.

Verily, the X6 M is the world’s fastest crossover, an awards category you won’t find at a Sierra Club fund-raiser. From the Infiniti FX50 to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, the BMW tops them all, whether the criteria are pure speed or handling control.

As it turned out, the night before the challenge, BMW got cold feet about entering the X6 M, so I had to drive the CTS-V instead. But BMW need not have worried: the X6 M wouldn’t have beaten the quickest CTS-V drivers, but its effortless below-three-minute lap times proved it would have blown people’s minds and made Bavaria proud.

Spectators asked to peer under the hood; the co-owner of the track, Ari Straus (who drives in the Grand-Am road racing series), was intrigued enough to request wheel time. He instantly ripped off elegant laps that spotlighted the BMW’s torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system.

To some, the X6 M may seem a design achievement on par with Alexander McQueen’s 10-inch stiletto heels: Shocking, titillating — but still a cruel male fantasy of dubious utility.

The difference? You can dance in this BMW.

Figuring that some owners would be unfulfilled by the 400 horses in the standard X6 xDrive 50i, BMW has girded that car’s 4.4-liter V-8 with a pair of expensive twin-scroll turbochargers — cleverly nestled in the valley between the engine’s two banks of cylinders — along with new pistons and cylinder heads and a host of other improvements. The result is 555 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, with peak torque on tap from a low 1,500 r.p.m. up to 5,650.

2010 BMW X1

With its agile, versatile and modern character, the BMW X1 guarantees a new driving experience in the premium compact segment. It expands and enhances the range of BMW X models by yet another innovative vehicle concept.

The BMW X1 lineup will start with the xDrive20d, which is powered by a 177-hp diesel engine. Second is the xDrive23d, which is powered boy 204-hp turbodiesel. The xDrive28i gasoline model is powered by a 3.0L 6-cylinder making 231-hp and a 199 lb-ft of torque. It will be the only model offered in North America.

2010 BMW X6 M

BMW has officially released images of its X6 M high-performance crossover, which will be on display at the New York Auto Show 2009. Built to compete with Prosche’s Cayenne Turbo and other high-performance crossovers, the X6 M may very well be in a class of it’s own.

The X6 M uses a version of BMW’s latest twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. Output is pegged at 555 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and peak torque is 501 pound-feet, available between 1,500 and 5,650 rpm. The car can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, according to the automaker.

2009 BMW M3 Edition

The boys from Bavaria are trying to make the M3 Edition models more appealing and powerful with exclusive style. The limited run of 2009 M3s feature a choice of four bespoke paint schemes – Alpine White Non-Metallic, Black Non-Metallic, Dakar Yellow Non-Metallic or Monte Carlo Blue Metallic. The combination with BMW Individual High-Gloss Satin Chrome accentuates the truly sophisticated character of the Edition Models.

The interior benefits from a center console and armrests finished in white on the Alpine and black models, with "Carbon Structure Leather" trim and black Novillo leather seats, each complimented with white stitching. Vertical white trim adorns the back-rest and leg-rest, while the yellow and blue models get matching interior trimmings, and all Edition models feature both a numbered plaque and checkered flag door sills.

[Source: BMW]

2009 BMW 7 Series 750Li

The 2009 BMW 7 Series builds on the foundation its predecessor laid down with more graceful design details and with even more cutting-edge technology.

[Source: BMW]