Auto news and reviews from Car Buyer's Notebook.com: BMW Archives

June 8, 2008

Space Shuttle Crew Tests BMW Hydrogen Vehicle

Munich -- The Space Shuttle crew is getting a taste of the future of mobility at BMW. The astronauts, who normally head into space propelled by hydrogen, have adopted the role of earthbound passengers to experience the world's first hydrogen-powered saloon, the BMW Hydrogen 7.

It is an obvious move considering that NASA was already using the American fleet of these vehicles for test purposes at Cape Canaveral in autumn 2007. Commander Stephen Frick takes stock of his impressions: "It's impressive to see hydrogen functioning so smoothly in cars as well. What I find most striking is that a car running on hydrogen performs just as well as a petrol-driven model."

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BMW global sales up 3.9% in May

Munich -- The BMW Group increased its automobile sales once again in May. 133,496 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were delivered to customers (prev.yr.: 128,434) in the month under review.

This represents a gain of 3.9%. For the year to May, sales climbed 6.7% to reach a total of 618,731 vehicles (prev.yr.: 579,745). This is the first time in the company's history that more than 600,000 vehicles have already been sold by the end of May.

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Posted by Frank at 11:57 AM | Filed under Auto News | BMW | Industry Statistics | MINI

June 5, 2008

BMW boosts prices

Woodcliff Lake, NJ -- BMW has announced a modest mid-year price increase of less than one percent for its 2008 product line, effective as of June 1.

This is the first price increase in over one year despite continually rising raw materials costs and ongoing exchange rate pressure. Minor increases have also been made to selected options/packages, as well as the vehicle destination charge.

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Posted by Frank at 7:10 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | BMW | Finance

June 3, 2008

BMW Group Reports May Sales Up 3.1%

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. -- The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) today reported May vehicle sales of 31,781, an increase of 3.1 percent from the 30,819 vehicles sold in the same month of 2007.

For the first five months of 2008, BMW Group sales are down 2.4 percent, to 131,758 vehicles versus the 134,944 sold January through May of 2007.

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Posted by Frank at 4:48 PM | Filed under Auto News | BMW | Industry Statistics | MINI

BMW puts finishing touches on Leipzig expansion

Leipzig -- The new buildings at the BMW Plant Leipzig are taking shape - the right point to celebrate the topping-out ceremony, that took place Friday.

The sum invested in the expansion of this plant - for buildings and production technology - is likely to exceed 100 million euros. Up to now, BMW has invested more than 1.2 billion euros in Leipzig since 2001.

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June 2, 2008

Mini Takes the States Concert Headliners

Mini, the iconic British go-kart-and-have-fun brand, is hosting four weekend festivals in U.S. cities this summer, with meet and greet events for Mini owners, as well as test drive opportunities for wannabes.

In addition, they've hired some pretty famed musical acts to entertain the masses in each city, with tickets costing $20 in advance or $30 at the gate. More info here, dates and acts for each city after the jump.

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May 29, 2008

Cadillac Tops 2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

TUSTIN, Calif. -- A study released today by noted automotive consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc. summarizes the results of its 2008 model year vehicle satisfaction research. AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with their new passenger car or light truck.

In a year that promises to be the toughest in a decade, owner-based awards like AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award will help customers make their purchase decisions.

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May 20, 2008

BMW's 70th Anniversary at the Mille Miglia

Munich/Brescia -- It was 70 years ago that BMW first entered its 328 model in the Mille Miglia. For this year's anniversary appearance, BMW will be following the historic example by deploying four of these legendary roadsters in the event.

Joining them will be the BMW 328 Berlin-Rom racing variant from 1941 as well as a BMW 327 Convertible and a 327/28 Coupé. With nine private teams entering, a total of 16 BMW cars will be lining up in Brescia for the start of the 2008 Mille Miglia.

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May 17, 2008

BMW donates 1 million yuan to China Earthquake Relief

Munich/Beijing -- The powerful earthquake which hit Sichuan Province with a magnitude of 7.8 caused severe damage in the area and BMW China and BMW Brilliance have responded with prompt action.

BMW donated RMB [yuan] 1,000,000 to the Red Cross Society of China for the eathquake disaster relief and assigned 3 units of BMW X3 for the rescue team to help disaster relief. At the same time, BMW appealed to all BMW dealers and customers to provide their support as much as possible to join forces in times of hardship.

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May 16, 2008

BMW at the 61st Cannes Film Festival

Cannes/Munich -- May 15 marks the start of the 61st International Film Festival in the eternally glamorous town of Cannes on the coast of southern France. The BMW Group is right in the middle of things, a competent partner for the German, European and global film industry.

The Munich-based company has a long tradition of cooperation with the film industry: alongside classic product placements, the BMW Group has also consistently supported the rise of young film talent both in Germany and world wide.

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May 14, 2008

Passport BMW opens new dealership facility

MARLOW HEIGHTS, Md. -- Passport BMW, founded in 1991, will open their doors to a brand new state-of-the-art facility on May 14, 2008.

Jack Johnson, County Executive, Prince George's County; Peter Brandt, Market Manager, Eastern Region, BMW North America; and Everett Hellmuth, President, Passport BMW will all be on hand to celebrate the opening of this luxury dealership in Prince George's County.

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May 12, 2008

2008 Fuel Economy Guide Available for Download

The EPA has issued a comprehensive PDF guide to fuel economy of all 2008 vehicles, which you can download by right-clicking here.

In today's gas market, buyers are more sensitive than ever about buying cars that get good mileage, and more important, they want the government ratings to be as accurate as possible -- nobody wants to buy a vehicle that gets 10% worse mileage in the real world than the sticker rating.

To address this situation, the EPA has started using an updated test to assign more accurate MPG ratings to new vehicles, and you can learn about that by watching the video in this post.

May 10, 2008

BMW offers military motorcycle program

Woodcliff Lake, NJ -- In appreciation of the commitment and sacrifice of the men and women serving in the US armed forces, BMW Motorrad USA is pleased to announce a special motorcycle purchase program for all active members of the US armed forces.

The program -- which runs through December 31, 2008 -- is designed to help military personnel purchase the BMW motorcycle of their choice for personal use.

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Posted by Frank at 6:05 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | BMW | Finance

BMW plans to increase stock dividends

Munich -- The BMW Group plans to increase the level of shareholders' participation in the success of the BMW Group in the future.

"We see the higher dividend for the financial year 2007 as being the first step", stated Norbert Reithofer, the Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG at the Annual General Meeting held on Thursday in Munich.

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Posted by Frank at 5:13 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | BMW | Finance

May 8, 2008

BMW twin turbo inline six cylinder wins international engine of the year

Munich / Stuttgart -- With six awards for five engines gained at this year’s “International Engine of the Year Awards”, BMW has successfully defended its position as the world’s leading manufacturer of efficient high-performance power units.

For the second time in succession, the 3-liter inline six engine with Twin Turbo and High Precision Injection has won the overall ranking in this most significant international engine competition.

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