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BMW

BMW Z4 sDrive35is – Australian pricing

BMW Z4 sDrive35is

When the BMW Z4 sDrive35is was announced it was remarkable how many of the car’s key stats were on par with the Audi TT RS. Well now we can add another one—price. With a starting list price of $129,900 the top range Z4 is a few grand cheaper than the TT RS. In regards to power and torque, both cars offer 250kW and 450Nm.

The Z4, though, includes a few party tricks in its kit to help it trump the TT RS. On paper, anyway. The sDrive35is can momentarily utlilise an overboost function on the 3.0 litre straight six twin turbo engine to push torque to a peak figure of 500Nm. While Audi is known for their S tronic double clutch gearbox it is an optional extra on the TT RS. With BMW’s new hero roadster a 7-speed DCT is all yours with the standard asking price.

Making the most of that nifty DCT is a launch control feature which should make it a doddle to perform repeated sprints to 100km/h in BMW’s claim of 4.8 seconds.

Helping to differentiate the most expensive Z4 in the range from its cheaper models is a tiny little “s” at the end of the model designation. Seeing as most punters will probably miss that you best point out the aluminium wing mirrors. Y’know, just like on the TT RS. Also, there is a more aggressive front spoiler, part of a more comprehensive M Sport Package.

After driving the Z4 range earlier this year AUSmotive is pretty sure the chassis can handle the extra kilowatts on offer from that little s. Of course, BMW has no doubts that it can, and you can read their spiel after the jump.

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BMW

More news on the front-wheel drive BMW

BMW front-wheel drive rendering

Last week Autocar brought us more news on the future of the front-wheel drive BMW range, including this Alfa-esque rendering.

The latest info suggests the front-wheel drive BMW will actually be badged as a 1 Series, and not 0 Series as first expected. It won’t replace the existing rear-drive platform, rather, from 2013 you’ll be able to order your 1 Series with front or rear wheel drive.

While the above image relies on some guesswork the expectation is the front-wheel drive 1er will look quite different to its rear-wheel drive sibling.

BMW don’t expect the front-drive 1 Series and the MINI to steal sales from each other. They refer to the Volkswagen Group’s success with the Golf and Audi A3 models as an example of two similar cars appealing to different buyers. Speaking about the BMW-MINI market segments a BMW insider has said to Autocar, “Our research shows BMW and MINI appeal to different buyers.”

Prototypes of the front-drive BMW should be on the roads in about 12 months from now. Expect lots more speculation between now and then, too.

[Source: Autocar]

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BMW Motorsports

BMW M3 GT2 wins 2010 Nürburgring 24 hour

BMW M3 GT2

This year’s Nürburgring 24 hour race was won by the #25 BMW M3 GT2 driven by Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus, Uwe Alzen and Pedro Lamy. It was Lamy’s fifth victory at the Ring and he joins Marcel Tiemann as the most successful driver at the race. For BMW it was their nineteenth win at the Nürburgring 24 hour race.

In second place was the one and only Ferrari in the race, the #43 F430 GTC with Dominik Farnbacher, Allan Simonsen, Lehman Keen and Marco Seefried at the wheel. Simonsen has a strong Australian connection, appearing in numerous racing categories and as a driving instructor. Crossing the line in third was the #97 Audi R8 LMS driven by Dennis Rostek, Luca Ludwig, Marc Bronzel and Markus Winkelhock.

The 2010 race proved the old motorsport adage—to finish first, first you have to finish. Porsche and Audi enjoyed long stints at the top of the leaderboard. However, mechanical issues and accidents forced early retirements from the more fancied teams. Despite gearbox issues in the last few hours, the BMW M3 GT2 was able to keep out of trouble and cross the line first for a well deserved win.

Both the first and second placed cars completed 154 laps, one lap off equalling the race record which was set by the winning Manthey Porsche in 2009.

Final placings for Australian and New Zealand teams are available at AUSringers.com. BMW’s press release can be read after the jump.

If you have never followed the Nürburgring 24 hour race before AUSmotive recommends that you do so in 2011. Around 200 cars take part and the crowd can push towards 250,000. Manufacturer support for the event is increasing. In particular, the likes of Audi, BMW, Porsche and Volkswagen, throw a lot of technical expertise and effort at winning the race, or seeking class wins. Aston Martin and Lexus have also increased their participation in recent years.

UPDATE: Photo gallery of the winning car has now been added below.

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BMW Motor Shows

Auto China: BMW Gran Coupé

BMW Gran Coupe

At the Auto China show in Beijing BMW had what they called a Design Night. An insight into the company’s design culture they said. To celebrate the event BMW were kind enough to go to the trouble of bringing along a new design concept. They have called it the Gran Coupé.

Four-door “coupés” are the new black it seems and this latest effort from BMW does look quite nice, it must be said. From some angles there is a lot of 3 Series coupé inspiration, as well. Mostly due to BMW’s well loved Hofmeister kink.

Not much detail is given in the press release below, but you can get some extra information thanks to the video published to YouTube by Autocar. All yours after the jump.

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BMW Ferrari Porsche

Ferrari 599XX v BMW Z4 GT3 v Porsche 956

Ferrari 599XXBMW Z4 GT3Porsche 956

So, Ferrari say their 599XX was the first “production-derived” sportscar to break the 7 minute barrier around the 20.832km Nürburgring Nordschleife. But, what does that term “production-derived” actually mean?

Who cares if the car is based off the 599 GTB Fiorano, the 599XX cannot be driven on public roads and it comes delivered with racing slicks. It’s a racing car, who is Ferrari kidding? Hang on a sec, don’t Ferrari say the 599XX cannot be entered in any sanctioned race events. So, what is it then?

Well, semantics aside, it’s pretty clear the 599XX holds a closer relationship to a racing car than it does a road car, despite it’s road-car origins. So, then, for no other reason than to watch three superb pieces of in-car Nürburgring footage lets compare the 599XX to two other racing cars. The first, new and production-derived, the BMW Z4 GT3, and the other, an all time motor racing legend from the early 1980s, the Porsche 956.

Sure the 956 never had any pretensions to road use—Vern Schuppan’s 962CR side-project aside—but we’re talking the peak of sportscar racing more than 25 years ago. Surely the Ferrari can hold off the great Derek Bell with its latest electronic and mechanical masterpiece.

After the jump are three clips to help us find out. Now, I must stress this is not a very scientific comparison, all three clips start from a different part of the track. In fact, the Derek Bell lap was filmed in 1983, the year before the current Nürburgring GP track was built. He starts his lap from the old pit area, which is now the T13 complex.

The lap with the BMW does include the GP track and, oddly, the footage starts at the Pflantzgarten jump and finishes just before. That means we need to take out around 2 minutes for the GP track, then add a few seconds for the T13 section and again at the end to reach the original starting point. As I said, it’s not terribly scientific or deadly accurate.

Just take this comparo for what it is, an appreciation of three cracking cars getting thrashed around one of the world’s most demanding pieces of tarmac.

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BMW

Next BMW M5 spied during Nürburgring testing

BMW F10 M5

Images of a prototype BMW M5 have been appearing all over the web lately and Autoblog has new set of images showing the car with a bit less camouflage than earlier pics. Based on the F10 5 Series the next-gen M5 should debut, in pre-porduction form at least, at the Paris Motor Show in October.

Expect the super saloon to be powered by a twin-turbo V8 with near on 600bhp. Already we’ve seen a similar engine in the X5 M, so with more development and a few extra tweaks the folk at M should have no problems in finding a few extra horses hidden in the couch.

[Source: Autoblog]

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BMW Volkswagen

Would you buy a GTI over an M3?

Edmunds, Golf GTI v BMW M3

Michael Jordan would. Not that Michael Jordan, no, the Michael Jordan from Edmunds Inside Line. In fact, MJ not only reckons the current Golf GTI is better than the BMW M3, he says it is twice as good!

It’s true, this is what he said, “This is some great car. It’s not that it’s less than half the price as an M3; it’s that it’s more than twice as good as an M3.”

There is some method to his madness, though, “I’m tired of driving 4,000-pound sedans masquerading as coupes. Most of my disappointment in the BMW 1 Series has to do with its unwillingness to embrace a new personality as a light car rather than simply perpetuate the old 3 Series template.”

Jordan continues, “For me, the Volkswagen GTI is the kind of M3 that I prefer, less like a V8-powered truck and more like the Whispering Bomb.”

I can see where he is coming from, and the price gap is exacerbated to greater extremes here in Australia, but if presented with the choice of a GTI and an M3, budget aside, the M3 would get my vote. Read the full article and let us know what you think.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line | Thanks to Adam for the tip]

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BMW

New BMW 5 Series – Australian pricing

BMW 5 Series

The new F10 BMW 5 Series will go on sale in Australia this June. At initial launch there will be a four-pronged model line up, consisting of six cylinder 528i and 535i models, as well as a V8 powered 550i. A four cylinder turbo diesel 520d will join the range in September. Those wanting more space from their 5 Series will have to hold on a bit longer for the October release of the Touring version.

Manufacturer’s list pricing starts at $83,300 for the 520d; $99,900 for the 528i; $128,900 for the 535i and tops out at $178,900 for the 550i. More detail is available below in BMW Australia’s press release, and they have also included this handy spec comparison PDF (60kb) which highlights the increase in spec of the new 5er over the outgoing E60 version.

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BMW

BMW ‘M1’ spotted during Nürburgring testing

BMW 'M1' spy shot

Another possible ‘M1’ prototype has been spotted in testing, this time at the Nürburgring. Devlopment of the widebody 1 Series seems well underway and this sighting follows last week’s ‘M1’ appearance.

The prototype captured in the images here were taken during an industry testing session at the Ring, so we can be fairly certain this is a BMW test mule, and not some crazy guy who has stuck a few bits of plastic on his car to be cool.

The fact the widebody kit only appears on the rear of the car tends to indicate BMW’s M engineers are developing the rear axle components, which are expected to be sourced from the current M3.

Apparently the test driver was pushing pretty hard and with thanks to Bridge to Gantry you can see another pic and brief video after the break.

[Source: Bridge to Gantry]

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BMW

BMW prototype Z2 spied in California

BMW Z2 spied

Around this time last year rumours were growing of a BMW Z2 based on the next generation 1 Series. This spy shot, captured in Laguna Beach, California, appears to confirm those rumours were on the money.

Note the soft top roof, which would be used, partly, to keep weight down. Surprisingly, in this day and age of electronic gadgets, there’s a chance the roof could be manually operated, too. Reports of the Z2 weighing in under 1000kg are about, and that would be a major feat if BMW could pull it off.

Speculation remains uncertain about the timing for production. Earlier reports have suggested the Z2 could be ready to roll as soon as next year, but the latest word indicates we might be waiting until 2013 before a Z2 rolls off a production line. Although, World Car Fans reckon we could see a concept car at the Paris Motor Show in October this year.

Expect the latest range of BMW four cylinder engines to find their way into most Z2s. It’s likely the range will include electric, hybrid and diesel versions, as well. The powerplant from 150kW MINI E could make a nice fit, for example.

There’s been a few renderings and illustrations around for a while now, but the example shown below is one of the more attractive to surface. Let’s hope we don’t have too long to wait for some official word out of Munich.

[Source: World Car Fans | Spy pic: moniteurautomobile.be | Rendering: World Car Fans]

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BMW Holden Hyundai News Subaru Suzuki Toyota VFACTS reports

New vehicle sales report – March 2010

FCAI banner

March was another strong month for Australian vehicle sales. So much so that the 94,744 sales recorded represented a new monthly record for March, an increase of 352 sales over the previous high set in 2007. Compared to last month sales increased by 12,525 units.

While all vehicle segments fared well, the SUV sector continued its upward trend, increasing by 44%. Passenger car sales were up by more than 23%, while both the light and heavy commercial segments also posted healthy increases.

Toyota and Holden continue their reign as the country’s top two selling marques, with 21.4% and 12.4% market share respectively. Meanwhile, Ford fought back from last month’s drop recovering from fifth on the sales charts to finish ahead of Hyundai and Mazda in third place with 8.5% market share.

However, there was still good news for Hyundai as the i30 was the country’s best selling small car during March. The first time the i30 has achieved such a result.

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BMW

BMW ‘M1’ spy shots

BMW 'M1' spy shot

The thought of an ‘M’ badged 1 Series is one that will make most enthusiasts go weak at the knees. Talk of a baby ‘M1’ has been around for a while, but speculation has generally been a bit wishy-washy in terms of will they, or won’t they make it. BMW specialist website BimmerFile have been quite firmly placed in the yes they will build it camp and these spy shots justify their position.

So what are we seeing here? Try as it might the BMW trademark swirl disguise cannot hide the car’s flared guards (see second pic after the jump). Those guards are probably hiding some very tasty hardware, too. Namely drivetrain components from the M3, such as an adapted rear axle, including mechanical rear diff.

Wider bodywork would also allow for an increased track. Couple that with the 18″ wheels from the new M3 Competition Package and cornering stability should be improved.

Also note that the rear exhaust is dual-tipped on the left side only. No quad-tipped exhaust as on the M3. Sure, this may be part of the development process, but a single exit exhaust would allow for a less complex arrangement for a 1 Series that is already tightly packed at the rear. It’s also a bit old skool, too, which is nice.

Will this car be badged as the ‘M1’? That is not yet certain, perhaps BMW will extend its nomenclature from the X5 M and call this car the 1 M. If you’re dead against the ‘M1’ nameplate being revived, then click here to re-live the grand old days.

There’s more info, speculation and inside word on the ‘M1’ across at BimmerFile, so make sure you follow the link below to be kept up to date.

[Source: BimmerFile, via 1addicts]

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