Aussie Motoring

Yesterday it was just a rumour that BMW were about to build a small fleet of electric Minis to test the concept and do some serious field trials. Today, with this press release from BMW, it’s official.

 As part of the Group’s Number ONE strategy, the company will begin extensive tests on electric drives in MINI Vehicles

Over the next months, the BMW Group will be carrying out various series of tests on electrically powered vehicles to determine the alternative drive of the future.

Several hundred MINI brand vehicles are being prepared for this. The cars, built in the Oxford plant, will be modified accordingly in Munich and fitted out for trials.

“This step will allow the BMW Group to gain an initial knowledge of how mobility can be achieved efficiently using purely electrically powered vehicles. Our task here is to combine the ultimate driving experience with an efficient electrified drive with practically no emissions”, underlined Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

The tests on alternative drives in a MINI body will be used over the next 12-18 months to refine the technology. Details about the drive concept and its marketing will be published towards the end of the year.

It’s being reported that BMW will soon commence building 500 electric versions of it’s ever-popular Mini.

The Chairman of BMW AG is reported as saying that this small group of cars will allow BMW to gain knowledge and experience in the production of eletrically powered vehicles.

It’s believed that 490 of the electric Minis will be shipped to California where they will be leased to selected customers.

If the report is correct then BMW has joined other European manufacturers including Volkswagen, Daimler, Peugeot and Renault in taking the first tentative steps towards building a vehicle that produces zero emissions.

The new BMW M3 Convertible is about to hit Australian streets and it’s definitely something special. The new M3 comes with a high-revving V8 that’s even lighter than the six-cylinder unit that powered previous M3s. The new 309kW 4.0 litre motor comes as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox.

What makes this BMW even more interesting is the fact that this is the first BMW to be offered with an optional  seven-speed M double clutch transmission with BMW’s Drivelogic and specifically designed to work with high-revving V8 engines.

The M3 Convertible also features a retractable hard-top as standard, sun-reflective leather upholstery that keeps the surface temperature at up to 20 degrees Celsius cooler than conventional leather.

The first demo models of the BMW M3 Convertible will be in the showrooms from July but the first deliveries to customers won’t begin until the last quarter of the year.

Remember the early Mini’s? They came with a speedo, a fuel gauge and two or three warning lights and that was it! But not any more.

Since BMW took over the Mini you get all the information on your dashboard that you could ever want. 

There’s the time, the temperature, the distance you’ve travelled and two other interesting bits of information as well.

On the left beside the bowser icon you’ll see what your current fuel consumption is and alongside that a suggestion of what gear you should be in as well.

Sometimes you just have to wonder if too much information doesn’t take all the fun out of driving. However BMW would really have to work hard to take the fun out of the new Mini John Cooper Works models. The hardtop will do 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds while the Clubman will do it in 6.8 seconds and both can reach 238km/h.

The price for one of these hairy little beasts starts at $48,000 plus onroad costs.

Based on a design that was first displayed 30 years ago the BMW M1 Homage is enough to make any car enthusiast drool.

More photos and details are here on the BMW M1 page at Aussie Motoring.

Between January and March of this year BMW have delivered 4,174 vehicles here in Australia and that’s a 12 percent increase on sales for the same time last year.

Despite rising interest rates and some very black days on the share market there’s still a big market for what BMW describe as their “premium brand”

BMW are expecting their sales figures to rise even further when deliveries of the 1 Series Convertible and Coupe begin next month.

The BMW 1 Series Coupe will go sale for $54,400 (plus dealer and on-road costs) for the 160kW 3.0 litre 125i petrol model.

The 120i 1 Series Convertible comes with a little less grunt and is powered by a 4 cylinder 115kW motor and will retail for $52,900 plus dealer and on-road costs.

With the release of the BMW V8 M3 convertible also came the release of BMW’s new M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic.

BMW claims that the new transmission providces faster and smoother shifting and even more fuel economy and when you see the figures released for the V8 M3 then it’s hard not to believe those claims.

The new transmission offers as many as eleven driver-selectable electronically controlled driving program choices. These include five shift programs in the fully automatic mode and six in manual mode, and are supplemented by a selectable Launch Control program that provides blistering off-the-line acceleration where the power from the 309 kW, 4.0-litre V8 M3 engine is transferred with maximum effect to the road.

The heart of the new BMW transmission is the double clutch system that acts to smooth out gearshifts to the point that they are often only discernible by watching the rise and fall of engine rpm on the M3’s tachometer.
Each oil-cooled wet clutch activates its own set of ratios - one is used for first, third, fifth and seventh gears, as well as reverse, while the other looks after second, fourth and sixth gears.

Gearshifts are effected by the disengagement of one clutch and the engagement of the other, moving seamlessly from the ratio in use to the next, preselected ratio. The fact that the next ratio is preselected and engaged merely by activation of the clutch is the secret behind the smooth and efficient transition from gear to gear.

The new M double-clutch transmission also incorporates a Low Speed Assistant mode that operates when manoeuvring at speeds less than 5 km/h to significantly increase the smoothness and degree of accelerator control available to the driver.

Gradient detection also means that the new M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic is able to determine the appropriate ratios when travelling up or down hills.

This avoids the “hunting” between gears so often experienced in regular automatics when travelling on undulating roads, while the appropriate selection of lower gears on downhill gradients helps maintain road speed by using the braking power of the engine.

In fully automatic D mode, the driver can select from five Drivelogic programmes that regulate both the gearshift speeds and the change points right through to the D5 mode where the engine is stretched close to its maximum rpm - depending on throttle position - on upshifts. In D1 mode, the M3 with M double-clutch transmission is able to start off in second gear to help avoid wheelspin in slippery conditions.

In manual mode, six different Drivelogic programmes allow a similar range of characteristics, with the added driver control provided by the ability to choose shift points manually. In S6 mode, the drive can also activate launch control by holding the shift lever in the forward position.

BMW have unveiled the new M3 convertible and it’s definitely one very hot looking machine. Powered by a 4 litre 309 kW V8 and fitted with BMW’s new seven speed double-clutch tranmission the M3 will acccelerate from zero to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds. And despite all that grunt it will still return 12.3 litres per 100km.

The braking system, like that of the M3 Coupé, comprises vented, cross-drilled discs at front and rear, designed to minimise weight while minimising thermal loads under heavy use.

The M3 Convertible is fitted with dual front and head-thorax side airbags as well as central safety electronics that control the restraint systems, including a roll bar behind the rear seats that is automatically activated in the event of a rollover. The driver is able to choose from three selectable control maps in the optional EDC Electronic Damper Control system that enable the M3 Convertible to adapt to a wide variety of driving conditions.

The M3 Convertible’s three-piece lightweight steel roof opens or retracts in 22 seconds to provide the best of both worlds in a structure offering extremely high standards of torsional stiffness and passenger safety.

The upgraded interior is available with a wide range of customisation options, innovative colours and materials and an optional BMW Individual High End audio system with a nine-channel amplifier and 16 high-power speakers.

Only the doors, three-piece steel roof, boot lid, windows and rear lights are interchangeable with other 3 Series Convertibles.

Here’s the latest concept car from BMW - it’s the Series 1 tii and it’s based on the BMW Series 1 Coupe.

Points to note on the exterior are:

• optimised aerodynamics on the body with individual, distinctive design of the front air dam, side-sills and rear air dam
• fins along the engine compartment lid to optimise the flow of air
• visible, open towing fixture

Points to note in the interior are:

• sports bucket seats with integrated headrests and side airbags
• the white rev counter highlights this instrument of particular significance in motorsport
• use of dark alcantara on the door linings and the instrument panel prevents reflections and accentuates the driver-oriented design and configuration of the cockpit
• The newly developed structure tissue for the footwell accentuates the sporting and functional character of the interior.

Now I’m sure I could find a place in our garage for something like this

Following its world debut in April at the Auto Shanghai 2007, the BMW Concept CS has been confirmed to appear at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney from October 11.

Showcasing a new design philosophy for BMW, the Concept CS is based on a bespoke platform, with this unique car offering a vision of future BMW design rather than the first look at a new product. The BMW Concept CS is a four-seat premium vehicle that takes sophistication and luxury to a new level in the shape of a four-door coupé.

The BMW Concept CS was created by a team at BMW Design Development in Munich and comes with several exterior and interior design touches that could make their way on to future models. Its body width increases towards the rear to emphasise the sporting pretensions and wide track of the car.

The BMW Concept CS is 400mm wider (1,978mm excl mirrors) and 67mm longer (5,106mm) compared to a standard wheelbase BMW 7 Series. Its sleek profile hinting at the low centre of gravity is confirmed by a roof line that, at its zenith, is just 1,367mm - 124mm lower than a BMW 7 Series.

A driver-oriented cockpit is consistent with BMW’s ethos of building drivers’ cars while a fresh look at ergonomics makes for superior comfort in the controls and displays. Ceramics as the material for the controls and instruments have also been introduced to BMW for the first time, while the driver and his three occupants are cocooned in innovative sports seats with a height-adjustable collar element.

The new design of seat houses elements of the car’s entertainment and communication features for enhanced personalisation.

The BMW Concept CS is a design study. However, it is likely that key elements of the car could appear on forthcoming new models and even if they don’t you’ll be able to the CS in Sydney this October.