February News in Brief

Adrian van Hooydonk named as Director of BMW Group Design


Adrian van Hooydonk has been named as the new Director of BMW Group Design
replacing Chris Bangle who has left the company to pursue design related
interests outside the automotive arena.


Van Hooydonk, 44, is now responsible for the design and development of BMW,
MINI and Rolls-Royce products. He has worked alongside Bangle at BMW for 17
years. In that time he has been responsible for a number of trend-setting
design projects and production ready vehicles. These include the Z9 Concept
Car, the forerunner to the BMW 6 Series, the Concept CS, a vision of a new
flagship vehicle, and the M1 Hommage supercar. Van Hooydonk also created the
ACV 30 Show Car, a two-seater with raked roof line, to investigate a possible
new direction for MINI.


Adrian van Hooydonk said: "I am honoured and extremely excited to take on this
new responsibility. I have no doubt that there are challenges ahead, but BMW's
depth in engineering and the passion of its talented team are as strong as
ever. Together I am sure we will be able to create sophisticated and extremely
attractive concepts."


Bangle leaves the BMW Group on a high. The 52-year-old has been responsible for
instigating a forward-thinking design ethos at BMW that revitalised the styling
of the range. As well as new 3, 5 and 7 Series models, Bangle oversaw the
introduction of the 1 and 6 Series, Z3, Z4, Z8, X5 and X6 - all new types of
car for BMW and all successful in their own right. His design ethos has had far
reaching effects with his key styling signatures being widely imitated by rival
manufacturers.


Away from the BMW brand, he presided over the design of the MINI, the current
Rolls Royce portfolio, all of the BMW Motorrad range and some innovative
motorcycle concepts. This has culminated in 2009 being the year of the new RR4
and the firm's first true super sports bike the BMW S 1000 RR. Bangle was also
instrumental in creating and expanding the BMWGroup Designworks design
consultancy which now has premises in the USA, Germany and Singapore.


A replacement for van Hooydonk's previous role will be announced in due course.


BMW X5 celebrates 10 years of success


A decade ago BMW created a new market segment - that of the Sports Activity
Vehicle. When previously only utilitarian off-roaders were available, BMW broke
the mould by offering a four-wheel-drive vehicle that combined BMW's renowned
driving dynamics in a spacious, versatile, yet premium package.

First shown at the North American International Auto Show in 1999, the BMW X5
was an instant hit both in the UK and globally. It was subsequently refreshed
in 2003 with the introduction of the xDrive four-wheel-drive system along with
engine upgrades and subtle styling changes. An all-new model appeared in 2007
growing in size to differentiate it further from the BMW X3. The X line-up has
since been joined by the X6 and will receive a further boost later this year
with the launch of the all-new BMW X1.

Since it was introduced to the UK in 2000, BMW has sold 59,483 X5s*, with the
3.0-litre diesel-powered version being the most popular model accounting for
approximately 90 per cent of sales. Sport/M Sport has also proved the most
popular specification with circa 80 per cent sales compared to SE. Worldwide
BMW has sold 845,000 X5s.

*Figure from Jan 2000 to Dec 2008.

Four prestigious awards for BMW

BMW has scooped four honours from one of the country's leading corporate
publications. Business Car magazine has bestowed BMW with the titles of
'Manufacturer of the Year', 'Green Manufacturer of the Year', 'Green Initiative
of the Year' and 'Executive Car of the Year' for the BMW 5 Series.

The Business Car Awards are the only honours in the market that are solely
voted for by its readership giving them a particular credibility. Winning the
two 'green' awards is especially pleasing for BMW. The commendations recognise
the class-leading technologies encompassed under the EfficientDynamics umbrella
that have been instrumental in making BMW the leader in cutting CO2 emissions
and improving fuel consumption, while still improving performance. The awards
come swiftly after independent research by www.cleangreencars.co.uk found BMW
to have the lowest average CO2 emissions of any premium car maker for the
second year in a row.

The title of 'Manufacturer of the Year' was presented in recognition of the
marque's diverse product portfolio, class-leading running costs and excellent
build quality. The award for the BMW 5 Series is the latest in a long list of
honours for the model. For example, the BMW 5 Series has won its category at
the renowned What Car? awards 11 times in the last 14 years.

New prices for 2009

The BMW range, with the exception of the BMW Z4, has new OTR prices. Details of
the price changes are listed in table form onthe downoadable document.

Ends