BMW 3 Series named What Car? 'Car of the Year 2006'

The new BMW 320d ES Saloon was last night named 'Car of the Year 2006' at the
prestigious What Car? Car of the Year 2006 awards ceremony in London.

The award saw BMW taking top honours for the first time. The UK's best-selling
premium saloon car also took the night's 'Best Compact Executive' category.
The BMW 525i SE added to BMW's roll of honour by being awarded 'Best Executive'
car for the third year in a row. It was the 10th time in the last 11 years that
the 5 Series has won its category.

The editorial team at What Car? were unanimous in their views of the new 3
Series. Group Editor at What Car?, Steve Fowler, commenting on the Car of the
Year accolade said: "The BMW 3 Series emerged as a clear winner. We'd expected
BMW's Compact Exec contender to be good, but we didn't expect it to be this
good. No other car is as great in so many ways as the 3 Series."

On its Compact Executive category win, David Motton, Editor of What Car?
magazines, said: "BMW's 3 Series is so good that it scored a comfortable
victory. Crucially, the way that the Three steers, grips and handles is
nothing short of outstanding." He concluded "...As well as being the
sharpest-driving car in this class, the 3 Series is also the most refined."

At the awards, BMW UK Managing Director, Jim O'Donnell, said: "These awards are
yet another testament to the quality and refinement of BMW cars. The new 3
Series is a truly outstanding car and I am very grateful to What Car? for this
great honour. I am also very pleased that the 5 Series with its broad engine
range, from two-litre diesel to the mighty M5, has continued its unprecedented
success at these important awards."

The What Car? Car of the Year award comes at the same time as BMW scooped a
clutch of top honours at the Fleet Excellence Awards - the voting of which is
drawn from the 30,000 plus readers of Fleet Week and Fleet Management. Proving
that BMW offers products that appeal to the business user as well as private
buyers, the 3 Series won the coveted 'User Chooser Car of the Year' overall
prize. This was backed-up by category wins for the 3 Series, 5 Series and 3
Series Touring, as well as the X5 and Z4. BMW scored more category wins than
any other manufacturer.

Tristan Young, Editor of Fleet Week, said of the winning car: "Available from
under £20,000, the 3 Series range provides choice for any business and its
drivers, offering seven different engines and four specification levels. A
class-leading combination of fuel economy, emissions and performance
irrespective of model, cements its appeal to the all important company car
driver audience."

The top honours granted to BMW by What Car? and Fleet News and Fleet Management
come hot on the heels of a host of other awards presented to BMW. Since its
launch in March 2005, both Auto Express and Test Drive magazines have also
awarded the 3 Series their Best Compact Executive car of 2005. Last year
culminated in the 3 Series being awarded the coveted Scottish Car of the Year
award - the first time BMW had ever won the principal 'gong' north of the
border.

The commendations come at a time of unparalleled sales success for BMW
products, and the 3 and 5 Series models in particular. 2005 saw a record
111,666 new BMWs registered in the UK - a rise of nine per cent in an overall
market that declined by five per cent. The new 3 Series made an impressive
contribution to this total, despite only going on sale in late March.
Meanwhile the 5 Series and X5 had record years in the UK, in their third and
sixth years respectively.

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