New 7 Series prices, contract hire rates and service package announced

BMW has announced both the on-the-road prices and the all-important contract
hire rates for the revolutionary new 7 Series, which goes on sale in the UK in
the Spring this year. An industry-first, five year servicing and maintenance
package for the car, BMW Concours, is also unveiled today.

Pricing:
There will be two V8 models at launch, the 735i and the 745i, which will be
priced at £52,750 and £56,950 on-the-road, respectively. Contract hire rates,
backed by BMW Financial Services, will be £799 and £999 plus VAT per month,
over 36 months and 20,000 miles per year, with payments in advance of £3886 and
£3173 for the 735i and 745i respectively. This rate includes BMW Concours (see
below). BMW predicts an exceptionally strong residual value of 45 per cent over
this three year period and 60,000 miles.

BMW Concours:
This entirely new package offers the peace of mind of free servicing and
maintenance (including many wear and tear items) for five years or 75,000
miles. When the car is sold, Concours passes to the new owner, which will help
to enhance residual values to the 45 per cent level expected.

A one-off fee of £500 (a small fraction of the retail cost) will cover service
and maintenance by BMW technicians, including engine oil and filters, wiper
blades, brake pads and discs, spark plugs, air filters, microfilter, brake
fluid and coolant. Concours is included within all quoted contract hire rates.

A new flagship:
Laden with standard specification including satellite navigation, telephone,
active suspension and leather upholstery, BMW's new flagship represents
excellent value for money. More importantly it is a quantum leap forward in
automotive design. The exterior design marks a new direction for BMW and the
interior has solved the increasing problem of the cluttered dashboard, using
instead a new control concept called iDrive.

iDrive places the primary driving controls, including the gearshift and parking
brake, within a finger's reach of the steering wheel. The major secondary
controls (for the climate control and the sound system on/off) are the only
controls on the dashboard. All remaining control systems are operated via the
Controller - a large circular knob - positioned on the centre consol. Control
areas are selected via a menu driven display at the top of the dashboard. The
system has been structured to be highly intuitive and easy to use and at the
same time to reduce driver distraction, making the new 7 Series a safer car
than ever before.

Power comes from two mighty V8 engines: a 272 bhp 3.6 litre and a 333 bhp 4.4
litre. Performance is swift and incredibly refined, thanks to the world's
first six speed automatic gearbox fitted to a car. Dynamically it delivers all
that you would expect from a BMW and the innovative active suspension keeps
body roll to a minimum. Thus the new 7 Series sticks to the road like glue and
corners like a sports coupe, but at the same time cossets its passengers in the
ultimate luxury.
Ends

Note to editors
BMW Contract Hire is available to business users only and rentals quoted are
inclusive of BMW Concours, but exclusive of VAT.

Standard equipment - 735i and 745i
Engine :
· Cylinder-specific anti-knock control
· Digital Motor Electronics (DME) engine management system
· Double-VANOS (variable valve timing)
· Fully variable intake system (DIVA)
· Light-alloy cylinder head
· On-board diagnosis
· V8 engines with four valves per cylinder
· VALVETRONIC

Transmission/Suspension:
· 6-speed automatic transmission (with steering wheel-mounted Steptronic
control)
· Dynamic Drive active anti-roll system
· Electromechanical parking brake with auto-hold function

Interior equipment:
· Automatic air conditioning (including automatic air re-circulation)
· BMW Hi-Fi loudspeaker system
· Car telephone, GSM fixed phone
· CD changer above glove compartment for up to 6 CD's
· Controller and Control Display with 8.8" wide screen monitor
· Cup holders
· Electric window lifts front and rear, with open/close fingertip control,
anti-trap facility and central all round closing function.
· Electrochromatic interior rear view mirror with automatic anti-dazzle function
· Front seats with electric adjustment
· GPS navigation system
· Info display, analogue instruments combined with liquid crystal display
· Memory function for front passenger seat
· Memory functions for driver seat, electric steering column adjustment and
exterior rear view mirrors
· Multi-function controls on steering wheel (operation of radio and telephone)
· Nasca leather upholstery
· On-board computer including Check/Control status
· Single CD player in centre console
· Smokers package
· Wood trim in Ash-grain (light or dark) or cherry (light or dark)

Exterior equipment:
· 18" Double-spoke alloy wheels style 93
· All-round anti corrosion system with partial hot-galvanising, phosphate
treatment and cathodic dip paintwork, preservation of hollow cavities,
underfloor protection
· Automatic bootlid opening
· Door handles in body-colour, with illumination of outside area
· Heated screenwasher nozzles
· Metallic paintwork
· Rear-view mirrors, aspheric, blue tinted, electrically adjustable and heated

Safety and security:
· Alarm system with remote control
· Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
· Automatic activation of lights
· Central locking with electronic immobiliser, crash sensor, tank filler cap
integrated into central locking
· Deformation zones front and rear and door reinforcements
· Driver and front passenger airbags
· Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) including Dynamic Traction Control (DTC)
· Foglamps in ellipsoid free form technology
· Head and side airbags
· Headlight washing system
· Inertia-reel seat belts at the front with pyrotechnical belt latch tensioner,
adaptive belt force limiter and belt restrainer
· Park Distance Control (PDC)
· Rain sensor
· Safety battery terminal (cuts power in a serious accident)
· Seat occupancy detection for front and rear passenger seats
· Servotronic power steering
· Side impact protection and roof crossbar
· Warning triangle

Pricing:
· 735i - £52,750
· 745i - £56,950

Insurance groups:
· 735i 18E
· 745i 19E