July News in Brief

The new BMW 3 Series Saloon has scooped the award for Best Compact Executive Car, for the fifth consecutive year at the Auto Express New Car Honours 2013.  Praised for its dynamism, value for money and affordable running costs, the BMW 3 Series Saloon remains the car of choice in the compact executive sector.

The BMW 5 Series Saloon has once again taken the accolade of Best Executive Car at the Auto Express New Car Honours 2013. It’s the all-round appeal and low CO2 emissions that has clinched the 5 Series this award for the second year running.

Auto Express’ Editor In Chief, Steve Fowler, said of the wins: “The 3 Series has dominated the compact executive class for five years now, and the latest model looks set to continue that. You’d expect it to be brilliantly built and fantastic to drive, but the real bonus is that it’s competitively priced and well-equipped, too. And with low emissions, it’s seriously cheap to run.

“BMW’s 5 Series ticks every box for executive car buyers: it’ll put a smile on your face when you drive it, it’s got all the prestige you’ll ever want, it’s hugely practical and with low CO2, tax bills will be cheap.”

Topping off the night, Dr. Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing, was inducted into the Auto Express Hall of Fame for his service to the car industry and becoming the only ‘Brit’ on the board of the world’s most successful premium car maker.

BMW cleans up at the inaugural eBay Motors awards
eBay users and a panel of expert judges have honoured BMW UK with two awards at the inaugural eBay Motors Awards, naming it OEM Parts and Accessories eBay Store of the Year and eBay New Car of the Year for the BMW 3 Series Saloon.

Andy Wilde, Aftersales e-Commerce Manager at BMW Group UK, said: "Two years ago we embarked on an exciting journey with eBay to offer our customers an online experience which enabled them to easily browse and shop for BMW products. To be voted eBay Store of the Year is very encouraging and is testament to the peace of mind that these consumers are getting when buying through the official BMW eBay store, BMW Direct.”

Two years ago BMW became the first car manufacturer to partner with eBay and open a Direct Store on the platform, selling new and fixed price goods direct to customers. Through BMW’s Direct Store you can now buy and browse over 6,000 Genuine BMW items at www.bmw.co.uk/ebay.

Practical Caravan Tow Car Awards 2013

BMW 330d Luxury Touring has won the 1580-1724kg class at the Practical Caravan Tow Car Awards 2013.  Praised for being an excellent all round tow car, the 3 Series Touring excelled in the handling section, making crosswinds seem like a breeze, and also came out on top for practicality and ownership costs.

David Motton, tow car editor, Practical Caravan said of the win: “Our judges were so impressed with the BMW that it outpointed last year’s class champion, the Volkswagen Tiguan, in all four scoring categories.  The 3 Series Touring makes towing seem effortless. In no small part that’s down to the engine, which whisks car and caravan from 30-60mph in just 7.3 seconds. Some of the cars tested here would struggle to match that without a caravan, let alone when towing.

“Power counts for nothing without control, though, and the 3 Series is exceptionally stable as well as seriously swift. Whether towing or driving solo, the eight-speed automatic gearbox responded quickly and smoothly.  Strong resale values and impressive fuel economy should keep running costs down.”

BMW Performance Driving School Sets Guinness World Drift Record With BMW M5 Saloon

The legendary BMW M5 Saloon shattered the Guinness World Record for longest sustained drift at the BMW Performance Centre near Greenville, South Carolina on Saturday, May 11, 2013, with BMW Performance Centre Instructor Johan Schwartz behind the wheel. The record-breaking attempt generated ­­­over $20,000 in charitable donations benefitting the BMW Charity Pro-Am.

The M5 exceeded the previous record set in February in Abu Dhabi by 47.71 miles. A total of 322.5 laps were completed around the 841-foot (circumference) Performance Centre skid pad, providing a total distance-travelled of 51.278 miles. The M-DCT transmission-equipped BMW M5 Saloon was an unmodified car from the BMW Performance Centre school fleet.   

Focus on technology: BMW Adaptive Headlights

BMW headlight technology now includes an industry-leading innovation that benefits the driver, passengers and other road users. This new system monitors the road ahead and automatically varies the beam distribution of the headlights to maximise illumination of the road, without glaring on-coming traffic. This ensures improved visibility and safety during night-time and poor weather driving conditions.

The system works by combining the functionality of BMW Adaptive Headlights with BMW High-beam Assistant to pioneer an advanced intelligent headlight system. First introduced on the new 7 Series, as part of the optional Adaptive LED Headlights, this impressive functionality is now also available with Xenon Headlights on new 3 Series Saloon and Touring models equipped with the optional Visibility package.

It is activated in the vehicle by pressing the High-beam Assistant button located at the end of the left steering-wheel stalk. To see the system in action please visit the BMW YouTube page here.

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The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 29 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2012, the BMW Group sold about 1.85 million cars and more than 117,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2011 was euro 7.38 billion on revenues amounting to euro 68.82 billion. At 31 December 2011, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 100,000 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last eight years.

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