BMW Group Press Conference, Geneva Auto Salon 2016

Dialogue about R35 and i3:

Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG and Annette Gerlach, Presenter

Speech:

Dr. Ian Robertson (HonDSc), Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing BMW, Sales Channels BMW Group

Hello, it’s great to be back in Geneva!

Welcome to the legendary power of BMW M!

And this is the car which set the stage for that extraordinary success story.

The 2002 turbo was the most powerful car in the 02 Series, which became famous for its sporty, lightweight and compact sedans. It was also Europe’s first turbocharged production car.

Customers were thrilled by the 170 BHP, maximum speed of 211 km per hour and acceleration in the order of 7 seconds from 0 to 100. Back in 1973, it began the tradition of BMW’s compact, high-performance sports cars.

Today, I’m very proud to present a car which continues the spirit of the 2002 turbo - our first ever BMW M2 Coupé! It is the very “soul” of what BMW stands for. The strong heart of the BMW M2 Coupé is its three-litre straight-six Twin Turbo engine that delivers 370 hp and a sprint from 0 to 100 in 4.3 sec.

With benchmark agility and driving dynamics, and a highly emotional M design language, it has all it takes.

We’ve just completed the international media drive and the response was overwhelming: I quote, “the M2 is M in its purest form”, and “In a word, brilliant!” Market launch is next month and I’m delighted that there has already been very high demand for this car.

Now, for those who want an even more intense experience, here it is – the world premiere of the BMW M2 Coupé with M Performance Parts! All components are the result of BMW’s extensive racing experience and have been especially designed for the areas of aerodynamics, cockpit and suspension.  You’ll also find these parts on the BMW M2 MotoGP Safety Car, which debuts this season.

They feature an extensive range of aerodynamic components from carbon fiber as well as the first retrofitted coil-spring suspension.

Combined, they create a car without compromise.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Packed with power and once again setting the benchmark – that’s the BMW M2 – that’s the “ultimate driving machine”.

Thank you.

Speech:

Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen,

It’s great to be here again.

I have a personal connection to this generation - the second - of the BMW 7 Series. When I joined BMW in 1987, it had just been launched and it was a real inspiration for me.This particular car was built in 1993. Its generation was the first in decades to bring back twelve-cylinder engines made in Germany. This enabled the BMW 7 Series to take the lead in its segment because of the new technologies it could offer.

You see, the 7 Series has always been - and will remain - our pinnacle of innovation. It reflects our claim to leadership in the premium segment.

The sixth generation of the BMW 7 Series has been on the market since the end of last year and it has set new benchmarks in the luxury segment – in driving dynamics, efficiency, lightweight construction and driver assistance systems.

For the first time, we are now expanding our offering for the 7 Series lineup under the label of the BMW M and BMW i brands.

We already offer successful M Performance models for the 1 Series, 2 Series, X5 and of course there’s the brand-new X4 M40i. The M Performance models stand for a particularly dynamic driving experience. BMW i, on the other hand, underscores our commitment to be leader in innovation and new technologies. We now want to give customers the opportunity to experience ‘born electric’ in our BMW core brand as well. Transferring our expertise from BMW i, we will offer the 7 Series – and all other electrified BMW models – under BMW iPerformance as of July 2016.

These two models here perfectly represent the full scope and strength of our model portfolio.

The BMW 740e iPerformance combines the best of both worlds:

It is fitted with a 190 kW combustion engine as well as a new electric drive with an output of 83 kW.

• The fully electric range is 40 km.
• And the top speed in e-mode is 140 km/h.Combined, the two drivetrains accelerate the car to 100 km/h in just 5.6 seconds. It only needs 2.1 liters of fuel per 100km and emits 49 grams of CO2 per km in the current EU test cycle. The BMW 740e iPerformance offers the luxury, innovations and driving dynamics of a BMW 7 Series, with zero emissions in the electric driving mode.You’ll see, this car is sheer driving pleasure. I can personally vouch for that.And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s move on to this next BMW 7 Series vehicle. Customers have often asked us why there isn’t an M version of our flagship. We certainly take our customers’ wishes seriously, so here it is: Our first 7 Series M Performance model. This is the brand-new BMW M760Li xDrive – and today is its world premiere! This model is equipped with an M Performance 12-cylinder petrol engine – which means 610 horsepower and 800 Nm. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds.The new BMW M760Li xDrive will have its market launch as early as this year.
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The expansion of the BMW 7 Series lineup shows that the company is constantly evolving in order to exceed the requirements and desires of our customers.