December News in Brief

• BMW Connected Music now available for three years.
• Five category wins in Carbuyer and DrivingElectric awards.
• BMW 3 Series crowned carwow Car of the Year following YouTube poll.
• Triple BMW victory at Professional Driver Magazine’s Car of the Year 2019.
• Dual 3 Series wins at Business Car magazine awards.
• BMW retains the title of best performing car manufacturer in FN50 reliability survey conducted by Fleet News.

BMW is delighted to close a busy year with the announcement of multiple award successes and an extension of its Connected Music offering. Acknowledgement by prestigious consumer awards and industry experts recognises the BMW brand’s investment in the continual development of its model range and powertrain technologies. The brand’s positioning as the FN50’s best performing car manufacturer demonstrates that BMW backs up its multiple award wins with unrivalled reliability.

BMW Connected Music now available for three years
The BMW Group leads the way when it comes to connectivity between driver, vehicle and the outside world, and has successfully done so by offering a variety of intelligent services under the roof of BMW ConnectedDrive.

Today, customers are given even more opportunity to take advantage of services with the opportunity to use BMW Connected Music free of charge for the first three years. This allows the driver to enjoy direct access to music and spoken content from their vehicle, even without a smartphone.

With access to more than 50 million music tracks from BMW's music partners Spotify, Deezer or Napster via the SIM card in the vehicle, customers simply need to login using their access credentials.

Where the service is fitted to a vehicle that also includes the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, Connected Music can be completely controlled via voice. Search for an artist, track or playlist, add a song to your favourites and download tracks directly to the vehicle hard drive, all via simply speaking to your vehicle and without taking your hands off the wheel or eyes off the road.

This service is available on vehicles fitted with the new BMW Operating System 7.0.

Five category wins in Carbuyer and DrivingElectric awards
BMW’s latest models and drivetrain technologies received widespread acclaim at the 2020 Carbuyer and DrivingElectric awards. In the Carbuyer results, announced today, the 1 Series won the Best Small Luxury Car award, the 3 Series triumphed in the Best Compact Executive Car category and the 5 Series took home the trophy for Best Large Executive Car.

James Batchelor, Editor-At-Large and Head of Motoring Video, said: “It’s all change for the BMW 1 Series, with striking new looks and a departure from rear-wheel drive. Remarkably, it still delivers BMW driving thrills along with improved tech and a more flexible, more spacious interior.”

He added that 3 Series comfort is better than ever, that it is “still the top pick for drivers in the compact executive class,” and that engines “set the standard.”

Of the 5 Series win, which he stated builds on the model’s impressive track record at the awards, he said: “Our Best Large Executive Car again for 2020, it’s great to drive, economical, boasts superb powertrains and comes with more equipment than you might expect.”

The 330e won the Best Medium Plug-in Hybrid Car category in the DrivingElectric awards, while the X5 xDrive45e was victorious as the Best Premium Plug-in Hybrid Car.

Vicky Parrot, Associate Editor, said: “BMW’s boast of building ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ still holds true in the era of the plug-in hybrid. Yes, the 330e is ever so slightly heavier than its petrol and diesel siblings, but it’s still fantastic to drive and throws rock-bottom running costs into the bargain. Sharp looks and a great interior complete the picture.”

Of the Premium category win, she went on to praise the X5 for its pure-electric range of over 50 miles, low CO2 figure and driving dynamics.

BMW 3 Series crowned carwow Car of the Year following YouTube poll
Carwow viewers voted the BMW 3 Series their Car of the Year after it secured 42 per cent of votes cast.  The 3 Series resoundingly beat 14 other category winners to the overall title, having already enjoyed success in the Family category due to, according to the awards, its blend of quality, style, in-car technology and driving dynamics.

The awards praised the 3 Series for being an “everyday family car that oozes quality, is easy to use, is practical and also great to drive,” before concluding that, “it’s a brilliant car.”

Triple BMW victory at Professional Driver Magazine’s Car of the Year 2019
Professional Driver Magazine has awarded BMW three sought-after honours at the publication’s annual awards ceremony. The BMW X7 was crowned ‘Luxury SUV of the Year’, the BMW 5 Series Touring took home the ‘Executive Estate Car of the Year’ title and the BMW 7 Series Plug-in hybrid was voted ‘Green Executive Car of the Year’ by Britain’s chauffeurs.

Professional Driver Editor Mark Bursa said: “BMW has backed the chauffeur sector strongly over the years, and its latest models are starting to make real inroads.”

Commenting on the X7, he added: “The world is becoming SUV-shaped, and many chauffeurs know that a lot of their clients, especially from America and the Middle East, prefer an SUV to a saloon. The X7 is a genuine six-passenger luxury vehicle, with operating costs that match a large saloon.”

The 745Le’s victory in the Green Executive Car of the Year category is significant as, from January 2020, chauffeurs wishing to licence a new car in London must have plug-in hybrid technology. Mark Bursa commented: “With striking looks, and incredible levels of luxury and refinement, the BMW 745Le is an ideal replacement for a diesel saloon for chauffeurs.”

The BMW 520d Touring also found favour with chauffeurs. Mark Bursa said: “There are areas in which an estate car can beat a saloon – such as rear headroom and boot space. And the unbeatable combination of practicality and driveability makes the BMW 520d Touring a worthy winner of the Executive Estate Car of the Year award for 2019.”

The Professional Driver Awards are among the most rigorous in the automotive industry. There are nine categories in total, and a two-day judging event is held in September. The Professional Driver Car of the Year is chosen from the nine category winners, and the awards were announced at the Professional Driver Awards dinner on November 21, 2019.

Dual 3 Series wins at Business Car magazine awards
Another prestigious awards event that recognised the new 3 Series was run by Business Car magazine. Following rigorous evaluation by a strict judging panel, the 3 Series was named Best Premium Car. The panel praised the range for “setting a new benchmark” in a competitive sector, by offering, “exceptionally efficient engines, high-quality interiors and a superb driving experience.”

Of the 3 Series’ win in the New Company Car of the Year category, as voted for by the magazine’s readers, Business Car editor, Simon Harris, said: “The BMW 3 Series has moved the game on in an extremely competitive sector of the market, where the tiniest margins can make a difference in people’s preferences. Our readers recognised its breadth of ability and strong appeal.”

BMW retains the title of best performing car manufacturer  
Research into more than 650,00 cars operated by the country’s biggest 50 leasing companies has found that, once again, according to the FN50 survey, BMW has topped the reliability charts and retained the title of best performing car manufacturer for the fifth year running.

The FN50 reliability survey, undertaken by Fleet News, is an annual reliability survey that asks contract hire companies to assess reliability according to warranty claims and the number of breakdowns per model on their fleet. BMW’s sustained success was secured by the popularity and reliability of the 3 Series and 5 Series, which both feature in the top three most reliable models.

Ends

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles and more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2018 was € 9.815 billion on revenues amounting to € 97.480 billion. As of 31 December 2018, the BMW Group had a workforce of 134,682 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based 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.
www.bmwgroup.com
www.bmw.co.uk
www.press.bmwgroup.com/united-kingdom/

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For further information please contact:

Chris Overall
BMW Media Relations Manager
Tel: 07815 370 990
Email: Chris.Overall@bmw.co.uk

Emma Begley
General Manager, Communications
Tel: 07815 371 062
Email: Emma.Begley@bmw.co.uk

Graham Biggs
Corporate Communications Director
Tel: 07815 376 867
Email: Graham.Biggs@bmw.co.uk