BMW TWIN TURBO INLINE SIX-CYLINDER ENGINE DEFENDS ITS TITLE OF "INTERNATIONAL ENGINE OF THE YEAR"

For ten years now, the BMW Group has led the world's most prestigious engine
competition. The result in 2008: Awards for four BMW engines and a MINI power
unit.

Munich / Stuttgart. With six awards for five engines gained at this year's
"International Engine of the Year Awards", BMW has successfully defended its
position as the world's leading manufacturer of efficient high-performance
power units. For the second time in succession, the 3-liter inline six engine
with Twin Turbo and High Precision Injection has won the overall ranking in
this most significant international engine competition. In addition, the 300 hp
engine employed in the BMW 3 Series and 5 Series, the BMW 1 Series Coupe and
Convertible, as well as the new BMW X6, repeated last year's victory in the 2.5
to 3-liter engine category.

Only one engine had previously ever succeeded in repeating overall victory at
the "International Engine of the Year Awards": the 5-litre V10 high-revving
engine employed in the BMW M5 Sedan, M6 Coupe and M6 Convertible received top
honors in 2005 and 2006. This year the 500 hp high-end power unit won the
"Above 4-liter" category. BMW M GmbH was successful in posting another winner:
the 414 hp V8 engine in the new BMW M3 won the category for engines in the 3 to
4 liter category. Furthermore, the 2-liter four-cylinder diesel with Variable
Twin Turbo technology employed in the BMW 123d received the award for "Best New
Engine" of the 2008. And the 1.6-liter four cylinder with Twin Scroll
Turbocharger and direct gas injection employed in the MINI Cooper S managed to
repeat last year's win in the 1.4 to 1.8 liter class.

For the first time in the history of the competition, the title "Best New
Engine of the Year" has been awarded to a diesel engine. The 204 hp
four-cylinder diesel with Variable Twin Turbo has earned this award due to a
unique combination of performance and efficiency. As the world's first
full-aluminum diesel engine, it delivers specific output of more than 100 hp
per liter of displacement. At the same time, in the BMW 123d, it delivers
average fuel consumption of 5.2 liters/100 km in an EU test cycle, equivalent
to 45 miles/US gallon, and a CO2 emission level of 138 grams per km. This
renders it a fine example of the BMW EfficientDynamics development strategy in
action.

With its current win of six trophies, the BMW Group continues to dominate the
engine competition which has been held now for ten years. The repeated success
of the Twin Turbo inline six engine is the sixth overall victory for the
company since the foundation of the "International Engine of the Year Awards"
in 1999. The bandwidth of the BMW Group's currently successful engines is also
remarkable. They range from the 172 hp four cylinder of the MINI Cooper S to
the two high-revving power units produced by the BMW M GmbH.

The "International Engine of the Year Award" has been presented since 1999 by
an international jury consisting of highly prominent car journalists. This year
the team of experts comprises 65 top journalists from 32 nations which include
the USA, Japan, China, Russia, India, Germany, France, New Zealand, Korea and
South Africa and, this year, Romania and Poland. Prizes are awarded for eleven
categories as well to the winner of the overall rating. The award ceremony will
be held on 7th May during the "Engine Expo 2008" in Stuttgart.

For questions please contact:

Corporate Communications

Stefan Behr, Spoekesman BMW Automobiles
Telephone: +49-(0)89-382-51376, Fax: +49-(0)89-382-20626

Dirk Arnold, Product Communications BMW Automobiles
Telephone: +49 (0)89-382-12325, Fax: +49 (0)89-382-20626