Press Kit Model Year 2002: M3

Please download the attached pdf-files to read the full story on the M3 for 2002: File 1: "MY 2002 M3 Story" File 2: "MY 2002 M Product Highlights" File 3: "MY 2002 M3 Features" File 4: "MY 2002 M3 Specs" File 5: "MY 2002 M Car Pricing"

BMW M3 FOR 2002: NEW SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARBOX
AND DETAIL REFINEMENTS

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, November 15, 2001...For enthusiasts of ultimate
automotive performance, it's a magic name: BMW M3. Combining the all-around
excellence of the BMW 3 Series with the spectacular performance and handling
prowess that could only come from BMW M, the M3 is the formidable BMW sports
car that has won - again and again - the accolades of the world's motoring
critics while providing its buyers with real performance and equally real
practicality. Less than a year ago, BMW M, creator of all things M, brought
forth a new M3 - an all-new generation of this legendary sports car.

As has been traditional with the M3, it was the coupe model that appeared
first; a convertible variant followed soon thereafter. Predictably, the
independent experts took notice. In a June 2001 comparison test of the M3 coupe
and a key competitor, Car and Driver declared the M3 the winner. "Incredible
engine, sweet steering, silky gearbox, hi-fi driving experience" was how the
magazine characterized BMW M's new ultra-performance coupe.

In another comparison test, pitting the M3 against two key rivals, Automobile
Magazine (May '01) gave the BMW the edge and characterized it thus: "The BMW is
a more tactile car, more responsive and fractionally quicker. It's a bigger
challenge to drive, and that, ultimately, makes it a more rewarding purchase."

In August '01, Motor Trend compared the M3 coupe with two sports-car
competitors and concluded, "It's ironic that the M3 can do all that it does so
extremely well and still be a four-place machine with a useable back seat and a
real trunk."

And in its July 23, 2001 issue, AutoWeek found that the M3 convertible would
outperform BMW's own 0-60-mph time (5.1 seconds, vs. BMW's claim of 5.4 sec.).
"But numbers can't measure the grins this car elicits. We're talking ear to
ear. Toss it around a turn or through some cones and you're in danger of
grinning the whole top of your head off. Around here, we call the M3 simply
'The Car.' Says a lot, no?"

For 2002, these new-generation M3s begin a second model year with several
evolutionary changes and a revolutionary new transmission option:

- The optional Xenon headlights, now Bi-xenon, encompass low and high beams,
vs. just low beams before.

- Also optional is a new automatic control that switches on the headlights and
related lighting according to ambient light conditions.

- An in-dash CD player is newly standard.

- Radio-station presets are now included in the Vehicle and Key Memory system.
When a particular user unlocks the M3 with his or her remote, the presets last
set by that user are re-captured.

- Also new inside is Titan Shadow trim, with a graphite-like color appropriate
to the M3's high-technology character.

- The available BMW Onboard Navigation System, encompassing GPS navigation and
many other useful functions, has been updated with a larger, easier-to-read
color monitor and optimized controls.

- Topaz Blue Metallic, has been added to the exterior color selection, Fern
Green Metallic discontinued.

- The biggest news is the Sequential Manual Gearbox, offered as an option on
both M3 models. Building on technology that is now virtually universal in
Formula 1 racing cars, SMG affords sports-oriented drivers a means of
absolutely optimizing performance - or making driving more effortless,
according to the driver's wishes. Details follow.

As in 2001, two M3 models are offered: coupe at $46,545, convertible at
$54,545. Both base prices are up a nominal $500 from '01, reflecting the
increased standard equipment; both include destination charge.