While the new X3 is the focus of attention, getting it to be that required a significant focus on the existing BMW manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, SC. BMW has added 1.2 million square feet of floor space to the existing … Continue reading

A little over ten years ago BMW pulled the plug on the ‘English Patient’ known as Rover. The decision to purchase Rover did not serve either BMW or Rover well in the six years of BMW’s stewardship. It also brought … Continue reading

I have a confession to make. I own a 135i and I like it. I even like the looks of the 135i over its 3 series sibling. (I know, blasphemy.) But the car has the right size, right power, and the right … Continue reading

It’s been 10 years since I first drove a Toyota Prius at a Toyota press event. And just this past week, Chevrolet announced the pricing of its much anticipated Volt. In the interim a number of companies have produced a plethora of hybrid … Continue reading

Last August (on my since abandoned blog – who doesn’t have an abandoned blog?), I wrote the following: “Look for the Isetta name to pop up more often in the future. BMW is building a ‘sub-brand’ to market extremely efficient … Continue reading

Number ONE Strategy In the midst of a huge economic downturn, when car manufacturers are stumbling with product liability issues or just trying to stay solvent (or recover from bankruptcy), BMW is announcing and delivering new product at an astounding … Continue reading

We read them so you don’t have to. The ink is hardly dry on the pages of this 2010 book and yet the story is as old as time; hubris followed by a fall. While focusing on GM and Chrysler, … Continue reading

Start. In the beginning was the Cugnot artillery tractor. More than one version of the three-wheeled front-wheel-drive (FWD) steamer came off the drawing boards in the second half of the eighteenth century. The apocryphal story goes to the affect that … Continue reading

The BMW N55B30 represents the current workable technical edge of gasoline engine performance and economy. It is a state-of-the-art powerplant available in the 535i GT and soon the 535i from BMW. It is possible, that before long the N55B30 will … Continue reading