BMW BLOG

Shanghai Auto Show is the perfect opportunity for all the automarkers to showcase their latest, best and most expensive automobiles. While the U.S. market and not only, has been severely suffering from the economy donwnturn, the auto sales in the Chinese market have climbed five percent in March and it represents the only market where …..cars are still selling well.

BMW saw an opportunity in these and decided to bring the “big players”, in this case, the all new, high-end flagship BMW 760Li and of course, the “second twin”, the highly-awaited - by some- BMW X5 M. Insiders close to BMW have told us in the past few months that the main reason why we’re still seeing a 760 powered by a 6.0 liter V12 engine, is the….you guessed it right….the growing Chinese auto market and the need for high-end luxury vehicles. Hey, all these young millionaires need to live large, right?

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Shanghai Auto Show hosted the unveiling of the 2010 Audi Q7 facelifted version. Even though the makeover is not as profound as some might have expected, there are still many exterior design elements that improve the look of Audi’s high-end SUV.

Since it’s nor an SAV or SAC, the Q7 is competing directly with both the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle, but also with the newer Sports Activity Coupe, the X6. From a standpoint of price, the Audi Q7 qualifies as a better buy for many consumers looking for a German engineered SUV without breaking the bank.

But what if money was no issue? Could the new facelifted Q7 pull ahead of the X5/X6 team?

The facelift shows us a refreshed fascia with a new set of LEDs and a reworked single-frame grille with chrome accents. At the bottom, the redesigned bumper incorporates a set of fog-lamps, giving the overall front-end a more aggressive look.

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Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Shanghai Auto Show this year and as much as we wanted to report live the unveiling of the new BMW X5 M and the ultimate 7 Series model, 760Li, we will have to rely on some of our friends to helps us bring you the latest news since we are still committed to do so.

So, for the next 24 hours, stay tuned and more BMW news from the Shanghai Auto Show will be seen on here. BMW has also brought out their 5 Series GT along with the MINI Crossover Concept, but more on that later. For now, here is the BMW Press Conference presented by Ian Robertson and surprise, Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber F1 pilot and the team boss, Mario Theissen:

Ladies and Gentlemen –
Here we have here the world premiere of the BMW 7 Series with a new V12 engine. This is the most powerful BMW 7 Series in the world.

The new BMW 7 Series is the fifth generation of this luxury sedan. And since it is BMW’s flagship, it is also a pioneer in terms of innovative technology and design.

This luxury sedan has been on the market for just over six months now – and within that short space of time it has already been voted “Car of the Year” in Europe by readers of the magazine auto motor sport.

The BMW 7 Series you see here – a BMW 760 Li – is the most exclusive and prestigious vehicle in our range.

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New York International Auto Show opened its doors yesterday for the general public. Since we already attended the press days, we figured we will share with you some of the cars worth seeing there. Even though we’re BMW lovers, fans, whichever you want to call us and we highly recommend seeing the new BMW X6 M and the recently unveiled Z4 Roadster or the 2009 BMW 7 Series, we would like to show you some photos of cars that we found interesting.

Let’s start with the Fisker Karma, the first vehicle released by the Fisker Automotive Company. The Karma is powered by a innovative petrol engine/electric motors combination. The engine is mated with a generator to provide an electrical connection to the motors and also recharge the batteries and as such the electric motors are the only mechanical driving force connected to the wheels.

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Our traditional auto shows coverage continues with another usual topic, BMW vehicles displayed at various car shows. Even though BMW’s focus at the NYC Auto Show was on the world premiere of the new and first all-wheel-drive M car, the X6 M, several other new and older models were present as well.

The BMW Z4 Roadster delighted us with its presence, especially since two different versions were available, the “clean model”, a beautiful Deep Sea Blue sDrive35i and the “dirty” version of it, still an sDrive35i, but the one that is responsible for the Expressionf of Joy artwork.

To somewhat complete the “M family”, BMW brought out the E93 M3 Convertible along with the M6 “shark”. The 2009 BMW 7 Series was represented by the 750i and the more luxurious version, 750Li Individual.

To stay within the BMW Group, MINI introduced the John Cooper Works Convertible and the now well-known, MINI E. From all the displays and themes setup there by the automakers, MINI had by far the most ingenious fun, unusual and….funky…yes, that’s the word I was looking for and the below photo illustrates that.

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At each and every auto show it has become a tradition for us at BMWBLOG to “scoop” the competition as well and our favorite picks are always Mercedes-Benz - the traditional BMW competitor, Audi - the new contender, and of course, Lexus - the japanese luxury maker.

Mercedes-Benz brought the new E250 BlueTEC concept sedan to the NYC Auto Show, along with the E63 AMG, E-Class and many other models. Audi came with most of their US fleet, from the high-end, spectacular Audi R18 V10, the all new TT-S Roadster, Audi A3, S5 and you name it.

Lexus surprised everyone by displaying a racing version of their popular IS-F model, a quite stunning “Fast and Furios” type, orange painted vehicle that turned many heads here at NYC show. Of course, the HS 250h Hybrid was there to represent their green approach. Their new convertible IS C took a place on the main podium as well.

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Today at the New York International Auto Show , the Volkswagen Golf VI was declared the 2009 World Car of the Year. Previous World Car of the Year winners were the Mazda2 / Mazda Demio in 2008, the Lexus LS460 in 2007, the BMW 3-Series in 2006, and the Audi A6 in 2005.

Even though our favorite brand, BMW, has not won an award this year, we have to give the winners the proper respect. Keep in mind that these awards tend to be very controversial sometimes and more awards are handed out every year.

Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their on-going full-time professional work.

The big winner chose by the 59 international jurors is the VW MK VI Golf, one of the most popular cars that can be seen on the European roads. The other finalists were the the Ford Fiesta and the Toyota iQ.Initially, BMW was represented in the Word Car Of The Year category by the 2009 BMW 7 Series, while the BMW 135i Coupe ran for the World Performance Car. Read the rest of this entry »

After months of teasing and many rumors around their new crossover, Acura has unveiled the ZDX at the New York Auto Show, the first true competitor to the BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe.

Acura advertises the ZDX as being 75 per cent coupe and only 25 per cent SUV, and according to their Product Manager, here is where the main difference lays between their model and the X6.

With the risk of sounding biased or being called a fanboy, let me share with you my opinion: BMW has nothing to worry about! The X6 styling, design, stature and presence is far more impressive. While the teaser photos of the Acura ZDX were promising, seeing the car in person was disappointing.

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“Expression of Joy” has become one of the most popular phrases used within the BMW world these days. The successful marketing campaign that revolves around the new 2009 BMW Z4 is is accompanying the roadster at every auto show these days.

It started with Geneva Motor Show and now ended up in New York City. The “Expression of Joy” is the reverse process of making a car, where the car is used as a brush  and it’s the one painting the surroundings.

The idea was conceived by the South African artist Robin Rhode who decided to give “life” to the Z4.

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First let me start by apologizing for the slow posting today, it has been very busy here the NYC show and running around trying to capture the best photos and collect useful information.

As all of you know by know, the first SAV/SAC M version has been unveiled today by BMW. The X6 M is already a controversial product and from our discussions with BMW, they already know that. BUT, according to people that drove the car, the BMW X6 M is what to expect from an M and even more.

The X6 M handles and drives like a true M car, but instead of the naturally aspirated engine that BMW used in their M models, this new all-wheel-drive model is the first one to use the twin-turbo engines. In this case, a modified version of the V8 4.4 liter found in the xDrive50i or the BMW  7 Series.

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