Woodcliff Lake, NJ – October 13, 2010 – 12:00pm EDT … BMW announces a base price of $37,625 for the all-new BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle®, which arrives in dealer showrooms by the end of the year. That is the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price for the refined, 240-horsepower X3 xDrive28i. The turbocharged, 300-horsepower X3 xDrive35i will have an MSRP of $41,925. Both prices include $875 Destination & Handling fee. Both models feature a standard 8-speed automatic transmission and BMW’s acclaimed xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive system.
BMW sparked the creation of today’s hottest industry segment with the 2004 introduction of the original BMW X3, a vehicle designed to be the best-handling light truck in the world – a true BMW – while affording its owners generous space and versatility to accommodate their active lifestyles. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the competition has been very sincere indeed. The impact of the original X3 became unquestionable as other manufacturers rushed to join its unique place in the market.
For the second-generation BMW X3, the designers and engineers took inspiration from every lesson learned in the original X3’s seven-year life cycle and forged two new models that extend the reach and strength of the original. More versatile than ever – with a rear seat that can fold in three sections, not just two. Faster. More fuel efficient. Refined. The new X3 will re-establish the benchmark for the segment the original X3 spawned.
The new BMW X3 features the latest in BMW ConnectedDrive technologies, including an available rearview camera with Top View. The most comprehensive integration for the latest Blackberry smartphone devices will be available, making it possible to read emails from the Navigation screen while stationary and, through innovative text-to-speech technology, listen to e-mails while driving. As a true representative of The Ultimate Driving Machine®, the X3 offers a number of options to enhance driving dynamics and active safety. The available Dynamic Handling package includes two firsts in a BMW Sports Activity Vehicle: Driving Dynamics Control and the new Performance Control which works with Dynamic Stability Control to combine individual wheel braking with light throttle to help counteract the effects of understeer and oversteer. Variable Sport Steering is also included with the package. Additionally, for the first time, the X3 will be available with BMW’s Head-Up Display as an option.
With a base price of $37,625 for the X3 xDrive28i, the all-new 2011 X3 also represents a notable jump in value over its 2010 predecessor, which started at $39,725. The 2011 X3 will include more standard equipment, including Bluetooth connectivity, iPod/USB interface, anti-theft alarm system, and on the X3 xDrive35i, standard BMW Xenon Adaptive Headlights. Produced exclusively at BMW’s Spartanburg, S.C. factory, the new X3 will be supported by a state-of-the-art ordering and manufacturing system. Customers will be able to make changes to their vehicle order until six days prior to the start of production.
The all-new BMW X3 – due to arrive in dealerships by the end of 2010
Model highlights – the all-new 2011 BMW X3 has been finessed beyond imagination. Introducing a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, an 8.8″ LCD screen and hard-drive based navigation system. The nav system’s maps show detailed 3D maps of some urban areas. These are just a few, but not all, of the exciting new additions to this BMW.
Detailed list of the 2011 X3′s new features:
• Second generation of the Sports Activity Vehicle with significantly increased space, optimised functionality and enhanced driving comfort.
• Strengthening of leading position in terms of agility and efficiency through new engines, eight-speed automatic transmission, innovative suspension technology and BMW EfficientDynamics.
• Two engine variants at time of market launch: BMW X3 xDrive20d with four-cylinder diesel engine (135 kW/184 bhp) and BMW X3 xDrive35i with straight six-cylinder petrol engine (225 kW/306 bhp).
• Auto Start Stop function featured for the first time in conjunction with six-cylinder engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.
• Four-wheel drive technology BMW xDrive harmonised for optimised driving dynamics featured as standard, Performance Control optional.
• Newly conceived suspension technology, electric power steering featured for the first time in a BMW X model, variable sports steering optional.
• First BMW X model with optional Damper Control and Dynamic Drive Control.
• Highest degree of interior variability thanks to folding and 40 : 20 : 40-split rear seat backrests, maximum luggage compartment volume: 1,600 litres.
• Range of BMW ConnectedDrive options unique in the segment: Head-up Display, Internet access, reversing camera with Top View.
Engine variants
BMW X3 xDrive20d: Straight four-cylinder diesel engine with aluminium crankcase, turbocharger and Common Rail direct injection, displacement: 1,995 cc, power output: 135 kW/184 bhp at 4,000 rpm, max. torque: 380 Nm at 1,750 – 2,750 rpm, acceleration [0 – 100 km/h]: 8.5 seconds, top speed: 210 km/h, average fuel consumption according to EU: 5.6 litres/100 km, CO2 emission according to EU: 149 g/km, exhaust emission standard: EU5.
BMW X3 xDrive35i: Straight six-cylinder petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo, direct injection and VALVETRONIC, displacement: 2,979 cc, power output: 225 kW/306 bhp at 5,800 rpm, max. torque: 400 Nm at 1,300 rpm, acceleration [0 – 100 km/h]: 5.7 seconds, top speed: 245 km/h, average fuel consumption according to EU: 8.8 litres/100 km, CO2 emission according to EU: 204 g/km, exhaust emission standard: EU5.
Watch the 2011 BMW in action on Youtube
The BMW Group is once again breaking new ground with the Megacity Vehicle (MCV), due to come onto the market in 2013: “The Megacity Vehicle is a revolutionary automobile. It will be the world’s first volume-produced vehicle with a passenger cell made from carbon. Our LifeDrive architecture is helping us to open a new chapter in automotive lightweight design. Indeed, this concept allows us to practically offset the extra 250 to 350 kilograms of weight typically found in electrically powered vehicles.” says Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of Management for Development.
“The drive system remains the heartbeat of a car, and that also applies to electric vehicles,” said Draeger. “Powertrains also remain a core area of expertise of Bayerische Motoren Werke. Electromobility and the hallmark BMW driving pleasure make an excellent match, if you go about things the right way. For this reason we are developing the powertrain for the Megacity Vehicle in-house – that includes the electric motor, the power electronics and the battery system.”
The electrification of a vehicle requires new concepts in vehicle architecture and body construction in order to exploit the potential of the new emission-free drive system to optimum effect. With the revolutionary LifeDrive concept, the BMW Group engineers are developing the car’s architecture from scratch and adapting it to the demands and conditions of future mobility. The goal: to offset the additional weight of an electric vehicle – typically 250 to 350 kilograms. To this end, the BMW Group is focusing on the innovative high-tech material carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP).
The LifeDrive concept consists of two horizontally separated, independent modules. The Drive module integrates the battery, drive system and structural and crash functions into a single construction within the chassis. Its partner, the Life module, consists primarily of a high-strength and extremely lightweight passenger cell made from CFRP. Furthermore, the new vehicle architecture opens the door to totally new production processes which are both simpler and more flexible, and use less energy.
The BMW Group is also aiming to be the force behind the best drive systems over the years ahead – systems boasting outstanding efficiency, performance and smoothness, even if it is electricity rather than fossil fuels that are converted into propulsion. To this end, the BMW Group is vigorously driving forward the technical development of electric powertrains. The BMW Group’s centre of expertise for electric drive systems brings together development, manufacturing and procurement specialists under one roof. All their efforts are focused on the implementation and typically BMW interpretation of the new generation of drive systems. Ultimately, electric vehicles not only provide a zero-local-emission and low-noise form of propulsion; their ability to deliver a totally new and extremely agile driving experience is also impressive.
The new architecture of the MCV also gives the vehicle designers additional freedom when it comes to creating a new aesthetic for sustainable urban mobility solutions.
The first documentation we have of the BMW logo is from 1915. It is commonly thought that the BMW logo was modeled after an airplane propeller with blades whirring in a blue sky background. But that is not the actual story of the logo. The logo evolved from the father company of BMW, Rapp Motor Works. When ownership of Rapp’s company changed, the company name eventually became Bavarian Motor Works and the logo was changed to represent the blue and white colors of the Bavarian flag. Over the years, the logo has been modified only slightly, with changes of the font in BMW and the border surrounding the logo.
The emblem was and is today BMW’s continuing promise to produce an outstanding product…over and over again.
At the premiere of the 17th BMW Art Car Jeff Koons unveiled and signed his car in front of 300 international VIP guests on June 1 in the Centre Pompidou, one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions for modern and contemporary art. It is the same place where Roy Lichtenstein back in 1977 first presented and signed his Art Car.
In the spirit of Calder, Stella, Lichtenstein, Warhol, BMW announced this year that the 17th Art Car created by Jeff Koons will race where the first rolling pieces of art by legendary artists raced – at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France on June 12-13, 2010. Koons’ canvas is a BMW M3 GT2, which was homologated to compete at this year’s running of the world’s most famous endurance race.
The Design Process
As part of his creative process, the artist collected images of race cars, related graphics, vibrant colors, speed and explosions. The resulting artwork of bright colors conceived by Koons is evocative of power, motion and bursting energy. Its silver interior along with the powerful exterior design, the Art Car will impart a dynamic appearance even when it’s standing still.
“These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy,” said Koons. “You can participate with it, add to it and let yourself transcend with its energy. There is a lot of power under that hood and I want to let my ideas transcend with the car – it’s really to connect with that power”.
Traveling back and forth to Germany many times since the February 2 announcement that Koons would create the 17th BMW Art Car, the artist has worked with the BMW engineering and design teams to conduct in-depth explorations of materials and application options that will prove crucial to optimizing both the aesthetic and aerodynamic attributes of the race car. Working with actual 3-D computer-aided design (CAD) models of the BMW M3 GT2, Koons could simulate the application of the graphic to the car’s surfaces and evaluate it from all angles.
Koons even donned a helmet and joined BMW’s American Le Mans Series race team for testing in Sebring, Florida, on February 23. Koons was able to experience the M3 GT2 at race speed to further inspire his design. As Koons describes it, he witnessed “the raw unfiltered performance” of the M3 GT2 from the seat of a historic BMW M1 race car. Koons also drove a BMW M3 Coupe on the circuit to further the dynamic exercise.
Under Koons’ direct guidance and supervision, his BMW Art Car was produced in assistance with a team of BMW engineers and designers at Schmid Design, outside Munich. The challenge to create the BMW Art Car had to do with using a light material and a design that would not interfere with the racecar’s aerodynamics and weight. Timing was also an issue, as there was only a two month window between the first design sketches and the Paris world premiere. This is why digital print on car wrapping vinyl was used covered by a double clear-coating to bring out the color. To apply hundreds of dynamic lines of Koons’ design onto the car, CAD designs were translated from 3D into 2D for the printing process and then painstakingly applied to the entire car as well as onto individual spare parts. Koons design incorporates many bright contrasting colors to communicate the aesthetics of power. The concept design was transformed into hard edged lines of color. Graphics of debris were added to the rear sides and back of the car to simulate the power of the car. Furthermore, two graphic rings on the rear of the car represent supersonic acceleration.
Koons and BMW
The germination of Koons’ collaboration with BMW began in 2003, when he expressed his desire to create a BMW Art Car. His relationship with BMW started more than two decades ago when he drove a BMW while residing in Munich, home to the BMW Group headquarters. Koons is known for his heartfelt appreciation of cars. Earlier this year he was even recognized by music icon Bono of U2 as one of the ideal artists to design a car that would make the world fall in love with automobiles again.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans race
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world’s oldest endurance race in all of sports car racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance, it is organized by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and runs on a circuit containing closed public roads. The race is designed not only to test a car and driver’s ability to be quick, but also to last over a 24-hour period.
French auctioneer and racing driver Hervé Poulain first had the idea of asking an artist to paint the car he himself would compete with. Taking up this initiative in 1975, American artist Alexander Calder painted a BMW racing car, thus laying the foundation. The Art Car experiment was soon continued: a year later, Calder Art Car co-driver Sam Posey introduced Frank Stella to the idea of BMW Art Cars when the New York-based artist covered a BMW with his typical grid-like pattern. Stella’s work was followed by a series of celebrated pop artists: Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. Apart from Rauschenberg’s Art Car, all these took part in the Le Mans 24-hour race, some of them enjoying remarkable success.
The BMW M3 GT2
Derived from the BMW M3 high-performance sports car, the BMW M3 GT2 boasts a 4.0-liter V8 engine with a maximum output of 500 bhp, an upgraded chassis, racing-caliber brakes, and extensive use of lightweight materials. Able to reach 100 mph in 3.4 seconds, the BMW M3 GT2 is rapidly emerging as a real first year contender at this year’s event.
BMW’s commitment to reducing fuel emissions has been awarded yet again. First in 2009 and now in 2010, the 335 six-cylinder diesel sedan (first released in 2009) has received the Kelley Blue Books’s award for being in the Top Ten Green Cars. The award does not only calculate fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions, it also takes into account the vehicle’s safety, comfort and driving enjoyment.
The 33d ranks superior in all these qualities. First, its fuel mileage is astounding at 23 mpg city, and 36 mpg hwy, netting an average range of 580 miles per tank. It is BMW’s most fuel-efficient passenger vehicle ever imported to the U.S. Second, there is no compromise in safety features or luxury. The editors of KBB are full of praise for the 335d, “To most passersby the 335d looks like any other BMW 3 Series. To the driver, however, the 335d is something truly special. To the styling, luxury, and refinement of the standard 3 Series, the 335d adds a six-cylinder diesel engine. Immediate power, robust acceleration and 36 miles per gallon fuel economy make us wish more cars featured a diesel option.”
BMW does not exclusively accommodate its diesel vehicles with excellent efficiency. Its whole fleet is comprised of vehicles that have been built with its principles known as EfficientDynamics. These principles include the use of lightweight components in key areas, improved technologies for powertrain efficiency, and planned sustainability for the long term reduction of emissions output and fuel consumption. BMW’s high standards of fuel efficiency and low emissions are unique in the auto industry. And they’re only improving.
