Indian Autos blog

Known for inventing whole new range of cars, BMW has taken the maximum risk when it comes to product lines. Some worked in favor like the BMW X1 and X6 while others like the BMW Gran Turismo bombed quite badly. But that doesn’t stop BMW from trying its luck over and over again.

The Bavarian auto giant is all set invent 2 new product lines – BMW X4 and the 4 series Coupe.

Now you can say that BMW is to cars what Apple is to technology. In the latest release of the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, BMW bagged the number one position for the automotive brands of the world.

The Bavarian giant dethrones Toyota from the number one spot which it won in last year’s survey.

click through for the top 10 list of automotive brands

Special edition models are pretty usual in the auto market. Sometimes they are about creating classics, sometimes they are about clearing inventory, but most of the time they are about pushing up sales figures.

But BMW is about to introduce something quite surprising (well ‘shocking’ is the right word) in the Chinese market.

In the US, BMW will introduce the 7 Series facelift (LCI) in July and perhaps by the end of 2012, one can expect it to grace the Indian dealerships.

The bigger development is that BMW India has started assembling the 7 Series at its Chennai plant and will be eager to begin selling this model as the new A8 and the upcoming S-Class can leave the 7 Series behind very quickly.

As this image shot in a parking lot reveals, BMW India has developed a new variant for the 5 Series range in India. BMW is introducing a new four-pot two-liter petrol engine on the next generation 3 Series expected to launch in a month or two. The engine under the 520i’s bonnet is suspected to be the same motor calibrated and modified suitably to fit the new application.

BMW India is introducing the 520i as the doorway to the 5 Series range in India, replacing the 523i with this more spirited performer.

If you think that overdose of ‘Q’ range of crossovers from Audi was alarming, wait till you hear what BMW has planned for its ‘X’ range.

BMWblog reports that the Bavarian giant has already started discussing the possibility of a BMW X7 and BMW X8 to counter the incoming Bentley SUV and Lamborghini Urus.

The X7 will be a high end luxury SUV that would sit above the X5 and directly compete with the new Range Rover, Bentley SUV and Lamborghini Urus.

IAB recently brought to you details about the early prototype of 7 Series here. Now the news is that BMW is ready with the 7 Series facelift which has been on test since mid-2011. The 7 Series brand turns 35 years old this year and the current model, after being on the market for three years, gets a mild facelift and new engine options.

BMW’s CEO Nobert Reithofer confirmed the launch of the new 7er in July through a conference call, CarScoop.BlogSpot.com has reported. However when its wheels will tread on India is still unknown. BMW has silently started assembling the current line-up of 7 Series models in Chennai and may look to bring this vehicle to the market as soon as they can.

click through to read on

BMW 3 Series Coupé test mules, to be christened as the 4 Series, codenamed ‘F32’ were caught off-guard! This is the first time BMW has decided to split the 3 Series platform into two distinct badges. It is expected to target the A5/S5 coupé/convertibles and the critically acclaimed RS5 coupé from Audi’s stable.

[can't see the video? Head over to the Youtube page for direct viewing]

So, why call it 4 and not 3 Series Coupé as before?

click through to find out