The main objective behind this initiative is to reach out to the maximum number of customers in an environment where they spend most of their time while shopping. This in turn saves time of the potential customer where he does not needs to drive specifically to a BMW showroom.

To enhance customer experience, BMW is in the process of introducing an additional role to the dealers, namely a Product Genius (PG). The objective here is to cater to customer’s needs  with a sales adviser who has indepth knowledge about BMW technology and products. The customer has to just give the inputs as to what he needs and rest should be left for the PG to handle – a stress free customization.

In August 2008 BMW launched a BMW Studio at Janpath, New Delhi which was also on a very similar concept. However the inauguration of the studio was to mark the arrival of BMW in India and win the confidence of the people by showcasing the cars along with BMW merchandise and hospitality – I would say in India, BMW started with a perfect strategy.

In India, BMW is currently ruling the sales charts in the luxury segment purely because of the wonderful lineup. However India is one of the fastest growing economies, incomes are now inversely proportion to the age. The segment of customers which BMW is targeting will always have a soft corner for the brand which treats them like no other, understand their needs and provides them world class products – hence Product Genius concept in India will help BMW in offering something unique to its customers.

Audi and Mercedes have both announced entry level luxury sedans that would sit under existing executive sedans. Audi is developing a sedan version A3 and Mercedes has already previewed the CLA with the Concept CSC IAB readers are in love with.

BMW was very mum about this segment. However Autocar reports that BMW is keen on developing a four door sedan based on the new 1 Series hatchback that will rival the Audi A3 sedan and Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan previewed by the Concept CSC. Considering both these cars will be launched in the 18-25 lakh rupees price bracket, one can easily say that even the Passat, Superb and Accord will feel the heat.

The new BMW 1 Series sedan will be a rear-drive and will be pitched as the spiritual successor to the E30 generation 3 Series four-door. A set of four- and six-cylinder engines will be on offer and an all-electric version is also under consideration. Four-wheel drive will be an option.

This new 1 series sedan will play a crucial role in helping the brand hit worldwide sales of two million units by 2020.

If BMW is able to replicate the success of the X1 with the new 1 Series sedan, we can definitely say that luxury motoring will be in the reach of masses; of course by that I mean ‘diesel’ luxury motoring.

[Source: autocar.co.uk]

Some four years after the launch of the 7 Series, BMW has made a few minor tweaks to keep the 7er fresh and happening. Let’s get down to business; So what has changed?

2013 BMW 7 Series Exterior Design

• The most obviously visible change is the new LED headlamps with corona rings
• An updated kidney grill with 9 chrome slats instead of 12.
• A revised front bumper
• New turn indicators under the revised mirrors
• A thin chrome strip joining the two reflectors at the rear
• The new 7 Series sits 8mm lower than the predecessor

[can't see the video above? Head over to the Youtube page to see it]

2013 BMW 7 Series Interior Design

• The rear legroom has been enhanced by adding 5.5 inches to the wheelbase
• Redesigned front leather seats
• A new 1,200-watt Bang & Olufsen High End Surround Sound System

• Optional Rear Seat Entertainment package
• A customizable digital instrument display
• An updated iDrive system with 3D navigation display
• New ambient lighting and extra sound deadening material

[can't see the video above? Head over to the Youtube page to catch it]

2013 BMW 7 Series Engines

Diesels

• The 730d will get the 3.0-liter inline-six with 255hp
• The 740d will get the 3.0-liter inline-six with 309hp
• 750d xDrive will get 3.0-liter tri-turbocharged inline-six diesel with 375hp and 740Nm. It sprints from 0-100km/h is 4.9 seconds and to a limited top speed of 250km/h (155mph)

Petrols

• The 760i with get a 6.0-liter bi-turbo V12 with the same 537hp
• The 750i gets a revised 4.4-liter turbo V8 producing 444hp and 650Nm
• The 740i gets a 3.0-liter twin-turbo churning out 315hp and 450Nm
• The 730i gets a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated straight-six rated at 255hp (258PS) and 310Nm

The 2013 7 Series also comes in an ActiveHybrid7 variant which gets a 3.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine with 315hp that is paired to a 54hp electric motor. The system’s combined output is 349hp with a peak torque of 500Nm. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds while returning 14 kmpl.

The new 7 Series models get a self-leveling rear air-suspension as standard. Stiff competition is around the corner in the form of the all-new S Class (Code – W222) that is expected to reach global markets early next year.

The new 7 Series  is expected to arrive in US showrooms during July. It will definitely make it to Indian shores in the months to follow. We expect testing to begin in India later this year. The interesting piece of information is that Mercedes in grooming the S300 to start a price war in the flagship sedan market. Assembly of the 7 Series began earlier this year in Chennai.

Will BMW take up the challenge with an economy variant? Let’s wait and find out!

[Source: bmwblog.com]

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

First up is the BMW X4 which has maximum chances of making it to India. The BMW X4 is a similar but smaller version of the BMW X6. It will be a crossover between a coupe and an SUV and will be the entry level SAV (Sports Activity Coupe). Codenamed F26, the BMW X4 will be built on the existing X3 platform and will feature a coupe like roofline.

A range of  four and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines will find their home under the bonnet. The ZF eight-speed automatic will do the cog shifting duties. The X4 will target the Land Rover Evoque, as well as the forthcoming Audi Q6 and Porsche Macan models.

Moving on to 4 Series, BMW will split the 3 series line up into 3 and 4 series. The artist rendering reveals a exquisite coupe that will compete against the Audi A5 and the upcoming baby SLS.

The artist has done a brilliant job with the 4 Series rendering and if the production model looks anything like that, BMW has a winner in their hands. Of course IAB readers have already been told why BMW invented the 4 Series.

BMW’s biggest challenge would to demarcate the 4 Series and the 5 Series in terms of style, design and equipment. Just like the X4 would be a cheaper X6, the 4 Series will be a cheaper 6 Series. The 4 Series Coupe will be offered in three lines: Sports, Modern and Luxury. It will make use of existing 3 Series engine but with more power.

[Source: BMWBlog.com]

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

The survey also calculated the brand’s net worth. Here is the list of the 10 top automotive brands and their net worth (in billions) according to the survey.

• BMW  : $24.6
• Toyota : $21.8
• Mercedes : $16.1
• Honda: $12.7
• Nissan : $9.9
• Volkswagen: $8.5
• Ford: $7.0
• Audi : $4.7
• Hyundai : $3.6
• Lexus : $3.4

While it can be argued that Toyota may have dropped its ranking owing to the ‘unintended acceleration’ debacle, but let’s just face it – the Japanese Automaker has had one of the toughest year in recent times. According to the results, BMW’s brand value rose 10 percent over the past 12 months to $24.62 billion while Toyota’s dipped 10 percent to $21.78 billion.

The survey mentions that most German brands have benefited from strong demand in China which is one of the biggest market for most luxury carmakers.

Surprisingly, despite of being the biggest automaker for 2011, none of the brands from General Motors stable have made it to the list.

Though, BMW won the honors for automotive marquees, it could only be placed 23rd in the overall brand ranking. Apple, the technology giant, was the the overall winner with a $182.9 billion valuation, ahead of IBM ($116 billion) and Google ($107.9 billion).

Brand value is intangible. It cannot be accurately measured, but surveys like these do give us a rough estimation of masses’ car buying aspirations.

Source: millwardbrown.com

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

Luxury marquees are very fastidious about their image. In fact, the make sure that they drape every slightest negative term such as ‘stripped out’ with extremely positive words like ‘Corporate Edition’. But then again, they have to because they are not selling cars, they are selling aspirations.

But whose aspirations would lead them to buy this BMW X1 Beggar’s Edition? According to ChinaCarTimes, BMW will soon launch a BMW X1 ‘Qi Gai Ban’ which translates into ‘Beggar edition.’ As the name suggests, it does not have much in terms of equipment. The headlamps have been replaced with simple units. The head lamp washers have been ditched and so is the tail lamps braking light.

On the inside, the steering mounted controls, GPS/Entertainment console, leather trimming, automatic gear box – all of them gone!

Not surprisingly, this BMW X1 Beggar’s Edition is 3 lakh cheaper than the previous entry level BMW X1 in China.

BMW has been known to create some really interesting advertisement for their cars. It would be interesting to see how BMW China manages to market this model.

[Source: ChinaCarTimes.com via BitAuto.com]

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.

The 7 Series LCI has changes not only on its skin, but under it as well. Auto Zeitung has added a new twist to the 7 Series LCI’s tale by claiming that the new corporate identity will be used on the facelift, which is with reference to its front fascia.

Without squinting, you can see how the kidney grille connects with the headlights using a path of chrome, reminiscent of the 3 Series’ front fascia. This maybe a signature design touch of all future BMW models. The 7er LCI also gets redesigned headlights with eyebrows hosting the turn indicators. The front bumper is modified as well. A darker tail light is expected to appear on a modestly revised rear.

In the cabin, BMW has played around with the trims and colors and is said to offer redesigned gauge clusters. A new iDrive system with a touchpad surface is expected to premiere on the LCI that lets drivers and passengers enter numbers using gestures.

Under the hood, BMW is said to have made up its mind in offering a twin-turbo diesel engine that displaces 3 liters on the 750xd variant. It produces a healthy 381 horsepower. Across the engine range, the 6-speed auto transmission will be replaced by the 8-speed automatic manufactured by ZF.

[Source - AutoZeitung.de]

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

The company has confirmed this development on its website by updating the technical specifications. The website fails to show anything on the 523i. The 520i features instead, motored by a 2-liter engine that outputs 184hp/270Nm.

Sources confirm to IndianAutosBlog.com that BMW dealerships in some part of India are takings bookings for 520i. The ex-showroom price is pipped to be around 40 lakh rupees.

BMW’s bread and butter variant in the 5 Series lineup continues to remain as the entry-level diesel (520d) without a doubt. BMW assembles most variants of the 5 Series at its CKD plant in Chennai alongside the X1, 3 Series, X3 and 7 Series.

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.

The X7 will be based on the same X5 modular platform with luxury DNA injected from the 7 series. It will use all the materials and technology from the 7 Series and will be the ultimate SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) that BMW can offer for the immediate future.

The proposed X7 is not just a super-sized X5 , some designs equal a car with a more progressively sloping roofline which enhances its luxury credentials as well as a more luxury inspired interior. A BMW X7 being based off the X5 and using 7er technology in both material and drivetrain would be a profitable choice for BMW , protecting the RR brand and offering customers the ultimate BMW SAV in a position to take a significant advantage out of the high end luxury SUV segment.

Just like the X6 SAC (Sports Activity Coupe) sits above the X5, the proposed X8 will sit above the X7 platform as the ultimate SAC that BMW has to offer to complete its range. While the probability of the X8 going into production is termed as ‘medium’ by BMWBlog, there is a good chance that this car could actually be re-invented within the BMW i brand as the BMW i6.

We are already aware that BMW will add another member to the X family in 2014 in the form of the X4. In essence, the X4 will be smaller X6 based on the X3 platform. This entry level SAC will be positioned below the X5 SAV and will have a a swooping, X6-like roofline. The BMW X4 will also inherit the engine lineup from the X3, including both four and six-cylinder petrol and gasoline engines.

What remains to be seen is whether BMW will develop a product to compete with the Audi Q2 and under which range would the product be sold. BMW has already used up the X1 moniker for its entry level crossover. The X2 moniker is still vacant in the lineup with no product in sight till 2017.

[Source: BMWblog.com via AutoBild.de]

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.

Facelift Changelog

BMW traditionally introduces its technologies in the 7 Series lineup before implementing them on their low-end sedans. This facelift has something new in mechanical aspect, yes BMW might add the new tri-turbocharged inline 6-cylinder diesel engine that puts out 375 horses and 740 Nm of torque.

On the exterior, the following are the changes

•  Redesigned bumpers
•  New headlamp LED strips
•  Redesigned front kidney grilles
•  New alloy wheel design

BMW 7 Series – So far so good

Internationally BMW’s sales figures of the 7 Series are quite impressive with first-quarter global sales volume of 17,786 units (Q1 2011: 14,817 units) recording an increase of 20.0%. There is a reason why we mention its sales figures as here in India it may have to deal with a price war when Mercedes pitches the S300 that’s in the pipeline.

Mercedes S300 – BMW 7 -series – The Price Factor

It is almost a year since Mercedes started testing its S300 which falls under same category of 7 Series. IAB had a chance to to see the S300 during a plant visit in Chakan three months ago which means that S300 is ready to be launched. But Merc seems to keep the S300 in the dark so that the S300 can be brought out just as the new 7 Series is launched.

Now imagine yourself what happens when Merc drops the S300′s price to around 75 lakhs. Customers will be tempted to take a look at the S-Class as the brand equity of both these nameplates are more or less equal. Mercedes may use the economy model in the premium segment as a ploy to regain some market share which it has lost to Audi and BMW in recent months.

[Source - CarScoop.Blogspot.com]