Showing posts with label BMW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BMW. Show all posts
Geneva Preshow: AC Schnitzer Turns the BMW 550i into the 540HP ACS5 Sport S Saloon
AC Schnitzer has prepared two production ready concept cars for this year's edition of the Geneva motor show. We've already told you about the first car, the diesel-powered 99d that is based on the BMW Z4 roadster, so here's the tuning firm's second proposal. The ACS5 Sport S Saloon is based on the latest BMW 550i sedan and is said to feature numerous performance and styling upgrades, though AC Schnitzer is keeping mum about most of the details.
According to the tuning house, the 550i's twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine with 407HP and 600Nm has been modified to deliver 540HP and 750Nm, which helps the sedan model to complete the 0 to 100km/h (62 mph) sprint in 4.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). AC Schnitzer said that despite the power bump, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of the ACS5 Sport S are equivalent to the standard BMW 550i.
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AC Schnitzer 99d is a $205,500 BMW Z4 Fitted with a Diesel Engine that Returns 3.8lt/100km or 61.9 mpg
BMW's decision to create the new 'i' sub-brand for the growing number of eco-conscious buyers has apparently rubbed off its partners like AC Schnitzer, as the German tuning firm will be launching a production ready concept based on the Z4 hardtop-roadster at next week's Geneva motor show.
Developed as an eco-friendly sports car that adapts to AC Schnitzer's new motto "Efficient Performance", the 99d gets its name from its CO2 emission levels and the diesel powerplant housed under its hood.
More specifically, the tuning house fitted the Z4 with the BMW 320d Efficient Dynamic's 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. After some performance upgrades, the four-pot's output was lifted from 163HP and 380Nm, to 190HP and 420Nm.
AC Schnitzer says the 99d can go from naught to 100km/h (62mph) in 6.9 seconds en route to a top speed of 235km/h (146mph), while returning an impressive fuel consumption of 3.8lt/100km (61.9 mpg US) with CO2 emissions of just 99.18 g/km.
To achieve these striking numbers, the German tuner also reduced the roadster's weight by 230kg (507 pounds).
"With the AC Schnitzer 99d, we've succeeded in building the previously inconceivable: an up-rated performance vehicle whose CO2 emissions have been reduced to 99 g/km and which, despite its sustainability, offers pure driving pleasure. That's Efficient Performance by AC Schnitzer," the company said in a brief statement.
According to the tuner, the price of the 99d is €149,000 or about US$205,500 at today’s exchange rates, but that's about all the details AC Schnitzer is willing to release before unveiling the car at the Geneva Salon.
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BMW Bankruptcy Bust Up in the Bush: The Price of Luxury Car Loans Down Under
AU$18 million or about US$18.1 million at the current exchange rates. That’s how many Australian dollars some 226 plus Aussies owe BMW’s unimaginatively named financial arm "BMW Finance". The Bavarian automotive giant is now perusing bankruptcy proceedings against these persons in Australia’s Federal Magistrates’ Court in an effort to recoup the debt from hundreds of unpaid car loans.
It’s all rather depressing, really, especially in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis. Take one man who bought an AU$80,000 Lexus on credit shortly before he lost his AU$110,000 job. Or the woman who signed her name on a car loan for her and her husband, only to have him leave her and get stuck with the debt. "They repossessed the car, but they still want [AU]$25,000. I don't know what to do,” said the 34 year-old.
That the woman earns just AU$36,000 a year is of no concern to BMW Finance. Peter Malone, a bankruptcy expert at CRS Warner Kuegel told the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper that creditors could, through a bankruptcy trustee, seize many of a debtor’s assets including their home, cash and shares.
Even if the car is repossessed or sold on, debtors still owe on the shortfall which can sometimes be big money. In Australia, one can be made bankrupt over as little as AU$5,000. Most of the claims the Herald Sun inspected fell into the AU$30,000 plus category, with one debtor owing a whopping AU$190,000.
It just goes to show that that old saying still stands up today, “They that dance must pay the fiddler.” Though in retrospect, why anyone would want to dance to a AU$190,000 tune is beyond my comprehension...
By Tristan Hankins
Source: Herald Sun
BMW Confirms New "i" Sub-Brand, will Launch with i3 EV City Car and i8 Plug-in Hybrid Sports Coupe in 2013
It's been a long time in the making, but the BMW Group today confirmed its new sub-brand called "i", with which it will market a new lineup of eco-friendly vehicles including regular and plug-in hybrids, and pure electric models as well as an additional range of mobility services.
The first models to be launched under the new sub-brand from 2013 are the BMW i3 and i8. The BMW i3 is an all-electric city car, which was previously known as the Megacity Vehicle, while the i8, is a plug-in hybrid sports car based on the Vision EfficientDynamics concept study unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
BMW said both models are based on a new construction concept called LifeDrive that makes use of an aluminium chassis to house the powertrain, while the passenger cell consists of high-strength but extremely lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). In addition, both the i3 and i8 will be manufactured at the firm's Leipzig plant and will share the same component sets for the electric motors, power electronics, and high-voltage lithium-ion batteries.
“Both cars have been designed specifically for their respective alternative drive systems," explains Klaus Draeger, BMW Board member responsible for development. "We used the innovative architecture and CFRP to cancel out practically all of the extra weight added by the batteries. For our customers this means superior driving dynamics combined with significantly increased range using electric power.”
While BMW did not disclose further details in today's announcement, the company recently revealed that the 1-Series ActiveE's electric synchronous motor with 168HP (125 kW) and 250 Nm of torque will be incorporated in the i3.
As for the i8, it is likely to combine the Vision ED concept model's 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbo diesel engine with a variant of the i3's electric motor. We'll remind you that the 2+2 seatd design study featured a 1.5-liter diesel engine and two electric motors for a total system output of 328 horsepower and a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 4.8 seconds with a combined fuel economy of 62.6 mpg US.
The BMW Group will also make use of the 'i' sub-brand to expand its range of mobility services. In addition to services developed in-house, the company is pursuing collaborations with partner companies.
The Bavarian automaker said that New York-based My City Way is the first company in which BMW i Ventures has taken a stake. Regarding the partnership, BMW's Ian Robertson said, “I am thrilled to announce that we have just signed our first strategic partnership with My City Way. As a mobile app, My City Way provides users with information on public transportation, parking availability, and local entertainment for over 40 cities in the US. Another 40 cities will be part of the global rollout, including Munich, of course.”
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