Selected BMW News - BMWism.com -

Selected BMW comments:
June 11, 2010
	BMW powered SAAB ?

		It has been announced, that Swedish carmaker Saab presently owned by Dutch sports car firm Spyker, is in talks with BMW to jointly develop the new 9-2 model of Saab. It would be based on the classic Saab 92 from the 1950s. The idea is to use BMW’s Mini platform. The car would be also using BMW engines and gear boxes. It would remind the car which brought Saab's popularity in Europe. While business details seem murky, one thing is certain - both firms while different in size an their historical performance, have a lot in common: both have strong airplane tradition having built in their past history engines or even in case of Saab the whole planes. Today Saab is more just a good name of two separate companies, one is successful producer of fighter jets and defense systems and the other is a failed car company, which could not turn strong following among its customers into a viable business. An idea to bring after new VW Beatle, new Mini and new Fiat 500, another retro car on the market, might be a step forward while stepping into the better past.
May 27, 2010
	Front wheel powered BMW

		First artist visions of the BMW 1 series which look like a small, two door Gran Turismo appeared. What will be unusual about this car confirmed by BMW is that for the first time in the BMW history it will be powered through front wheels, while historically bimmers were powered through the back wheels. This small car build on a Mini platform will have a small sister - a small sports wagon like car. At the same time, there of a Gran Turismo version of the new 3-series. BMW expansion will give the customer more choice. But as for us, what we shall really miss is a smaller X-6 type of car... More accessible for people with less means... Let's call it X-2.
January 25, 2010
	Severe winter in the times of man made Global Warming propaganda

		It might take decades before the stupidity of man-made global warming propaganda will go away. In their hypocrisy politicians putting arguments against cars, never proposed any other transport means to replace them. Food supplies to a local supermarket on a bicycle? Solar powered city bus? This year, winter paralyzes everything in Europe - trains, planes, ships, while at the same time, most of the cars keep running. Our advice is to look for an old BMW IX. As the IX cars do not use standard BMW parts, they usually are in an original state, because few replacement parts were made for them by some third party cheaper brands. These cars will start in cold and run well on snow using their 4WD power. Here is the 1989 325 IX with 240K miles on the clock, which made recently 7000 miles in car rallies on icy roads in the North of Canada and Alaska. An IX BMW is like terminator - it will never stop. In a meantime, governments all over the world might eventually come back to their senses. At the end it is better to live in warmth than cold, while we clearly cannot function without electricity, running water, cooking at home, computer networks, television and... cars. The rest is just propaganda.
November 2, 2009
	The New Isetta is called Megacity

		BMW decided to exit Formula 1 and works now in several directions to produce lighter, more economical, environment friendly cars. Next to Mini E, an electric version of Mini, a hybrid X6 will appear on the market and since one year a small car built partly from fiber glass is being developed under the name Project 1. This new, very small car reminds older people of Isetta, the very popular car with the motorcycle engine, which carried BMW through the economical difficulties of the late 1950-ties. As our life became exuberant and bombastic, no car may be called simply Isetta - the new tiny electric car name is Megacity.
September 27, 2009
	The Car for the New Century - Let its kidneys turn blue
		Every crisis brings its resolution. This time, the resolution comes with the new ideology: - "the environment protection " Backed by politicians, this new ideology will dominate our life for decades to come, before it will be compromised - as all other big ideologies before. So whether we like it or not - electric cars are soon to come and nobody will dare to ask, how are we going to produce all that electricity - by burning fuels? by building wind turbines which cost more energy to make, than they will ever produce? in huge atomic power plants? And even more critical question: how much influence has human activity on the environment today? Wasn't the Greenland green and much warmer only 1000 years before? Why during the past two years average temperatures on Earth are falling again, while C02 levels rise? Well - the Car for New Century will have to serve greatly confused and manipulated societies. Its strong feature will have to be a playfulness - our only defense against the monotony of propaganda and everyday oppression by bureaucracy. The new BMW concept car Vision does it. Let its kidney grille turn blue - we shall truly need it .
July 29, 2009
	BMW to exit Formula 1
		It is official - BMW will leave Formula 1 at the end of the present season. Looking back we have some regrets: the team has been poorly led since its formation. The chance to be in the real top of the 2008 Championship has been lost, as it has been explained at the time " to better prepare to the 2009 season". This has been probably the biggest mistake in a row of constant blunders Mario Theissen made. Among his achievements we must state the discovery of Robert Kubica, driver who made the previous season so exciting to watch. As with Pablo Montoya couple of years earlier, BMW had with Kubica a real chance to win the Championship. Many years will pass before we see it again coming. We shall be waiting.
June 24, 2009
	Formula 1 must change
		This is a bad season for Formula 1 drivers of BMW Sauber, but also a dismal time for Ferrari, Mc Laren and Renault. We observe with amazement, when the World Champion (Hamilton) fights with two times World Champion (Alonso) not to finish as the last in the race. Smaller teams made much faster cars and they win. The question arises if this surprising success is not the result of the constantly changing Formula 1 rules and moreover - bending the rules when it fits the organizers. It is a fact, that years ago Juan Pablo Montoya would have been the World Champion if not the questionable and immediate penalty he was given in the decisive race, when the luck went his way . Today the manipulation is more subtle. Diffuser decision has been postponed and then obviously went in favor of the teams which used it. Amazingly Formula 1 boss Bernard Ecclestone co-owns of one of these teams. We doubt that car makers like BMW, Renault or Ferrari are not able to build aerodynamically sound car. In fact BMW is leading the research in this field. What we doubt is the direction Formula 1 went for the past years.

June 3, 2009
	Stranger than Paradise - Official Photographs of the Masked Car
		Better the cars BMW produces, stranger their publicity methods. Recently BMW released official spy photos of the new BMW X1 car. The prototype has been already shown in Paris, although in color of gold and only for one day, but it seemed fine to us. Now BMW released the Official Spy Photographs of X1 which show almost nothing. Is the change in car's body so big that we have to forget the car we did already see and liked less than a year ago? There are more BMW cars in testing with shower curtains glued to their bodies. There is a short film showing the 2011 6-series looking like an old grandma bed on wheels. Somebody who invented this way of showing new cars knows nothing about the importance of emotions in selling cars. Chris Bangle phone home!
April 28, 2009
	The Facts
		In the last Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bahrain both BMW's did not qualify in the first 10 on the grid. Kubica's car repeatedly went on fire in the pits. Fire extinguished and off he goes. Both cars were ca. 1 second slower than competitors on one lap. It is easy to calculate that this gives one minute difference to the leaders during the race, almost the whole lap, not counting the traffic. Then before the race, hoping for a safety car, they both got hard tires and a lot of fuel which made them even slower, in fact they became the slowest cars on the track. Then just after the start Heidfeld ran over Kubica damaging both cars. The team did not have at first the new front nose for Kubica (they had to make them, or forgot in the hotel's lobby?). Robert Kubica had to cruise around for two laps. When both cars noses were changed, because Heidfeld's car was also damaged in the collision, they came back on the track. They were fighting with Nakajima not to finish as the last ones - they both failed. Kubica's cars was clearly slower than Nakajima's. Heidfeld finished the race as the last, Kubica just in front of him. A year ago, in 2008 GP Kubica has been on pole in Bahrain, and he finished third, Heidfeld finished fourth.
April 25, 2009
	Over the top
		As in every crisis, also in the present world economic crisis there is an element of change. The question is only if what will come will be reasonable or - strongly biased by ideology and therefore from the beginning having elements of another crisis still to come. The anti-car policy of many European countries, where through taxation instruments sales of the new cars were stimulated, while at the same time owning and especially using cars taxed beyond any reasonable level, contributed to the present activity downturn. It has been proven that at some moment higher taxation will bring less money, because it will slow down the economical activity which has been taxed (so called Laffer curve). People know what owning of a car means and how much it costs. Years of intense anti-car propaganda and heavy taxation gave the present situation. Human civilization as we know it needs car. Car is a basic communication mean but also an important stimulant to individual activity. Taxing car use beyond reason is one of the causes of the present crisis. Stimulating sales by a quickly dispensed premium will not do the trick. People know what is waiting for them later: taxation of fuel (up to 70% of its real price), taxation of insurance, taxation of road use, taxation of parking possibilities, high taxation for minor road and parking offences. I propose similar taxation for watching TV. Limits of watching hours, strong policing and fines, eye doctors and teachers on top government positions, high tax for owning more than one TV set, high tax on TV's which use more energy (bad for the environment), counter of watching hours on each TV. Absurd? May be, but far less damaging for the economy.
April 18, 2009
	Disappointing beginning for BMW Sauer
		A really disappointing start of the F1 season for BMW Sauber: unreliable and slow car with seemingly not enough downforce, wrong team decisions during the race, dramatically weak performance in all possible aspects. At the same time previously weaker teams make progress, new team led by Ross Brawn is a revelation, Renault is returning to the narrow competition with Alonso. The damage has not been big because of the Heidfeld's second place in the unfinished GP of Malaysia. Mario Theissen will probably ask again BMW fans for patience. Well - we write these words just hours before the China Grand Prix. For the first time since Robert Kubica joined the team none of the two BMW Sauber cars did not qualify into the top ten. Is there really no way for the team to improve the car? How long this might take? Years? Decades? We shall keep our fingers crossed.
April 12, 2009
	No premium for premium cars
		Governments of several countries in Europe have recently introduced financial schemes to help the automotive industry survive the present economical crisis by stimulating new car sales. Different measures have been introduced in different countries. In the UK there is talk of the premium for scrapping your car. You would receive from the government 2000 pounds premium for scrapping your old car. So if you have bought a badly made, awful car which now nobody wants, you will receive a nice premium for getting rid of it. However, if you bought a car which makes sense, which lasts at least 10 years without any bigger problem as most of BMW's do, a car which even after 15 years represents a resale value - you will not receive any premium. Well, the premium will remove some very old beautiful BMW cars from the market, but not many of them. These and the other government measures are intended to help the car industry without helping the rich. Indirectly, these new rules are supporting a production of junk cars. On a longer term they move us deeper into the crisis, which was partly created by the excess production of low quality goods nobody wants.
March 3, 2009
	New Formula 1 season approaches
		As the new Formula 1 season approaches there are news, that Robert Kubica is trying to loose some weight. Being the tallest among drivers (184cm -6') is certainly not a great plus. Kubica weights now 74 kilograms (163 pounds) and it will be difficult for him to drop any weight, considering how heavy the season is on all drivers. There are also rumors that Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) will come to Formula 1, adding 30-40 kilograms to the car, but saving fuel and adding additional power boost of as much as 40 hp. Everybody is convinced that BMW is already testing it, because the 2009 rules allow it. What we would rather see is just a faster car. BMW stopped the 2008 car development very early, making the end of the season very difficult for its drivers, in fact dropping Kubica's chances for a highest final position in the championship. This policy has forced both drivers to gamble and take in each race some extreme strategy decisions, which has to be said now - mostly did not pay off and often were just ridiculous. It is just racing and a faster car really helps.
December 6, 2008
	General crisis touches the basics of the car concept
		Hundreds of millions of people all over the world use their cars at any particular moment, but as the general crisis overwhelmed human economy, an important doubt appeared how the cars should be used, how they should look like, what is the future of the car. No car producer on earth may neglect these doubts. That is why nonsense cars like RUF's electric Porsche or even worse - a sporty Tesla appear. They're the product of the mass hysteria and to large extend an effect of manipulation. Enormous amounts of money were defrauded by the bankers all over the world - so much, that nobody will be prosecuted and there is a talk of the system failure. To produce an intelligent car in the world ruled by media stupidity (just to name BBC with its Top Gear being the foremost popularity/stupidity example, when we talk about cars) is almost an impossible task. BMW US sales dropped 26% from the previous year, which is still a very good result. BMW makes some attempts to counter this wave of idiocy - its electric Mini might well serve this purpose. But two years to come will be very difficult, even for a solar powered car. The human cycle has has yet to turn.
November 17, 2008
	The best car ever
		The new BMW 7-series looks like and older version of the same car – its lines became softer and the whole body, which used to irritate so many automobile writers, suddenly looks classic. Do not think that BMW have not done their homework: this is probably one of the best cars ever made. It offers the perfect combination of luxury and truly superb road handling: the new BMW 7–series is the driver’s car. True - you may hear the constant low presence of the engine, but this is part of fun, as these engines are smooth and silky, with much power always at hand. The new 7-series handles like much smaller car, stays on course, reacts, turns. Is it really sporty? Not for somebody who ever drove M-5, but it is still a car to drive yourself and not to be driven, and that differs it from Mercedes S-class cars, which are certainly no less powerful, but driven feel like King –size hotel bed set on the road. To critics who make their living complaining about things which can not be possibly made better, we say at bmwism – Get a life folks! Or just get this car.
November 10, 2008
	BMW Oracle Speed Machine
		The new BMW Oracle speed machine built this summer to win The America Cup is the 90-feet BOR90 fiber glass trimaran. She already provoked a fight at the New York court with the AC Defenders Alinghi team seeking to stop the access of the new generation multicoque yachts to The America Cup, while working on their own much delayed construction. Alinghi team has today no equals in the monocoque yachts racing, showing again their skills on November 9th in Valencia, winning the Desafio Trophy. On October 31, 2008 no less than 11 teams asked BMW Oracle to drop their counter case at the New York courts. The BMW Oracle answered in their statement :...We have offered repeatedly to drop our lawsuit if Alinghi commits to fair rules, and our offer still stands. (...)We stand ready and willing to meet with Alinghi and all of the other competitors to discuss the future of the Cup, but without unreasonable pre-conditions. Under the new Alinghi promoted America Cup rules, only the monococque yachts would race in a multi regata competition. The BMW Oracle trimaran would obviously not to be allowed. She could be recently seen sailing in San Diego and she was incredibly fast.
October 18, 2008
	Ornamentation or a mere stupidity?
		To see the new BMW cars is an exciting adventure especially for a lover of the brand. The cars are constantly improved - so we may say it loudly: the new BMW cars are a moving proof of human intelligence. They are a joy to drive, but also a joy to look at. Well - nobody is perfect so there must be somebody at BMW who tries to show us that BMW is able to follow Mercedes with its selfproclaming shinning slogans on cars saying ELEGANCE or CLASSIC. We always thought that what is elegant or classic is up to the customer to decide. Now on some BMW cars we may read on the lights: BMW Dynamic Xenon and on the side skirt - *X Drive. You would say - just an information. But what kind of information? That the lights on the BMW car are not coming from Volkswagen? For the BMW 4-wheel drive not along ago just adding X to the type name - like 320 xi, without some additional ugly ornaments. And then, why not to add on wheels: BMW light alloy quick turning wheel* and on seats: BMW Comfy seat you should not be sleeping in while driving, on the driving wheel: A BMW Dynamic Sport leather driving wheel and surely on safety belts - High quality nylon BMW self reacting safety belt. Stupid? Yes, certainly not very clever and surely not in the BMW tradition of keeping the low profile while delivering the best there is.
September 25, 2008
	New 7 and 3 series to be shown in Paris on Oct. 4th
		New BMW 7 series which had its World Première in Moscow on the Red Square of all places (but long before the Georgian adventure), and the 3 series after the face lift, will be shown during the coming Mondiale de L'Automobile in Paris. What singles out the new BMW cars from other vehicles it is their fuel consumption: the new 730d uses 7,2 liter diesel per per 100 kilometers, developing 180 kW/245 hp from its straight-six engine. The new 318d consumption amounts to 4,7 liters on its four cylinder engine, just slightly more than an Amsterdam bicycle. The 318d CO2 emissions amount to 123 grams per km, which fulfills the Euro 5 standard. To people who argue that an electric car would be still cleaner, we have a question: -Where does the electricity comes from? At best it was generated from the wind turbine, which will be ecologically sensible after 15 years of uninterrupted work, at worst from a power plant burning coal and throwing every hour tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Car engine is today the most efficient small power plant, where each car's owner control its consumption and its emissions.
September 17, 2008
	Alonso negotiating with BMW Sauber
		BMW Sauber team has confirmed last week that they are negotiating with Alonso to be their driver next season. This is an exciting possibility, which could also have an influence on the whole team, making in almost every race almost every race painful slip-ups. We do not think that Alonso would accept repetitive mistakes in the evaluation of the rain fall prognostics, problems during the pit-stops or lack of clear strategy, which of the two drivers is more important - the one who has more points or the one who has more facial hair. Like Michael Schumacher said one about Villeneuve, when asked about his hair cut: -This is not a competition who has a nicer hair. This is about who will finish first. That is why the question remains: if Alonso would go to BMW Sauber - who would be the BMW Sauber first driver (Alonso or Kubica)? Sorry Nick.
September 9, 2008
	X2 on the way ?
		It is now official, that BMW X7 project has been scrapped. There is so much public pressure on lowering our fuel consumption, that this car could have been driven only in Siberia or Arab Emirates. But BMW is already testing another cross-over car - X2. Similarly to the small X1 SUV (code name: F3), which is coming soon to the market (planned 2010), it will be based on a new, slightly bigger 1-series platform. Rumors are that X2 should come out in 2011.
July 18, 2008
	Better than sex?
		This quiet until now summer brought us the new BMW adverts with a young lady trying to attract her partner by putting a BMW catalogue on her face. Well, looking at this man the case is difficult and probably taking the lingerie off would not help either. Our advice for her would be to drive the car without him.
July 17, 2008
	Electricity in the Air
		BMW is planning to produce 500 electric powered Minis for California. There is also agreement with authorities in Portugal that the charging points will be organized should the electric cars appear. At the beginning of the 20th Century, just when the cars appeared, there were electric cars produced in America. One of them has been adapted in the mid 70-ties by then young International Rectifier engineer Alex Lidow, to run on the solar energy. A large solar battery has been placed on the antique car roof and the car run as new. Electricity would be today much easier solution than hydrogen. The only problem would be a massive, safe and clean production of electricity. Since Enron collapse, we have not heard of any big corporation attempting to solve this problem. Especially while the nuclear power remains widely unpopular.
July 6, 2008
	Silverstone lesson
		With Heidfeld on the 2nd place on the podium, BMW has not suffered big losses in the Silverstone Formula 1 GP. Still, we were shocked by the way Kubica has disposed off his 3rd place in the race. It looked like he has been chasing not only his team colleague, but Hamilton himself. Well, having a clearly slower car than Ferrari and McLaren, Robert Kubica built his high position until now, on avoiding blunders. We admired many times his skills as well as hic cold calculations. His sudden change of thinking has been immediately penalized. Let us hope that Kubica will return to his old tactics, and that BMW will provide him and Heidfeld with the faster car for the rest of the season. Otherwise we might have again Kimi Raikkonen as the World F1 Champ.
June 26, 2008
	The new BMWizm ?
		To our amazement we learnt about the existence of the new BMW magazine published in Hong Kong titled - guess how? The BMWizm. Well, we shall se how good this Chinese language magazine will be, before we start the legal steps to protect our name. And one more word guys - we do not think that the judge anywhere in the world would accept Fort cars nor Coca Cola soft drinks. Try the name of your own, please.
June 20, 2008
	BMW GINA - a virtuosity of design
		The new BMW concept car called GINA Light Visionary Model has a body from the elastic textile stretched over the mesh metal frame. What is amazing about this sports car using the Z-8 platform that some elements of its body have small electric motors allowing GINA to move and to change the shape of its body. Have you ever seen the car making an eye at you? Well, GINA does it.
June 8, 2008
	One - two for BMW Sauber
		BMW has won the GP of Canada with Robert Kubica taking first and Nick Heidfeld second place on the podium. Very interesting race where BMW Sauber cars were still slower, but their strategy and team collaboration just perfect. Hamilton in a childish way crashed into the Raikonen's car and Rosberg followed. Raikonen named Hamilton "stupid". Well he has not been so stupid after all - he could have chosen Kubica's car to crash. At some moment of the race Heidfeld let much lighter Kubica go ahead while he retained Alonso behind and let Kubica to build his advantage. Many comments after the race pointed to the fact, that BMW Sauber team won by accident. For us these comments mean nothing else, that this team has not won it in the back rooms of the FIA, but on the track - racing.
May 17, 2008
	Towards one in-car PC standard
		BMW has developed a prototype in-car PC with Intel that could become a standard in the automotive industry. Computer Weekly.com). The company has worked for two years with Intel to develop a Linux based car IT system to run in-car services including navigation, video, speech and sound. BMW wants other car manufacturers to support the development of a PC-like device running standard software, which could include device driver software for the latest mobile phones and other mobile devices. Graham Smethurst, programme leader at BMW for the car IT collaboration project with Intel, and general manager of BMW's infotainment division, said BMW alone would be unable to provide the volume of cars to make it cost-effective for software companies to create in-car applications.
January 7, 2008
	X-6 gets a new model name
		A new name for X-6 cars (edmunds.com): A new and exciting BMW X-6 2009 is to be been shown at the auto show in Detroit (North American International Auto Show NAIAS -January 19-27, 2008). Base model, which will be known as the xDrive35i, will get the same twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6 as the 3 and 5 Series sedans. It delivers 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, so even the entry-level X6 should be plenty fast. The real news is the top-of-the-line model known as the xDrive50i. It's the first BMW to use the company's new twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. Like the smaller inline-6, the all-aluminum V8 uses direct injection to help deliver both efficiency and big power. Rated to produce 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, the xDrive50i tops both the supercharged Range Rover Sport and the Porsche Cayenne S in both horsepower and torque. BMW says the xDrive50i will go from zero to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. Looking forward to drive this car, we are forced to comment on the Xdrive 50i name: very much in a worst Mercedes tradition: a car with a 3 liter engine has 35 in its name, while 4.4 liter engine gets 50. Also Xdrive name comes for outside of the BMW tradition: for almost a hundred years of BMW existence, just X would have been enough. At the end what else can you do with a car?
December 12, 2007
	Clarkson against the BMW 1 -series
		Jeremy Clarkson, British 65-years old journalist, who managed to attain media attention far beyond his versatile sense of humor, declared that: The 1-series will be the ruination of the BMW brand. (Times Online). Well, try to take a ride in a BMW 135i, Jeremy. This is the car, which might be not big enough to serve as a cab, as most of Mercedes cars which you value so much, but with its 300 hp twin turbo inline six pot engine, 5,3 sec. acceleration, vented disks and a top speed of 155 (250 km/h) will certainly help you to change your mind. But do not forget to take off your reading glasses, after you push the Start button!
October 5, 2007
	Is Formula 1 manipulated?
		More questions than answers: Can McLaren team just by paying to Bernie Ecclestone a big amount of money avoid the full consequences of cheating? Or they were not cheating at all? But then, why take points away from them? To accommodate another big payer - Ferrari? Was it really in the name of sport? Why Kubica has been penalized during the Fuji race? It was Hamilton who provoked the collision. Was it so important that Hamilton would win? Why in a similar situation happening in the same time, Vettel who collided with Alonso has not been penalized? Nor Alonso for that matter, because it is Hamilton who should have received penalty? Why in another instance an unusual behavior of Hamilton during the Fuji GP, after the safety car was gone - slowing down and clearly making a place for a collision, so on a track with an awful visibility cars behind him would not have a space to maneuver, because they were not allowed to advance him - why this strange move has not been penalized nor even explained? Whatever happens in the last two races, Hamilton advantage and most likely the title, has been decided off the track during the Fuji race.
October 3, 2007
	BMW to create a new brand?iAuto?Isetta?Husqvarna?
		There are rumors that along with BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce, the company in Munich is going to create a new, fourth car brand - modern and experimental, searching for new technologies and directed at younger people - something like iAuto. It sounds interesting under one condition: many of the Apple products although always exciting, are far behind the reliability standards which are essential in the car industry. If we accept that reliability is something BMW may easily obtain, the question remains: where will the car as human tool go? BMW has been beating competitors by giving better performance and better design, but as last years its competitors including Mercedes and Volvo try to imitate bmwism, their cars do not differ so much after all. What could be then another way if all existing cars follow the bmwism? A car called Husqvarna? Something alternative like Smart - everybody likes, but nobody would buy?
October 2, 2007
	False accusations
		Accusations were made meant to tarnish the BMW imago, of supposedly Nazi connections of the brand, as it has been taken over in 1959, thus 14 years after the war by the Quandt family which made a fortune under the Nazi rule in Germany. Well, BMW as any German firm contributed to the Germany war effort, but certainly comparing to Hitler's favorite (Mercedes), created by Hitler (Volkswagen) or supported by the Nazis (Auto Union, today's Audi), BMW managed to remain white/blue and stayed out of Nazi brown politics. Unlike Coca Cola, IBM, Ford, Shell and so many other big firms which enriched themselves on working with Nazis, BMW did not profit from the war. On the contrary, war meant a failure for a sport oriented firm. The BMW after the war brand had the name Veritas - Truth. Aren't today's accusations of dealings several years after the war just a form of the nasty smear campaign? At the end we have never seen Adolf Hitler in nothing else than his favorite - Mercedes.

September 26, 2007
	BMW Hydrogen 7 for Jay Leno
		Auto Week: Tonight Show host and avid car guy Jay Leno became the latest person to receive keys to a BMW Hydrogen 7, the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan. Leno will drive it for a week, and report his findings back to BMW. Leno took delivery of the car at his famous garage in Burbank, California, which by the way is a “green garage” that receives a lot of its energy from steam power. BMW believes that hydrogen will replace gas as the long-term alternative to fossil fuel, and hopes the Hydrogen 7 will play a role. Through a group dubbed the Hydrogen 7 Pioneers Program, BMW is giving industry leaders and prominent figures in entertainment, politics, business and more a BMW Hydrogen 7 for their daily use.

	Exciting BMW X6
		DetNews.com Again the car with a lot of so called emotional value. The new BMW X& should come out at the end of 2008 as a 2009 model. We shall certainly wait. As Detroit News Sneak Preview describes it: The BMW X6 is taking a unique styling approach that appears to be the most form-over-function SUV design effort seen to date. The roofline begins arching downward after the B-pillar and continues plunging right to the X6's rising waistline. As a result, second-row headroom and rear cargo volume are both severely compromised. The new X6 will be longer and lower than the new X5, but this crossover will seat only four. But what the sporty X6 loses in seating, it will gain in performance. Well guys, what about emotion over function. An what about function of emotion in our life. Something for the Detroit car makers to think about.
June 24, 2007
	The BMW- Sauber rumors
		Not much has changed during the past three months. Heidfeld confirmed his experience, Kubica his bravado and the BMW Sauber cars are still unreliable as they were three months ago. There are rumors about Vettel taking over the post of Kubica. There are also rumors about Heidfeld leaving next season. We would like to hear other rumors instead: that the team finally learnt to service a fast and good pit stop, that the gear box is not leaking and that the brakes on Kubica car function to the satisfaction of the driver.
June 24, 2007
	The BMWism Webmaster is back after a long trip to the cold
		Our Webmaster is back after a long trip to the coldest area's on Earth. You should also do it before it gets warm everywhere

March 15, 2007

Will BMW-Sauber F-1 Team Solve Their Reliability Problems

sportnetwork.net - Despite the impressive pace of the team, BMW-Sauber's new F1.07 has suffered a number of failures, mainly related to the gearbox and hydraulic system. In total during the last weeks of testing the new BMW F1.07 car had 25 failures. Other teams' red flag totals (in 2007 testing): Toyota 16, RBR 13, Mclaren 11, Ferrari 10, Mclaren 10, Renault 10, Honda 8, Williams 4, Spyker 3, STR 2BMW-Sauber will be definitely fast, probably just behind Ferrari and Mclaren, and at the level of Renault, and that the reliability issues will not appear during the official sessions (when they will handle the car softly). However, it may well be a different story in the Friday tests, when special new parts will be tried.

February 2, 2007

The New 2008 BMW 7- Series Spy Photo

The Car Connection - We've seen spy shots of a 7-Series mule about half a year ago, but here's a new picture of a prototype testing near the Artic Circle. This test car features a completely new front end, similar to the 6-Series styling, and it's clear the current model's extravagant design will be toned down quite a bit.

The position of the headlights and turn signals indicate low mounted wrap-around headlights and a wide grille, as well as a sleeker body and a more elegant overall appearance. The new 7-series is not expected to be released until sometime during 2008.

January 21, 2007

Kubica is worried over the Bridgstone tires, his boss Theissen remins optimistic

FOXSports.com - BMW are not particularly worried about Robert Kubica's aggressive driving style being muted by the new Bridgestone tyres. Kubica recently expressed concern that he would not be able to drive in his natural aggressive style with the new harder Bridgestone rubber that will be used during the 2007 F1 Championship. "You have to drive really smooth with these tires," he said. "At least with our car I struggled with stability on braking, which was causing a lot of problems on the entry to corners. "So if nothing has changed in the car, then probably you will not see any more driving from me as aggressive as I was last year."I am worried that I will have to learn everything from new, because I have driven the last five years like this."

However, team boss Mario Theissen believes his Polish driver will cope just fine with the new rubber, saying that he believes Kubica has the ability to adapt to the tires.

December 25, 2006

New York Daily News - They are the kids you either love or hate - pajama-clad siblings maniacally tearing open gifts on Christmas morning in a recent BMW commercial.The home video - which was shot eight years ago and discovered on YouTube.com - features 9-year-old Brandon Kuzma shredding gold wrapping paper with his 6-year-old sister, Rachel."Nintendo 64! Oh, my god!" Brandon screeches, followed by ear-splitting cheers from Rachel. Then the two blond-haired kids pump their fists in the air, shrieking, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" . Thanks to the ubiquitous ad, the Kuzma kids have found a notoriety they never could have imagined when doting dad Tom trained his video camera on them in 1998."We film the family all the time, and we could have never imagined one of the tapes being so popular online," said mom Lori Kuzma."It was just like any other Christmas - they just had a stronger reaction," she added.

November 24, 2006

Beckham's Stolen BMW X5 Seized in FY Republic of Macedonia

Sofia News Agency - Bulgaria Local TV Channel 5 said the special version BMW X5 was among five vehicles seized on the FYROM - Albania border in a raid on a human-smuggling gang. The Bulgarian Neews Agency calls it a David Beckham`s Jeep which says a lot about their level of bmwism.
The £ 1 000 000 car has been stolen in Madrid in April this year. The agency says that if David Beckham does not claim the car, it will be sold on a public auction in Former Yougoslavian Republic of Macedonia. »See our news on June 27.

November 19, 2006

Andy Priaulx retains world touring car title for BMW

Ass Press, Reuters Andy Priaulx retained his World Touring Car (WTCC) title in the final round of the championship in Macau on Sunday.The BMW driver won the first race and came fifth in the second around the tortuous street circuit to emerge triumphant from a group of nine drivers who went went into the final round with a chance of winning the title. Priaulx beat Germany's Joerg Mueller by a point in the final standings. Brazilian Augusto Farfus was third.

It was the Guernsey driver's third title in a row, after winning the European championship in 2004 before it became a world series in 2005. BMW also retained their manufacturers' title.

November 2, 2006

BMW not buying Ford's Aston Martin, CEO says

IHT, Paris, Detroit Press Detroit - Luxury automaker BMW AG said today that its third-quarter profit slipped 0.7$%, missing market expectations, because it had to pay higher taxes and retooled its lineup of car models. However, the company said it was optimistic about achieving its goal of a pretax
profit of 4 billion euros ($5.1 billion) in 2006, along with record sales.
BMW Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer said the German automaker has no interest in buying the iconic Aston Martin brand. Ford Motor Co. has put up for sale the famed English maker of sleek and expensive cars. “We are a focused company and we want to stay a focused company. We’re not interested,” he said during a conference call with analysts.

October 27, 2006

Zanardi behind the F-1 steering wheel

Zanardi

foxsports.com For the first time since leaving Williams in 1999, Alex Zanardi will next month test a F1 car. Five years after losing his legs in a Champ Car crash, the former Grand Prix driver from Italy is scheduled to appear at Valencia in a 2006-spec BMW-Sauber at the 'World Finals' Formula 1 BMW event on November 26. Similar to his touring car set up, 40-year-old Zanardi's F1 single seater will be equipped with a bigger brake pedal for his prosthetic legs, and a throttle 'paddle' mounted behind the steering wheel.

September 6, 2006

Four BMW Art Cars to be shown in Asia

The Edge Daily - BMW will present, for the first time in Asia, an art exhibition showing four original BMW Art Cars by Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein and Ken Done. The Art Cars will be on display at the Petronas Art Gallery in Suria KLCC from Sept 14 to Oct 22. The first art car has been designed in 1975, when Alexander Calder repainted the BMW 3.0 CSL.

August 6, 2006

Heidfeld gives BMW first podium, Kubica DSQ, doubts about the BMW team guidance

crash.net On the day BMW Sauber team for the first time reached the podium with Nick Heidfeld ending third in the GP of Hungary, serious doubts have been raised about the BMW team guidance - Robert Kubica has been disqualified from the P7, because his car has lost too much tire thread during the race and has been 2 kilograms too light. This bring to any observer a question about the team's ability to foresee the simplest developments on the track. Do not forget to screw the wheels on, guys!

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August 4, 2006

Robert Kubica replaces Villeneuve

ITV Robert Kubica admitted it took him a while to acclimatize to being in the BMW Sauber race seat during Friday practice, preparing for his debut in the Formula 1 GP of Hungary.

July 20, 2006

Major Management Shake-Up at BMW: Norbert Reithofer

new CEO, Helmut Panke retires Deutsche Welle - BMW announced that Norbert Reithofer is to become the company's new chief executive officer. Reithofer has been till now head of production. The change of power might happen as early as September 1, 2006. Present BMW´s CEO Helmut Panke's contract is unlikely to be renewed when it runs out early next year, because the strict company's policy is for managers to retire at 60. Panke, turns 60 on August 31. He presided over the unprecedented period of growth at BMW. The head of research and development, Burkhard Goeschel, 60, will also depart.

July 15, 2006

BMW to recall 46 000 cars at the cost of 16 m. euro

Autoblog - BMW's recall because of the faulty rear shock breakers, has not been confined to China, but includes 46,000 cars of 5-, 6-, and 7-series models built between January 9th and April 18th of this year and sold throughout the world.

July 13, 2006

BMW says independence, not mergers, key to success

Reuters - Germany's BMW, which is on track for record car sales and earnings, said on Thursday that it had its independence to thank for the fact that it was the world's largest and most profitable premium carmaker. "A lot of people ask us what the key to success is. BMW goes its own way," Helmut Panke told reporters "We are profitable because we are independent."

July 4, 2006

New BMW turbocharged NG V8 engine

AutoSpies.com - Here is a collection of pictures of the new 3.0 liter turbocharged (bi-turbo made by Mitsubishi) NG V8 engine, which will be used in the BMW E92 335 Coupe coming September '06. NG symbol stands for the New Generation of engines.

July 2, 2006

US GP: BMW poor showing at Indy race

Motorsport.com - After a good qualifying performance the BMW Sauber F1 Team left the US Grand Prix on Sunday without points, with Heidfeld going out of the race in a serious crash and doubts about the new V8 engine.

June 27, 2006

Bulgarian high-tech thieves used laptops to steal Beckham`s cars

MSNBC; by John Holl. - Security technology created to protect luxury vehicles may now make it easier for tech-savy thieves to drive away with them.