From time to time, a benchmark in progressive automotive technology is set anew. Witness such an occasion as the new BMW 7 Series prepares to enter the market. This fifth generation luxury sedan, from the world’s most successful purveyor of automobiles, demonstrates the fusion of all-encompassing luxury with unparalleled driving dynamics.

The new BMW 7 Series stands for luxury, thrilling driving dynamics and overwhelming visual presence. It is the result of stylish design and the supreme art of engineering. This top-end sedan owes its trendsetting character to a wide range of innovations, serving to make a lasting impression on drivers and passengers alike.

With its classic BMW proportions and the longest wheelbase in its class, the new BMW 7 Series has a striking profile. The design of the front and rear give the car a self-assured look, while the large, protruding, upright kidney grille, characteristic BMW double headlights and L-shaped rear lights make a bold statement. Through its interior design, the BMW 7 Series is a particularly modern rendition of pure luxury. The innovative interior, with clearly arranged driving and comfort functions, ensures added superiority. Ambiance, exclusivity and sophistication all come as standard.

For the official BMW Canada web feature, please click here:
http://www.bmw.com/ca_old/en/newvehicles/7series/sedan/2008/experience/phase_2/experience.html

YouTube Videos
BMW Head Designer talks about the new 7 Series

BMW 7 Series from Car and Driver

A good look at the new BMW 7 Series

2009 BMW 7 Series Spied on the Nürburgring

BMW 7 Series with Night Vision – so funny!

2009 BMW 7 Series Test Drive Reviews
Edmunds – Inside Line
MotorTrend
Car and Driver

Mr. Bangle has taken quite a bit of heat from critics over the years, including a ‘Stop Chris Bangle’ online petition and even death threats. I believe that design should challenge convention. And good design should change convention. Chris Bangle has done both.

I had an opportunity to meet him a few years ago at the Toronto AutoShow. I was standing with an assorted group of BMW Canada executives and Canadian BMW retailers when he was introduced to us. I found him charming in a quiet way and very personable. He answered the onslaught of questions, focusing warmly on each person. He was extremely enthusiastic and passionate about the product and the design process itself. At one point though he must have felt that he was running on a bit because he stopped talking and sort of self-depreciatingly mumbled, “oh, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that.” Well Darryl and I had been sidling closer to him the whole time he was speaking. “Oh yes we do!”, I almost shouted at him, worried that he was going to stop. What happened next has endeared Chris to me forever. He looked Darryl and I in the eyes as if to measure our sincerity. The three of us turned slightly away from the group, Chris reached around to the back of his suit jacket and flipped it up. (it was a black-tie evening) He then proceeded to pull a notebook out that he had stuffed down the back of his pants. He flipped it open and showed us his personal notes, sketches, ideas and plans . It was amazing.
By me and many who admire his vision and foresight, Chris Bangle will be missed. We will watch his future endeavours with great interest. Good luck Chris!!

Official Press Release
Chris Bangle hands over his post as head of BMW design to Adrian van Hooydonk

Munich: Christopher E. Bangle, the BMW Group’s Head of Design, has worked closely with Adrian van Hooydonk in BMW Group design development for nearly17 years. Now he is handing over his post to van Hooydonk, who is currently Head of BMW Automobile Design. “Chris Bangle has had a lasting impact on the identity of BMW Group’s brands. His contribution to the company’s success has been decisive, and together with his teams he has mapped out a clear and aesthetic route into the future,” said Dr. Klaus Draeger, BMW AG’s Board Member for Development. Draeger went on to explain that the BMW Group was currently “in an excellent position”, thanks to a broad portfolio of automobiles and several new vehicle concepts due for market launch in the coming months and years. The BMW AG Management Board, he added, is looking forward to working with van Hooydonk—a man who shares Bangle’s fascination for technology and aesthetics, tradition, and innovation—as Head of BMW Group Design, affirming that van Hooydonk would be in a position to continue to build on a design philosophy which extends across the BMW Group’s brands.

Bangle’s plan to pursue his own design-related endeavours beyond the auto industry marks the start of a new phase in his life while maintaining strong ties with the BMW Group.

Over the years, numerous designs for new vehicles and vehicle concepts have been developed under Bangle’s leadership. As well as continuing the BMW 3, 5, and 7 Series, he and his teams were responsible for a range of other models, including the BMW Z3, Z4, X5, Z8, X3, the new BMW 6 Series, the BMW X6, and the 1 Series. Other developments under the auspices of Bangle include new MINI and Rolls-Royce models and a number of innovative motorcycle concepts. During his tenure, Bangle was also instrumental in making the company’s consultancy subsidiary, BMW Group DesignworksUSA, what it is today: a global design agency in North America, Munich, and Singapore for leading international brands and companies in a wide variety of industries.

Thanks to their outstanding design quality, numerous products from all three of the BMW Group’s automobile brands have won a host of renowned awards from around the world. Bangle has always had a special aptitude for working with his teams to strengthen the identities and unmistakable images of the BMW Group’s brands and to inspire design innovations, said Dr. Klaus Draeger, Board Member for Development. Over the years he has received a dozen patents for his technical applications and design. These, along with the one hundred additional patents awarded to the BMW Group Design under Bangle’s auspices, are a testimony to his creative and innovative power.

Born in the USA, Christopher Bangle, 52, has been Head of BMW Group Design Development since October 1992. After studying at the University of Wisconsin and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, he began his working life in Rüsselsheim, where he worked for Adam Opel AG. In 1985 he joined FIAT, where he became Director of the FIAT Centro Stile in 1992. Shortly afterwards he left the Italian automaker to come to Munich.

Throughout his career with the BMW Group, Bangle’s right-hand man has been Adrian van Hooydonk, who is now set to become his successor. Bangle described van Hooydonk as “truly a top professional in our business,” adding, “I am sure that the many strong design strategies he has helped us create for the BMW Group will continue to develop and evolve.”

Adrian van Hooydonk, 44, will take over as Director of BMW Group Design with immediate effect. In his new position he will be responsible for design development for the BMW, Rolls-Royce, and MINI brands. Born in the Netherlands, van Hooydonk studied at Delft Polytechnic University in Holland and later at the Art Center Europe in Vevey, Switzerland, until 1992. From there he came to Munich, where he joined BMW as a designer. In the year 2000 he went to California to work for the BMW Group subsidiary Designworks USA; he was Director of the internationally renowned design agency from 2001 to 2004. Then, under Bangle as the BMW Group’s Head of Design, he became Head of the Brand Design Studio for BMW Automobiles.

The BMW 6 Series and 7 Series lines clearly bear the hallmark of van Hooydonk’s design influence, as do the Z9 Concept Car, the BMW Concept CS (unveiled in 2007), and the M1 Hommage Study. In 1997 van Hooydonk created the ACV 30 Show Car for MINI, and more recently he and his team have developed the designs for the new BMW 7 Series and Z4 as well as for the Concept Progressive Activity Sedan, which celebrates its premiere at the Geneva Auto Show in early March 2009.

“I am honored and extremely excited to take on this new responsibility”, says van Hooydonk. “BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce produce the best cars and motorcycles in their segment, and I am really looking forward to being able to contribute to the future development of these brands.” Speaking of his hopes for the years to come, van Hooydonk added: “I have no doubt that there are challenges ahead, but BMW’s depth in engineering and the passion of its talented design team are as strong as ever. Together I am sure we will be able to create some very sophisticated and extremely attractive concepts.”

Chris Bangle: Great cars are Art

Chris Bangle explains his philosophy that car design is an art form in its own right, with an entertaining — and ultimately moving — account of the BMW Group’ Deep Blue project, intended to create the SUV of the future.

BMW’s Chris Bangle Designs His Own Exit
http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2009/02/bmws_chris_bang.html?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_news+%2B+analysis

Here is what I missed most about my BMW:

1) Comfort
So yes, right out of the gate I am going to be a big suck. I love to drive and I do quite a bit of it. Being comfortable is of utmost importance and wow, is it ever something I have taken for granted. (I am currently driving an X5 Diesel.) BMW seats are SOOOOO comfortable, endlessly adjustable and they hug you where no one else will.
The seats in our non-BMW rental vehicle looked promising at first, they appeared suitably padded and featured the never optional (in my opinion) bum warmers. But after about 20 minutes on the road I was fiddling with the manual adjustment controls without much satisfaction. And the seat was either too hot or not warm enough, with no in-between.
Upon arriving at our destination, I scrambled from the vehicle as quickly as I could manage just to stretch the kinks out of my neck, back and legs. Blah!

The steering wheel on our non-BMW rental vehicle was in a fixed position. We could not move it closer or tilt it to a different angle. Quite unlike my BMW X5 Diesel which has a power tilt and telescopic steering column. Once Darryl had his seat into a position where his legs were somewhat comfortable, his arms had to stretch out to reach the steering wheel since it was not adjustable. Those of you familiar with proper driving position will know that this is not a good position especially for any long distance driving.

Proper driving arm positioning

To add insult to injury (literally) the driver’s seat automatically went back to some sort of default position every time we had to turn off the engine. Darryl has those L-O-N-G legs and it irritated him to no end that he had to re-position his seat every time he got back in.

My BMW X5 Diesel has a memory function that stores two different configurations, including seat positions, exterior mirrors and steering wheel position. When I press the memory button on the side, my seat returns to my stored preferences.

To read the ‘official’ blurb on BMW Comfort Seats, click here:

Heated Steering Wheel

Lastly, the steering wheel was not heated. Enough said…

Following the same trend, another tuner MCCHIP, takes a different approach on a BMW X6 xDrive35d. Their focus was on offering an X6 model with a lower ride height, closer to a sedan. Their X6 was lowered 40mm up front and 30mm in the back, sitting on all-black 20 inch wheels.

Named, the White Shark, the MCCHIP X6 gets a power upgrade which boosts the diesel’s power up to 340hp (254kW) and 487lb-ft (660Nm) of torque, making the BMW X6 White Shark with 46hp (34kW) and 59lb-ft (80Nm) more powerful.

The re-flashing also raises the max speed from the factory-limited 148mph (238km/h) up to 156mph (251km/h).

Pricing? Not too shabby considering the improvements, the ECU reflash costs just €849 ($1,160) in Germany, while the lowering kit, new black chrome grille and other small exterior tweaks are set at €1,266 ($1,730).

My opinion? A very classy X6 without all the whistles and bells the other tuners showcased, but a little too low for my taste. If I were to buy an X6, it will be to compromise between a sedan and an X5, keeping the ride height somewhere in the middle.

[Source: MotorAuthority ]

Even though the project received the axe, we did learn that the CS Concept might make its return in the future, most likely as under the Rolls-Royce brand. The CS Concept was rumored for months to take on different name conventions, starting with CS, then the revival of 8 Series or even GT. 

The fellows at Autobild spotted two photos of what it seems to be a model based on the new 7 Series but with some differences, especially on the front-end.

EnI, a member of Germancarzone, as someone close to BMW, confirms that the CS Project is still going on, but most likely, it will emerge as a baby Rolls-Royce. 

I was told although BMW GT project had been ready to begin the initial testing when BMW Board of Directors decided not to offer this car under BMW but under RR badge. Of course RR design is far from being ready; the design process has just begun. But the BMW-like CS prototypes are starting the testings as scheduled – until RR design is ready.�
 

What’s certain at this point is that BMW has not completely erased the CS out of their Road Map and the state of the economy will dictate their future plans. We can only hope now!

[Source: BMWToday ]

The official 2009 BMW Z4 photos were already stunning and breathtaking, but these new Z4 wallpapers that just became available to us, are just from another world. We have always knew that BMW has top notch cars, but we have to give huge props to their marketing and art departments as well, the artists at BMW that managed to find the right combination between the car and its surrounding.

Trust me, after you will see these photos in full resolution, you will most likely agree with me.

Continued

As a follow up to the e-mail campaign – Our partnership with Tommy Bahama allows us to pass on great opportunities to you, our loyal customers.

They started with an overall footage of the Z4, continued with Adrian Van Hooydonk explaining the exterior design and now we’re moving onto the interior design and engine.

Once again, expect more videos within the next few hours or days and hopefully we will see the new Z4 in other colors as well.

Videos After the Jump.

2009 BMW Z4 Roadster Interior Design

More after the jump

2009 BMW Z4 Roadster Engine

2009 BMW Z4 Roadster Closing Hardtop

A great recognition again for BMW and good PR for the new diesels launched in the US. With an impressive MPG average and still keeping the joy of driving, the 335d is BMW’s bet for next year. An increased diesel awareness will be beneficial for the automakers that are looking more and more into developing cleaner and more efficient engines.

We had a chance to drive the BMW 335d at the L.A Auto Show and we were quite impressed with it. 

On Ward’s list, surprisingly we see the Audi four cylinder 2.0 liter TFSI engine, but none of the Mercedes-Benz engines made the cut. It’s great to see some American based automakers in there and of course, the usual Japanese suspects; -Honda and Toyota -are in the top ten.

The winners for 2008 (engine and tested vehicle):

You can read more about the list here