BMW ActiveE Electric Car Headed for U.S. Trial

BMW Concept ActiveE

BMW is bringing its ActiveE, the company’s second-generation electric car, to four regions in the United States next summer. The places targeted are the New York metropolitan area (including Connecticut and New Jersey), Southern California (including San Diego), northern California (greater San Francisco and Sacramento) and the Boston area.

The four-passenger ActiveE is based on the 1 Series Coupe. Introduced at the Detroit auto show in January, the ActiveE will deliver 100 miles on a charge and takes 8.5 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour. The top speed is electronically limited to 90 miles per hour. The show car had a 32-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.

Rich Steinberg, BMW of North America’s manager of electric vehicle operations and strategy, declined to specify the number of ActiveEs in the program. In contrast to the Mini E pilot program, which was deployed worldwide — now with more than 600 test cars in its second year — the ActiveE is scheduled to be rolled out in only the United States.

Mini E drivers will be favored as test pilots for the ActiveE, Mr. Steinberg said, and next July could switch seamlessly to the new car when their existing leases expire. The other cars will go to people who apply online (and are lucky enough to live in the targeted areas) and to some fleet operators.

Mr. Steinberg said that BMW wanted to widen its reach to the whole New York metropolitan area with the ActiveE, which is why Connecticut was added. Boston, he said, offered a chance to place the car with people living in multifamily dwellings, without the garages often considered essential to E.V. charging.

The cars aren’t allocated yet, but California might get twice as many ActiveEs as the East Coast, Mr. Steinberg said. “It’s amazing how committed California cities and utilities are to E.V.’s and to creating a public charging network,” he said. “All the automakers are focused on California.”

In part because BMW experienced cold weather problems with the Mini E, the ActiveE will have liquid cooling and liquid heating. Mr. Steinberg said the thermal management system would allow the company to keep ActiveE batteries at an optimal performance temperature. An added benefit is that drivers can use their smartphones to preheat or cool their cars’ cabins.

The ActiveE is not scheduled to be a production vehicle, but its battery technology, developed with SB LiMotive, and other electric components are very close to the system that will be deployed in the all-new electric Megacity Vehicle that BMW is planning for congested urban areas in 2013. In some ways, then, the new car is a “test mule” for that program. “The ActiveE trial is going to give us very useful feedback,” Mr. Steinberg said.

BMW X5 Launched With xDrive50i

The new BMW X5 was unveiled at Bird Automotive, the new BMW dealership facility in Gurgaon. The new BMW X5 has been launched in two variants: BMW X5 xDrive50i (petrol) and BMW X5 xDrive30d (diesel) and can be ordered at BMW dealerships across India. Deliveries of the new BMW X5 will commence from October onwards. Both variants will be available in India as CBU (completely built-up unit) and the all India ex-showroom prices are as follows -The new BMW X5 xDrive50i costs INR 69,50,000 and BMW X5 xDrive30d INR 52,99,000.

Dr. Andreas Schaaf, President, BMW India, speaking on the occasion, said that the new BMW X5 continues to set the standards in driving dynamics, combining more than ever before the fascinating driving experience offered by a BMW X model with outstanding efficiency. Its expressive design, innovative features and its premium character render the new BMW X5 the ultimate ambassador of its segment in every sense of the word. He added that, the new BMW X5 remains a benchmark and with greater supremacy than ever; it combines the joy of driving with elegance, efficiency, safety and unmatched performance. BMW is confident that the trend-setting qualities of the new BMW X5 will win admiration amongst individuals who do not negotiate on luxury and performance whether on or off-road.

The new top-of-the-range model is the BMW X5 xDrive50i, whose V8 power unit featuring BMW TwinPower Turbo

and direct petrol injection (High Precision Injection) has an output of 300 kW/407 hp. It produces a maximum torque of 600 Nm at 1,750 - 4,500 rpm and accelerates from 0 - 100 kmph in 5.5 seconds. The all-aluminum six-cylinder diesel with TwinPower Turbo and Common Rail direct injection featured in the BMW X5 xDrive30d delivers an output of 180 kW/245 hp. It produces a maximum torque of 540 Nm at 1,750 - 3,000 rpm and accelerates from 0 – 100 kmph in 7.6 seconds.

All versions of the new BMW X5 are equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission

. The standard equipment of the new BMW X5 also includes the speed-dependent Servotronic steering assistance system. The new BMW X5 is equipped as standard with the latest generation of the iDrive control system. The new BMW X5 offers a multitude of unique driver assistance systems for optimizing comfort, the use of infotainment functions as well as safety.

The new BMW X5 will be available in Alpine White as non-metallic paintwork and in the following metallic colors: Black Sapphire, Space Grey, Titanium Silver and Platinum Bronze. In addition, Deep Sea Blue, Platinum Grey and Sparkling Bronze are new colors in the range of metallic colors available for the new BMW X5.

The standard upholstery for the new BMW X5 in Nevada leather and is available in the following colors: Beige, Black, Oyster, Cinnamon Brown and Tobacco. Perforated Beige and Perforated Black is available with the Luxury Package. The following interior trims.

are available: Fine-wood trim Burl Walnut, Fine-wood trim Bamboo Grain Dark and Fine-wood trim Poplar Grain Light.

The newly interpreted design vocabulary typical of BMW X models comprises above all the structure of the front apron and the position of the standard fog lamps as well as a redesigned rear apron adopting the structure of the front end. An increase in the percentage of front and rear end surfaces

The Beginning Of BMW Motorcycle

Hi guys, if you're BMW Motorcycle die hard fan, check this out:

BMW began building motorcycle engines and then motorcycles after World War I. Its motorcycle brand is now known as BMW Motorrad. Their first successful motorcycle, after the failed Helios and Flink, was the "R32" in 1923. This had a "boxer" twin engine, in which a cylinder projects into the air-flow from each side of the machine. Apart from their single cylinder models (basically to the same pattern), all their motorcycles used this distinctive layout until the early 1980s. Many BMWs are still produced in this layout, which is designated the R Series.

During the Second World War, BMW produced the BMW R75 motorcycle with a sidecar attached. Featuring a unique design copied from the Zündapp KS750, its sidecar wheel was also motor-driven. Combined with a lockable differential, this made the vehicle very capable off-road, an equivalent in many ways to the Jeep.

In 1983, came the K Series, shaft drive but water-cooled and with either three or four cylinders mounted in a straight line from front to back. Shortly after, BMW also started making the chain-driven F and G series with single and parallel twin Rotax engines.

In the early 1990s, BMW updated the airhead Boxer engine which became known as the oilhead. In 2002, the oilhead engine had two spark plugs per cylinder. In 2004 it added a built-in balance shaft, an increased capacity to 1,170 cc and enhanced performance to 100 hp (75 kW) for the R1200GS, compared to 85 hp (63 kW) of the previous R1150GS. More powerful variants of the oilhead engines are available in the R1100S and R1200S, producing 98 hp (73 kW) and 122 hp (91 kW), respectively.

In 2004, BMW introduced the new K1200S Sports Bike which marked a departure for BMW. It features an engine producing 167 hp (125 kW), derived from the company's work with the Williams F1 team, and is lighter than previous K models. Innovations include electronically adjustable front and rear suspension, and a Hossack-type front fork that BMW calls Duolever.

BMW introduced anti-lock brakes on production motorcycles starting in the late 1980s. The generation of anti-lock brakes available on the 2006 and later BMW motorcycles pave the way for the introduction of electronic stability control, or anti-skid technology later in the 2007 model year.

BMW has been an innovator in motorcycle suspension design, taking up telescopic front suspension long before most other manufacturers. Then they switched to an Earles fork, front suspension by swinging fork (1955 to 1969). Most modern BMWs are truly rear swingarm, single sided at the back (compare with the regular swinging fork usually, and wrongly, called swinging arm). Some BMWs started using yet another trademark front suspension design, the Telelever, in the early 1990s. Like the Earles fork, the Telelever significantly reduces dive under braking.

In July 2007, the Swedish Husqvarna Motorcycles was purchased by BMW for a reported €93 million. BMW Motorrad plans to continue operating Husqvarna Motorcycles as a separate enterprise. All development, sales and production activities, as well as the current workforce, have remained in place at its present location at Varese. Husqvarna manufactures motocross, enduro and supermoto motorcycles.

First BMW motor vehicle!

History Of BMW Company

After World War I, BMW was forced to cease aircraft (engine) production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty. The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted, followed by automobiles in 1928–29.

The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel is portrayed by BMW as the movement of an aircraft propeller, to signify the white blades cutting through the blue sky – an interpretation that BMW adopted for convenience in 1929, twelve years after the roundel was created. The emblem evolved from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, from which the BMW company grew, combined with the white and blue colors of the flag of Bavaria, reversed to produce the BMW roundel. However, the origin of the logo being based on the movement of a propeller is in dispute, according to an article recently posted by the New York times, quoting "At the BMW Museum in Munich, Anne Schmidt-Possiwal, explained that the blue-and-white company logo did not represent a spinning propeller, but was meant to show the colors of the Free State of Bavaria."

BMW's first significant aircraft engine was the BMW IIIa inline-six liquid-cooled engine of 1918, much preferred for its high-altitude performance. With German rearmament in the 1930s, the company again began producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. Among its successful World War II engine designs were the BMW 132 and BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines, and the pioneering BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet, which powered the tiny, 1944-1945-era jet-powered "emergency fighter", the Heinkel He 162 Salamander. The BMW 003 jet engine was tested in the A-1b version of the world's first jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262, but BMW engines failed on takeoff, a major setback for the jet fighter program until successful testing with Junkers engines.

By 1959 the automotive division of BMW was in financial difficulties and a shareholders meeting was held to decide whether to go into liquidation or find a way of carrying on. It was decided to carry on and to try to cash in on the current economy car boom enjoyed so successfully by some of Germany's ex-aircraft manufacturers such as Messerschmitt and Heinkel. The rights to manufacture the Italian Iso Isetta were bought, the tiny cars themselves were to be powered by a modified form of BMW's own motorcycle engine. This was moderately successful and helped the company get back on its feet. The controlling majority shareholder of the BMW Aktiengesellschaft since 1959 is the Quandt family, which owns about 46% of the stock. The rest is in public float.

In 1992, BMW acquired a large stake in California based industrial design studio DesignworksUSA, which they fully acquired in 1995. In 1994, BMW bought the British Rover Group (which at the time consisted of the Rover, Land Rover and MG brands as well as the rights to defunct brands including Austin and Morris), and owned it for six years. By 2000, Rover was making huge losses and BMW decided to sell the combine. The MG and Rover brands were sold to the Phoenix Consortium to form MG Rover, while Land Rover was taken over by Ford. BMW, meanwhile, retained the rights to build the new MINI, which was launched in 2001.

Chief designer Chris Bangle announced his departure from BMW in February 2009, after serving on the design team for nearly seventeen years. He was replaced by Adrian van Hooydonk, Bangle's former right hand man. Bangle was famously (or infamously) known for his radical designs such as the 2002 7-Series and the 2002 Z4. In July 2007, the production rights for Husqvarna Motorcycles was purchased by BMW for a reported 93 million euros. BMW Motorrad plans to continue operating Husqvarna Motorcycles as a separate enterprise. All development, sales and production activities, as well as the current workforce, have remained in place at its present location at Varese.

All The Basis You Need To Know About BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW), (literally English: Bavarian Motor Works) is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company o Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands. BMW is known for its performance and luxury vehicles.

Type Aktiengesellschaft (FWB: BMW)
Industry Automotive industry
Founded 1916
Founder(s) Franz Josef Popp
Headquarters Munich, Germany
Area served Worldwide
Key people Norbert Reithofer (CEO), Joachim Milberg (Chairman of the supervisory board)
Products Automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles
Revenue €50.68 billion (2009)[1]
Operating income €289 million (2009)[1]
Profit €204 million (2009)[1]
Employees 96,230 (2009)[1]
Subsidiaries Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Website bmw.com