Unicar-m

The list of the large institutes and authorities that relieve the burden on the BMW diesel engine has become longer again these days: The US environmental protection agency EPA, in the person of its director Christopher Grundler, spoke extensively with Wirtschaftswoche and Handelsblatt about the diesel issue, including the Special role confirmed by BMW. In addition to Volkswagen, his authority is also targeting Daimler, but Grundler said clearly about BMW: "We have examined all products very thoroughly and have not found any illegal technology."

The EPA officer Grundler speaks only for the BMW diesels offered in the USA and not for European models, but with his testimony he also takes the wind out of the sails of the lawsuit by a private US law firm. Steve Berman is suing BMW in the USA and accuses the Munich-based company of manipulated exhaust gas values, which EPA boss Grundler puts into perspective: In his opinion, Berman certainly does not have the expertise and laboratory technology of the EPA, the companies commissioned by Berman are slightly derogatory at the EPA “Two men and a PEMS” and alludes to their manageable size and experience.

serious & Young has taken a close look at the latest figures from automakers and ranked the world’s most profitable automakers in 2017. The place …

serious & Young has taken a close look at the latest figures from automakers and ranked the world’s most profitable automakers in 2017. The place in the sun was once again won by the BMW Group, which was already at the top in the previous discussion. With a margin of 10.0 percent, the BMW Group was the most successful car maker among the 16 highest-volume providers in the world. The basis of the ranking is the operating profit of the entire group, which means that, in addition to the core area of ​​automobiles, it also includes financial services, for example.

In second place behind BMW is a car manufacturer from Japan, Suzuki, which achieved a remarkable margin of 9.8 percent in 2017 and was thus able to leave almost all larger corporations behind. Daimler came third with 8.9 percent, one place lower than last year. Despite the burdens of the diesel scandal, Volkswagen has a margin of 6.0 percent and thus lands in eighth place.

A few days ago we reported on the decision of the BMW Group to give the BMW M GmbH vehicles an even more exclusive position in the line-up. To this end, around 100 dealerships and branches across Germany are being expanded into special BMW M bases, which are intended to meet the special interests and needs of M customers in a particular way.

The separate exhibition in separate shop areas designed in the typical style of M GmbH is intended to emphasize the independent character of the brand more strongly than before. Special advice areas for potential buyers of BMW M3, M5, M6, X5 M or X6 M increase the exclusivity compared to the “normal” vehicles from BMW AG.

After the Aachen tuner AC Schnitzer, Hamann is now also presenting its program for the BMW 5 Series GT. In Laupheim, too, the Gran Turismo gives it a more dynamic appearance and thus ensures even more exclusivity. In addition to the usual rim options, Hamann also offers sport-oriented chassis and an increase in performance, which makes the 5 Series GT even sportier from the factory. For the models 530d, 535i and 550i (excluding the 535d), Hamann also offers a lowering kit for vehicles with air suspension.

The aerodynamic components are of course decisive for the look and Hamann has a lot to offer here too: A front spoiler for mounting on the standard apron ensures a sportier look and better aerodynamics without fundamentally changing the character of the vehicle or appearing intrusive. There are also special side skirts and various rear spoilers, which are more or less discreet and allow the customer to adapt to their personal taste. The rear spoilers reduce the lift on the rear axle and thus provide additional driving stability at high speeds.

On the cover of tomorrow’s AutoBild there is once again a design by Georg Huckfeldt, which uses the example of the BMW 5 Series Touring F11 to illustrate what the joint front of the Touring and sedan will look like.

In doing so, it has apparently come quite close to reality, because as EnI from GermanCarZone confirms, the draft almost completely matches the final design. Particularly noticeable are some design elements that we already know from other BMWs of the recent past.

BMW is driving its 100th in 2016. Whether this also includes a genuine super sports car and thus a legitimate successor to the BMW M1, however, has to be more and more doubted, recently only denials in this direction were heard in the interviews with the responsible board members.

Nevertheless, the South African designer Giom Mouton worked intensively on the idea of ​​a new BMW M1 and created some Photoshop renderings that show us a possible super sports car from Munich. Giom Image Art incorporated classic elements of the original M1 as well as the C-pillar design called Stream Flow and other aerodynamic solutions from the BMW i8:

Navigation systems have made everyday life much easier for many people and, above all, help frequent travelers to save valuable time looking for the right route. Unfortunately, the capabilities of all navigation systems that are permanently connected to a car end at the latest in the parking lot — which, depending on the destination, can be relatively far away.

BMW has been working on a system called Pfandfinder for years, which combines the capabilities of a permanently integrated navigation system in the vehicle with the advantages of a portable navigation system on a smartphone. As early as June 2010, we reported on the technology that is being developed by Forschungs und Technik GmbH under the catchphrase microNavigation and which should make it considerably easier to reach unknown destinations in the foreseeable future.

The one introduced around a year ago Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II now has the way to SPOFEC found. The Novitec offshoot from Stetten had already presented a tuning program for the Rolls-Royce Wraith some time ago and is now showing what the spirit of ecstasy — from the first letters of the legendary hood ornament results in the name Spofec — from the refreshed Ghost got out.

In the photos that have now been published, we see the Rolls-Royce Ghost almost completely black, only the rims add a colored accent and stand out from the darkness. A matt black coating for actually chrome-plated elements such as the radiator grille bring to light the dark side of the luxury sedan, which is already around 5.40 meters long in its short version.

Even if the quality of the first photos of the BMW 5 Series Facelift 2020 is not razor sharp, we have already decided on the first image comparison with the previous 5 Series G30. The sedan can be seen with the M Sport package, which makes the differences in design particularly visible. Even if the newly designed kidneys, which will in future be connected by a common center bar, and the flatter headlights with the new daytime running light design catch the eye at first glance, there are still a few other changes.

Despite the similar basic layout, the design language of the M front apron has evidently been further developed, with the sharp, continuous edge from the headlights to the lower edge being particularly striking. In a direct comparison, the new kidney struts, which have a kink in the upper area as in some other series and are designed even more three-dimensionally, are also striking. If you prefer to wear black instead of shiny chrome, the Shadow Line with expanded features should be the right option.

The “M button” on the steering wheel of the BMW M5 E60 is one of the most important buttons on their vehicle for many owners, because all parameters can be set as desired with a single push of a button. Many customers have stored a setup here that enables maximum sportiness, while in everyday life it is not uncommon for more comfortable settings to be used.

The spread between the respective variants will be even greater in the new BMW M5 F10, which is why there are now two M Drive buttons on the steering wheel. When the engine is started, the adaptive chassis and the servotronic are in “Comfort” mode, the transmission in the comfortable automatic level D1 and the engine itself in the “Efficient” mode, which is trimmed for economy. While this preselection is quite suitable for everyday driving, there are better solutions from a sporting point of view.