June 2 (Bloomberg) -- Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW brand outsold Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus division for a third straight month in May, challenging the Japanese maker’s nine- year reign as the top seller of luxury vehicles in the U.S.
Sales totaled 18,383 for the BMW brand, a 28 percent drop from a year earlier, the Munich-based company said in an e- mailed statement. Lexus reported 16,922 vehicles sold, a decline of 36 percent.
A Lexus loss of the lead in full-year U.S. luxury sales would be another blow for Toyota City, Japan-based Toyota, which posted its first annual loss in 59 years for the period that ended in March. The BMW brand is ahead of Lexus 76,819 to 73,186 after this year’s first five months. [Read more...]
2009 BMW 335d vs 2009 Audi A4 3.2 Quattro
We've given high praise to the modern diesels we've tested (usually in Europe) over the last several years, as these engines are a world away from the diesels you might unfondly remember. Advancements in turbochargers, fuel injection and urea systems, along with the advent of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, mean today's turbodiesels are far cleaner and quieter than previous oil burners. Yet they still deliver the technology's promise of low fuel consumption and generous torque. [Read more...]
2010 BMW Z4
Seduction, BMW tells us, is the name of the game in the modern roadster market. Demographic evidence and customer confessions suggest that hardly anyone actually needs a wind-in-the-hair car with a small trunk and just two seats, so people have a lot of time to stroke their chins, consult the position of the planets and think about the purchase. We aren't talking corn harvesters or fire trucks here. Buyers have to fall in love. [Read more...]
2010 BMW X5 M - 2009 Shanghai Auto Show
If the BMW X5 is already one of the sportiest SUVs in the marketplace, then the X5 M — making its world debut at the Shanghai auto show — is arguably the sports car of sport utes. Just check out a few of the specs: a twin-turbo V-8 with 547 bhp and 500 lb.-ft. of torque, a 6-speed M Sports automatic transmission, XDrive all-wheel drive, a sport-tuned chassis with self-leveling rear air suspension, Electronic Damping Control (EDC) and 15-in. brake rotors nestled inside 20-in. wheels and tires. And it hits 60 mph in 4.5 sec. Any questions? [Read more...]
BMW reveals < M3 Edition >>>
Buyers of the M3 Edition will be able to choose between Alpine White Non-Metallic, Black Non-Metallic, Dakar Yellow Non-Metallic and Monte Carlo Blue Metallic. All M3 Editions will also come with darkened body features, including the front grille, side gills, exterior mirror caps and exhaust outlets. [Read more...]
2009 BMW X5 M and the 2009 BMW X6 M
Both models are powered by a newly-developed 4.4-liter V8 M engine delivering 555 hp at 6,000 rpm and 500 lb-ft of torque from 1500 to 5,650 rpm. This new M engine is the world’s first with a pulse-tuned exhaust manifold encompassing both rows of cylinders combined with high-performance twin-scroll twin turbo technology. [Read more...]
BMW Posts Loss as Unit Sales Fall 21%
FRANKFURT -- BMW AG swung to a first-quarter net loss as demand for luxury cars stalled amid the recession, and said it is still impossible to give a reliable forecast for the full year because of market volatility.
"In view of the difficult conditions still prevailing on the financial markets, we remain focused in our efforts to improve our liquidity position," Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer said in a statement.
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