Audi BMW

According to Automotive News with a quote from Jan Robertson, BMW’ chief of sales, BMW AG has sold out of the revamped 5 Series sedan in all markets, forcing customers to wait three to four months for deliveries.

When the new 5 Series launched in the U.S., it came as a surprise to learn that the base price has not gone through an increase process, making it more appealing for customer looking for the ultimate luxurious sporty sedan.

To maintain a lower cost, but still maintain the aura of an evolutionary vehicle, the new 5 Series shares as much as 70 percent of its technology with the more expensive, flagship 7 series.

“The 5-Series is at the core of the BMW brand and we knew it was going to be a very strong vehicle for us,” Ian Robertson, BMW’s sales chief, said for Bloomberg in an interview at an industry conference in Bilbao, Spain. “In the U.S., where it’s doing very well, it could come to between 15 percent and 17 percent of our business as we ramp up.”

BMW’s sales through May were very encouraging, the overall sales gained 13 percent to 552,864 vehicles. BMW intends to sell at least 1.3 million cars, including Sports Activity Vehicle.

Sporting a safer design and aligned more with the new design language, the 2011 5 Series appeals to a larger demographic, implicitly driving higher sales.

The 5 Series is likely taking market share from the A6, because it’s in the last year of its lifecycle,” said an analyst with UniCredit in Munich, who recommends buying the shares. “BMW’s new design language is more appealing and less controversial than in the past.”

In the U.S., the new 5 Series starts at $44,550.

[Source: Automotive News and Bloomberg ]

The new BMW 5 Series and the current generation 7 Series made the top of America’s Hardest-To-Get cars. This past May BMW reported 22,092 units sold with total sales up 5% over the same time last year. It was BMW’s best result so far this year, despite a year-to-date decline of almost 4%.

With the new 5 Series entering the US market, BMW executives expect a great financial quarter and satisfactory numbers of 5 Series units sold.

“Sales are where we expected them to be,” says Thomas Salkowsky, a spokesman for BMW North America, for Yahoo Autos. “We expect the new 5-Series to have a strong Q3 and Q4.”

As Yahoo Autos points out, it may be difficult to get your hands on one of the 5 Series models. BMW’s 5 Series vehicles rank with the Subaru Legacy and Volkswagen GTI among the hardest-to-get cars in the U.S.

The competitors are represented in this top as well. Audi S4 and S6 are also among the hardest-to-get cars. In May, the A5/S5 model line (which includes A5/S5 cabrio sales) sold 1,757 cars, a year-over-year increase of 145%. The $114,200 Audi R8 is being mentioned as well. Audi’s supercar runs 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, with a 190-mph top speed.

For a more accurate report and data, Yahoo Autos used inventory reports from Wards Auto, an automotive data and analysis firm based near Detroit. They calculated average day-supply rates of 2010 model-year vehicles for March, April and May to figure out, on average, just how quickly these cars leave the lot.

For a full report and more details, click here.

A new BMW 5 Series review has just popped up on our radar. The UK folks over at Autocar spent some time testing the 2011 BMW 530d, one of the most popular 5 Series model in the British market. While not scoring a full glorious review, the F10 5er is being praised for some of the things we’ve heard before, driving experience, interior design and handling, but according to them, it also lacks some things.

Let’s have a look.

“Whatever you think of the way a new BMW looks and feels, there’s one thing that is virtually guaranteed to impress: the way it goes.

The 530d is no exception. The 3.0-litre diesel’s headline figure of 242bhp is impressive enough on its own but when it’s coupled to nigh on 400lb ft of torque, flat-lining from 1750 through to 3000rpm, one can realistically expect fireworks.

They arrive in the order of a 0-60mph time of 6.5sec, which is the ballpark of those we’ve recorded in Jaguar’s XF ‘S’ diesel and the Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI, and would be faster still were it not for a slippery test surface.

Once away from the line, the turbocharged unit pulls strongly through each gear. Left to its own devices with a strong throttle input, the eight-speed auto will allow the engine to rev out to 4500rpm before slipping through another shift that drops the engine right back into the meat of its ample powerband.

So, strong on performance, but what about refinement? BMW’s preference for straight-six cylinder engines allows it to harness the intrinsic smoothness of a layout whose primary and secondary moments are all in balance, resulting in a motor which spins freely and quietly. The hushed cabin tones are not just down to fine soundproofing, they’re engineered at source.

BMW claims that the 5-series is the most overtly sporting car in this class, and while it does hold an agility advantage over the E-class, it lacks the centre-pivoted, fleet-footed feel of the Jaguar XF.

In this SE spec and without the active chassis, it also rolls more and has looser body control – surprisingly so for anyone coming from the old model. The BMW’s electrically assisted power steering is fine in its own regard (avoid the artificial-feeling Active Steer), but lacks the XF’s fluidity.

———–

Be in no doubt, the F10 5-series is a very accomplished car. Arguably more for the breadth of its abilities than a strength in any single area. Which is saying something, given the margin by which this 530d’s powertrain betters its rivals. But the new 5-series is also refined, spacious, economical and (for the most part) comfortable. If you are looking for an all-rounder, it would be hard not to recommend it.”

Continued here

Our close friend Richard Aucock is back again with more news around the new 5 Series. This new episode ties into the one published yesterday when Jos van As, BMW Group Driving Dynamics Director, talked about the ride quality in the new 5 Series Sedan.

Here is an excerpt:

“BMW’s new F10 5 Series may be closely associated with the 7 Series and 5 Series GT, but this doesn’t mean it’s simply a modified version of those cars.

‘In terms of driving dynamics, we always start from a clean sheet,’ explained Jos van As. But how, given the interrelation of components? By starting from the start, not working backwards.

Van As talks through the methodology, showing the 5 is more than a scaled down 7 (or, indeed, a 1/6th-price Rolls-Royce Ghost…). His work begins before a CAD pixel is created, through a logical build-up process:

• DNA – ‘Here, we define proportions, weight distribution, drive concept, aero effects such as lift coefficient front and rear, and so on’
• Suspension – Spring and damper rates are decided upon (‘ride quality was the focus with F10’)
• Tyres – Design of car, weight of car under different load conditions (‘for example, we can decide what size wheels we can fit, and what pressures we need’)
• Steering – Ratio, speed of response (‘the 5 Series has EPAS, like the 7 Series, but the ratio is faster’)

Once you have all this, you can begin setting up the standard suspension. With the 5 Series, says van As, ‘a team of 4 engineers set up the standard car.

‘This standard car is the base; we add on dynamic features to this platform, all controlled by ICM.’

Continued here

UK automotive website, HonestJohn, has reviewed the new 2011 BMW 5 Series. In the past week, several automotive magazines were invited to drive the F11 5 Series Sedan, so expect more reviews in the upcoming days, including an extensive trip report from our friend RichardAucock.

In the mean time, let’s have a look at this test drive and see if the fairly positive reviews continue.

“The first car we drove, a specced up 530dSE with about £10,000 of extras worked really well. It combined gutsy performance from 550Nm torque with lovely feel-through steering, great handling and excellent ride quality from the new style runflats. A company director may now be told his firm’s car has to be 160g/km or less, and that is no hardship at all with the 530dSE. He’ll get all the performance and handling he craves, while there won’t be any complaints from his passengers about the hard ride. He’ll also find he can sit three adults across the back seat in reasonable comfort, with plenty of headroom for six footers.

So, a very well liked car, and just as well as 90% of 5-Series sales are diesels and in its first full year BMW hopes to sell an ambitious 15,000 F10 5-Series.

Our second ride was in a loaded-to-the-gills 306PS 535i petrol turbo that came with a full £14,000 worth of extra kit, including active steering and adaptive damping. That gives the driver a lot more choice of how he wants the car to behave: Comfortably, normally, in a sporting manner or in ‘Sport +’, which switches off the DSC and allows lurid tail slides. The ‘Sport’ 8-speed automatic comes with paddleshifts enabling the driver to select and hold the gear he wants for a particular corner.

So more scope for fun and hearing the sonorous straight six transform into a hard-edged, almost solid-liftered howl at high revs. An awe-inspiring sound. And the wider, lower profiled 19” tyres definitely grip longer on the bends. But the price to pay is a more fidgety ride at low speed, even in comfort mode. You still get great steering. That doesn’t lose its feel like some other wide tyred BMWs of the recent past. But the 535i is a car for a more hard core enthusiast, buying it for himself, whatever the wife says, or unconcerned of its effect on his company’s balance sheet and his Benefit in Kind tax bill.

The obvious F10 to go for is the 530d 8-speed auto on 18” wheels. It’s more sporting and more fun to drive than a W212 E-Class. And it rides better than a Jaguar XF on 19” wheels.”

Continued here

The moment we have all been waiting for: the new F11 BMW 5 Series Touring next to the F10 5 Series Sedan. Ever since its official unveiling this weekend, the new 2011 BMW 5 Series Touring captured the attention of many BMW fans. Some went as far as labeling the new Touring model as being “better looking” that its “step-brother”.

The F11 Touring completes the 5 Series family, sans the M5, and along with the F10 Sedan and F07 5 GT, cover a wide range of requirements from BMW customers. Many of you have already wondered why the need of a Touring model when the 5 Gran Turismo was just launched on the market, and that is a valid questions.

To respond to that question, we need to look one more time at the definition of a Gran Turismo vehicle: high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The emphasis here is “high-performance luxury”. The 5 GT was built and designed for a niche market, a new segment that focuses on interior space and luxury, while not neglecting the performance.

On the other hand, the 5 Series Touring remains a family car, a spacious automobile that is perfect for long trips and suitable for a large family. The photos below portray this perfectly.

5 Series Touring vs. 5 Series Sedan?

Well, it all comes down to a personal preference. While not as popular in the U.S., the BMW Tourings/Sport Wagons are an attractive buy in Europe, and combining the new design with the spacious interior, increased performance and reduced fuel consumption, we can see why some BMW consumers are inclined to opt for the Touring model.

2012 will bring one of the most exciting BMWs ever built. The next generation M5 will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show the same year and is rumored not to be only the best and fastest ///M to date, but also to bring some of the latest advancements in the automotive industry.

Power is what characterizes an M5, but this time, power and dynamics will be combined with plenty of “green technology”, as part of BMW’s future plans and investment in the EfficientDynamics program. BMW plans to use several new technologies and a KERS system that will put the new M5 ahead of the current model, both in performance and fuel efficiency. With the new model, BMW M division estimates a 20% cut in CO2 emissions.

An updated version of the engine found in the BMW X5 M and X6 M will make its way into the F10 M5. The 4.4-liter V8 twin-scroll powerplant will peak at 578-horsepower and 530 lb-ft of torque. The car is rumored to feature a modified version of the M3’s M-DCT system, but a second transmission option might be offered as well.

To keep the weight down, BMW will make extensive use of carbon-fiber and aluminum parts, starting with the a carbon-fiber roof. The car’s construction will be a hybrid of an aluminum spaceframe for the front section and a traditional steel monocoque for the passenger compartment and rear. Up front will be an independent suspension with MacPherson struts, with a multi-link layout for the rear.

Sources close to the company state that the car will get Active Aerodynamics, which blanks off parts of the grille and cooling intakes during warm-up and under light throttle load.

The 2012 BMW M5 rendered below by the WDeerfield, features an M-style front-fascia with larger, aggressive air intakes and the usual “M” fender vents. Atlantis Blue is the color of choice this time, giving the M5 that “head-turner” look we were looking for.

As we mentioned earlier, the 2012 BMW M5 will debut next year at Geneva Motor Show, but we expect to see the official photos at the end of 2010.

The all-new F10 5 Series is all but upon us now and this marks a new turning point in the history of the 5 Series and a continued change in direction for the designs and technologies of BMW. The original 5 Series was unveiled decades ago, an impressive high performer, with the production models going on sale in 1972 as BMW’s first mid-size executive sedan thus making the 5 Series line-up 37 years old and the oldest moniker in BMW’s existing line-up.

So, as you can imagine, the F10 5 Series has 37 years of success as well as pressure to shoulder as the 5 enters its new stage of life and sixth iteration.

It goes without saying, the F10 is the most technically advanced 5 Series to date. BMW has packed full the new midsize sedan and delivers in spades with the performance in terms of the engine line-up that the U.S. market can expect with the F10 platform. The line-up in terms of naming will not change from the existing E60 550i, 535i and 528i but buyers can expect wonderful surprises under the carefully sculpted hood.

The existing 4.8L V8 from the E60 will be replaced by the current 750Li’s N63 4.4L twin-turbocharged V8 producing an impressive 400HP with 450 lb-ft. The new 550i is expected to return a 0 to 60 sprint of 5 seconds flat – very impressive considering that’s the same sprint time of an E39 M5! With the twin turbo technology, the N63 manages the difficult balancing act of handing over heavy-hitting performance figures while returning respectable fuel economy for even those of us with the heaviest of right feet.  However, the engine does without the Valvetronic system of the previous E60 4.8L V8 as a result of the turbochargers keeping the intake pressurized. Additionally, BMW is able to keep the overall turbocharged V8 package much more compact by placing the catalytic converters between the cylinder banks and thus keeping the turbo plumbing to a minimum.

As impressive as the top-of-the-line V8, BMW will be providing the public with two staggered, high revving inline-6 cylinder engines. The new N55 engine will carry the 535i moniker from a twin-turbocharged 3.0L inline-6 to a single twin-scroll turbocharged 6 cylinder though, incredibly, without sacrificing power or efficiency. In fact, according to engineers, the single turbo N55 manages to produce serious power as low in the rev range as 1,200 RPMs thereby trumping the twin-turbo N54 lump by 200 RPMs. In speaking with BMW directly, we were told that the N55 will only have a slight weight penalty of perhaps 4 or 5 pounds over the N54 – so there isn’t much lost in that second turbo.

However, where the N55 really shines is that, aside from producing 300HP like the N54, it manages to shed one of the turbochargers and pick up the throttleless Valvetronic system thereby increasing throttle response while reducing emissions and improving fuel economy. The N54 is an award winning engine and rightfully so, but, there will no doubt be resistance to the loss of the N54 to the N55. Once behind the wheel, it is expected that most drivers will not be able to notice the difference. BMWBlog expects the 3.0L twin-scroll turbocharged 6 sometime in the early to mid Spring also around when it will hit with the 5 GT in 535i GT trim. The N55 will also come with High Precision direct injection helping to keep the engine both fast and efficient.

Last, but not least, BMW will also release the 528i, with a naturally aspirated 6 cylinder with an undisclosed displacement. The little inline-6 will produce 240HP – just a shade of 10HP over the existing ‘28i engine with its 230HP output. To keep with the EfficientDynamics model set out by its two bigger brothers, the engine will have heavy applications of magnesium and aluminum keeping the overall engine weight down. We expect that this engine will bear heavy ressemblance to the naturally aspirated N52B30 which debuted in the 5 Series with the 2006 and 2007 530i for  U.S. consumption. For those that remember, the N52B30 was designed to be a higher power, naturally aspirated inline-6 that could also return better fuel economy.

However, despite these terrific engines, power is nothing without control. BMW plan to give 8-speed transmissions to all of the 5 Series line-up. The 8-speed will likely be pulled straight from the existing 750Li and 550i GT making for a strong transmission that will allow the driver to experience all-round improved fuel efficiency with higher gearing while also allowing for better acceleration. The two taller gears in the 8-speed are ideal for cruising speeds and BMW has managed to improve the weight savings of the transmission to such a point that there is no additional weight added from the extra two gears. For those wanting to extract and put down power manually, a 6-speed gearbox will be available in the U.S. market for the bigger 535i and 550i.

Keep watch on this space as we’re going to continue to profile the many new elements of the F10 5 Series and we look forward to keeping you guys informed!

The all-new F10 5 Series is all but upon us now and this marks a new turning point in the history of the 5 Series and a continued change in direction for the designs and technologies of BMW. The original 5 Series was unveiled decades ago, an impressive high performer, with the production models going on sale in 1972 as BMW’s first mid-size executive sedan thus making the 5 Series line-up 37 years old and the oldest moniker in BMW’s existing line-up.

So, as you can imagine, the F10 5 Series has 37 years of success as well as pressure to shoulder as the 5 enters its new stage of life and sixth iteration.

It goes without saying, the F10 is the most technically advanced 5 Series to date. BMW has packed full the new midsize sedan and delivers in spades with the performance in terms of the engine line-up that the U.S. market can expect with the F10 platform. The line-up in terms of naming will not change from the existing E60 550i, 535i and 528i but buyers can expect wonderful surprises under the carefully sculpted hood.

The existing 4.8L V8 from the E60 will be replaced by the current 750Li’s N63 4.4L twin-turbocharged V8 producing an impressive 400HP with 450 lb-ft. The new 550i is expected to return a 0 to 60 sprint of 5 seconds flat – very impressive considering that’s the same sprint time of an E39 M5! With the twin turbo technology, the N63 manages the difficult balancing act of handing over heavy-hitting performance figures while returning respectable fuel economy for even those of us with the heaviest of right feet.  However, the engine does without the Valvetronic system of the previous E60 4.8L V8 as a result of the turbochargers keeping the intake pressurized. Additionally, BMW is able to keep the overall turbocharged V8 package much more compact by placing the catalytic converters between the cylinder banks and thus keeping the turbo plumbing to a minimum.

As impressive as the top-of-the-line V8, BMW will be providing the public with two staggered, high revving inline-6 cylinder engines. The new N55 engine will carry the 535i moniker from a twin-turbocharged 3.0L inline-6 to a single twin-scroll turbocharged 6 cylinder though, incredibly, without sacrificing power or efficiency. In fact, according to engineers, the single turbo N55 manages to produce serious power as low in the rev range as 1,200 RPMs thereby trumping the twin-turbo N54 lump by 200 RPMs. In speaking with BMW directly, we were told that the N55 will only have a slight weight penalty of perhaps 4 or 5 pounds over the N54 – so there isn’t much lost in that second turbo. However, where the N55 really shines is that, aside from producing 300HP like the N54, it manages to shed one of the turbochargers and pick up the throttleless Valvetronic system thereby increasing throttle response while reducing emissions and improving fuel economy. The N54 is an award winning engine and rightfully so, but, there will no doubt be resistance to the loss of the N54 to the N55. Once behind the wheel, it is expected that most drivers will not be able to notice the difference. BMWBlog expects the 3.0L twin-scroll turbocharged 6 sometime in the early to mid Spring also around when it will hit with the 5 GT in 535i GT trim. The N55 will also come with High Precision direct injection helping to keep the engine both fast and efficient.

Last, but not least, BMW will also release the 528i, with a naturally aspirated 6 cylinder with an undisclosed displacement. The little inline-6 will produce 240HP – just a shade of 10HP over the existing ‘28i engine with its 230HP output. To keep with the EfficientDynamics model set out by its two bigger brothers, the engine will have heavy applications of magnesium and aluminum keeping the overall engine weight down. We expect that this engine will bear heavy ressemblance to the naturally aspirated N52B30 which debuted in the 5 Series with the 2006 and 2007 530i for  U.S. consumption. For those that remember, the N52B30 was designed to be a higher power, naturally aspirated inline-6 that could also return better fuel economy.

However, despite these terrific engines, power is nothing without control. BMW plan to give 8-speed transmissions to all of the 5 Series line-up. The 8-speed will likely be pulled straight from the existing 750Li and 550i GT making for a strong transmission that will allow the driver to experience all-round improved fuel efficiency with higher gearing while also allowing for better acceleration. The two taller gears in the 8-speed are ideal for cruising speeds and BMW has managed to improve the weight savings of the transmission to such a point that there is no additional weight added from the extra two gears. For those wanting to extract and put down power manually, a 6-speed gearbox will be available in the U.S. market for the bigger 535i and 550i.

Keep watch on this space as we’re going to continue to profile the many new elements of the F10 5 Series and we look forward to keeping you guys informed!