Though a little surprising, with this new announcement from the Bavarians we’ve finally untangled some mysteries about what BMW have been up to lately.

In preparation for this spring’s Geneva Motor Show, BMW have told us that they will not be unveiling a new M product, but rather an entirely new M product lineup.

Destined to be called the BMW M Performance lineup, the new sub-brand will be a middle ground between the M Division and the normal versions of the company’s products.

It sounds a little odd at first but once you think about it, it’s pretty simple. Just like Audi who boast the S lineup and the RS lineup, BMW will have the M Performance lineup and the M Division one.

So far we don’t really know the specifics of the BMW M Performance sub-brand but it’s almost certain that under its tutelage we will see at least two models that have been grasping attention lately.

I’m talking about the teased and reteased BMW X6 M5.0d and its engine sibling, the BMW 5 Series M550dx.

In case you haven’t heard of the latter, we’re talking about something that’s been referred to as the diesel M5. Both these models are exciting but since they are powered by diesel engines they are somewhat too compromised for wearing a genuine M division badge.

To some, this announcement is a major let down, BMW M has corrupted itself but to most, it is a welcome site. Most of BMW’s European fans are waiting for that very powerful diesel engine like there’s no tomorrow.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW announces new M Performance sub-brand appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

BMW have made an announcement yesterday in which they presented a price list which is of great interest to those who fancy a 5 Series with all wheel drive.

The 2010 F10 BMW 5 Series with xDrive won’t be available until October this year but having an idea of what to expect is always going to come in handy.

Let’s start from the beginning and make clear what you get for your money, before we actually say how much of it you’re going to need. The xDrive all wheel drive system available on the new F10 BMW 5 Series can utilize individual braking on the rear wheels to send torque to either side as needed to counteract any form of oversteer or understeer.

Then there’s the work of the the central clutch pack which is set by default to send 80 percent of the torque to the rear axle to minimize understeer and retain BMW’s familiar driving dynamics, and this ratio is only broken to the front when traction is running low.

It has to be said that while the new xDrive BMW is offering for the 5 Series is expected to be epic it most likely won’t be as good as the system available on the bigger brothers such as the X6 and X5. That said though, you do get a hill descent control system that will maintain a constant speed when going down a slippery grade.

Tempted yet? Well, you’ll have to dish out at least $52,775 for the 535xi or a minimum of $62,875 for the 550xi.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post Pricing for the 5 Series xDrive announced for the U.S. appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

Following immense speculation, hundreds of renderings and millions of opinions on what Alpina’s B5 Bi Turbo will look like we finally have something to clear things up.

The image you see above is an official teaser of the specialist BMW tuner’s future creation that will be based on the new F10 BMW 5 Series.

Alpina has unveiled today this first image of the B5 Bi-Turbo and along with the event stated that the car will be unveiled at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed which will take place in July between 1st and 4th.

Alpina have announced that, as always, their future car captures the essence of BMW but adds some exclusivity combined with luxurious performance, elegant styling and sporty handling. While the last three may be more or less available with the F10 BMW 5 Series the first one isn’t really going to apply.

The gathering of all of these elements in the design of the Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo will be obvious within the fresh and modern design that takes inspirations from the 2010 BMW Alpina B3 S Biturbo but with more of an Alpina B7 look to it.

Since no specs were released on the car there’s one more thing to make you look forward to the Goodwood Festival of speed (as if there weren’t enough already).

About Post Author

Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo teaser appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

About a week ago BMW has announced that they will be launching a car named, at the moment, Megacity Vehicle  by 2013.

The Megacity Vehicle is destined to be a zero-emission urban vehicle that will feature lightness as it’s key selling point. This lightness will be achieved as a result of use of more carbon fiber in the overall construction.

BMW’s head of global sales Ian Robertson has declared that this move will make BMW be the first manufacturer to take carbon fiber to effectively high volume, effectively turning the light polymer fiber into something that can at the moment only be found on the most expensive of cars into a product obtainable by the masses.

To be fair, people that buy BMWs in the first place aren’t “the masses” but i’m anticipating a revolution of the likes Ford brought along by bringing motorsport to the masses through stock cars.

Furthermore Robertson said that carbon fiber will be making it to more and more cars as general rules of construction that are used in the Megacity Vehicle are applicable everywhere. Another point Robertson made during his speech was that carbon fiber technology could help generate better economies of scale.

BMW and SGL Group have started building a $100 million carbon fiber manufacturing plant in Washington state to supply parts for its vehicles. That plant will produce the carbon fiber that a plant in Germany will mold it into paneling for the Megacity vehicle and, eventually, for other cars currently in the BMW range.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW cars will get more carbon fiber appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.