Bmw lux

Feel the Urge to Paint? Use a BMW Z4

2009-03-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

In addition to its four Art Cars on display at Grand Central Terminal beginning on Wednesday, BMW is also presenting a painting that was made with a car.

“Expression of Joy” is a massive creation by Robin Rhode, a South African artist, who executed the 30-by-40-foot piece by using a moving sports car as a remote-controlled spray gun. The car, a 2009 BMW Z4, sped around inside a film studio in Downey, Calif., while Mr. Rhode stood on a 30-foot tower and, with a remote control, activated onboard paint guns directed at the car’s tires. Mr. Rhode also choreographed the car’s patterns.

“As an artist I am always keen to collaborate with other disciplines like dance, music and now film,” Mr. Rhode said. “I’m a pure car enthusiast. But I also liked the idea of going through childlike actions to create a painting that is a way to engage with technology and design.”

Mr. Rhode, who lives in Berlin, guided the BMW's movements from a tower 30 feet above the canvas. He used a remote control to direct when and where colored paint was sprayed onto the tires, which marked the canvas.

Mr. Rhode, who was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1976, lives in Berlin and shows at the Perry Rubenstein Gallery in New York. He often works with chalk and charcoal to create work in public spaces, frequently as part of a performance with an audience. He is tentatively scheduled to have a retrospective show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art next year. According to the museum's Web site, as a young artist in Johannesburg, Mr. Rhode "became inspired by a high school initiation rite whereby young pupils were unwillingly taken into the boys' toilets by senior pupils and forced to interact with chalk-drawn objects on the walls."
Mr. Rhode's Z4 painting performance was filmed by the director Jake Scott from multiple angles. Mr. Scott and Mr. Rhode consider the resulting film an integral part of the artwork; part of it is to be shown on a 9-by-16-foot flat-panel television screen at Grand Central, as well as made available on the
sourse - http://www.bmwusa.com

BMW Sauber have confirmed that only one of their cars will run the new KERS energy recovery system at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix

2009-03-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

Speaking on Thursday, team boss Mario Theissen said that Nick Heidfeld will run with the system - which despite its introduction this year is not mandatory - but that Robert Kubica will not.

Polish driver Kubica is taller and heavier than his German team-mate, meaning that the added weight of the KERS system could leave him at a performance disadvantage.

Teams use ballast, which can be distributed around the car to find the ideal balance, to bring a car up to the minimum weight of 605 kg.

However, bigger drivers have even less of this at their disposal if their car has KERS on board.

Heidfeld will therefore have the power advantage afforded by the system, which stores energy dissipated by a car's brakes and offers it as a boost.

Warning

Theissen voiced the warning that taller drivers would be handicapped because of KERS and called upon the FIA to increasing the minimum weight.

"It is a concern. Having KERS on just one car indicates already that it is not a KERS (reliability) issue," he said. "KERS is ready to race and I'm sure our KERS is on the light side.

"It is a regulatory issue which penalises big drivers and so we have to make sure that each driver gets the best package at a race depending on the track characteristics. We will have to decide on a race by race basis."

Anxious to give themselves every chance of benefiting from the new system, some drivers have lost weight during the off-season.

Former world champions Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen having both shed around three kilograms in order to lessen the disadvantage.

"It is something you must do because the device is quite heavy," Alonso said. "The ballast we had last year, you were able to move it to set up the car.

"This year it has nearly disappeared."

sourse - http://www.skysports.com/

British BMW Driver Follows Sat Nav To Cliff Edge, Darwin Loses

2009-03-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

British drivers have blindly following their navigation systems before, but Robert Jones took it to the extreme, driving his BMW 5-series down a rocky path before a fence barely stopped his plunge off a cliff.

The 43-year old Brit was heading for a friends home near Todmorden, West Yorks when the system took him down a steep and treacherous footpath. His mindless progress stopped as his car hit a fence planted at the edge of a 100 ft cliff which Jones would have probably happily driven off if his navi had told him to. On his He-Man scale feat of stupidity, Robert said, "I just trusted the satnav. It kept insisting that the path was a road even as it was getting narrower and steeper. I rely on my satnav, I couldn't do without it for my job. I guess I'm lucky the car didn't slip all the way over the edge. But it has been a bit of a nightmare."

Locals gathered during the nine hours it took for a crew to pull the car from its predicament, no-doubt snickering at the idiot in the BMW the entire time. We're betting the car ended up rather worse for the wear considering the terrain here. As a result of his boneheaded adventures, Jones got slapped with a careless driving charge and will be most likely be given an honorable mention in this year's Darwin Awards. (Hat tip to Paul, 57sweptside!)
Sourse - http://jalopnik.com/

BMW to lodge protest over diffusers

2009-03-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Brawn FIA inspectionA protest against the diffuser designs on the Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams cars is to be lodged imminently, BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen has confirmed.

With the three teams at the centre of the controversy awaiting news of a possible protest after the cars underwent scrutineering for the Australian Grand Prix on Thursday, Theissen has said his team will complain about the diffuser designs.

"We will lodge a protest against all three teams," explained Theissen when asked by AUTOSPORT about his outfit's position. "We are preparing our protest and we will see what happens.

"It is not for me to decide what is right or wrong. But to me there are definitely different interpretations of the rules and we need clarity as quickly as possible."

It is understood that Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Renault will also join in with the protest, and representatives of the four teams involved in the protest met at the Renault motorhome this afternoon.

Theissen conceded that the need for the diffuser issue to be settled with a protest at the first race of the season was not ideal - but there was no alternative way to settle such disputes over technical issues.

"It is unusual, absolutely, but I think in certain cases it will not be avoidable in the future. That is why we have this opportunity and to me it is not that abnormal to go this route."

BMW Sauber is believed to have evaluated a similar diffuser concept to the three teams as part of its development programme for the F1.09, and would introduce it if the concept was declared legal.

However, Theissen felt that even if other teams copied the diffuser designs, then the three outfits using the concept now would still retain an advantage.

"We are doing all sorts of development," he said. "We have an idea how much of a benefit this will be, but we will not be able to race it next week in Malaysia.

"It will require some preparation time, and it wouldn't end up where the other three teams are now. It would turn into a development race and in our view we would end up finally with ground effect cars."
sourse - http://www.autosport.com

BMW North America Announces Best Dealerships in the U.S.

2009-03-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

BMW of North America today announced the names of its top performing dealerships in the US. The 31 BMW dealers out of 338 nationwide awarded the "2009 Center of Excellence Award" were selected based on the criteria of customer satisfaction, brand representation, and operational excellence.
Over the last 10 years, the BMW dealer network has invested over $2.1 billion dollars improving its sales facilities and repair workshops, refining processes and focusing on top-tier customer service, making it one of the most successful franchises in the US.
"While all BMW dealerships offer a premium experience to our customers, the 31 Centers that have won this year's award excelled in the way they take care of their customers and represent the BMW brand," said Peter Miles, Executive Vice President Operations, BMW of North America.
Recent independent studies confirm BMW's superior customer service performance. J.D. Power and Associates' Customer Service Index (CSI) Study ranked the BMW dealer network among the top three automotive brand franchises in the US for its superior customer satisfaction and dealer service. And BusinessWeek identified BMW as one of the top 25 "Customer Service Champs" among all companies in the US.
"Anyone who is in the market with money to spend should expect to receive an exceptional customer experience," said Alan Harris, Vice President Aftersales, BMW of North America. "BMW's efforts to provide exceptional customer service have become a crucial part of our continued success even in today's challenging economic climate."
Overview "2009 Center of Excellence Award"

BMW Center                        City               State
East Bay BMW                      Pleasanton         CA
BMW of San Diego                  San Diego          CA
Crevier BMW                       Santa Ana          CA
South Bay BMW                     Torrance           CA
Global Imports                    Atlanta            GA
BMW of Dubuque                    Dubuque            IA
Isringhausen Imports              Springfield        IL
Laurel BMW of Westmont            Westmont           IL
Basney BMW                        South Bend         IN
Baron BMW                         Merriam            KS
BMW Gallery                       Norwood            MA
Erhard BMW of Bloomfield Hills    Bloomfield Hills   MI
Erhard BMW of Farmington Hills    Farmington Hills   MI
Bavarian Motor Village, Ltd.      Shelby Township    MI
Motorwerks BMW                    Bloomington        MN
Hendrick BMW                      Charlotte          NC
Flemington BMW                    Flemington         NJ
BMW of Freehold                   Freehold           NJ
Paul Miller BMW                   Wayne              NJ
Hassel BMW                        Freeport           NY
Wide World BMW                    Spring Valley      NY
Towne BMW                         Williamsville      NY
Voss Village BMW                  Dayton             OH
Classic BMW                       Willoughby Hills   OH
BMW of Tulsa                      Tulsa              OK
Kuni BMW                          Beaverton          OR
Daniels BMW                       Allentown          PA
Rick Hendrick Imports             Charleston         SC
BMW of Austin                     Austin             TX
Advantage BMW                     Houston            TX
BMW of the Permian Basin          Midland            TX

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 83 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
SOURCE BMW of North America, LLC

BMW Team Stops NJ Rangers, 4-2 In Youth Soccer

2009-03-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Hunterdon BMW TSA Trinidad used two second half goals to break open a close game and defeat a JAGS Premier rival New Jersey Rangers, 4-2, Sunday at Morris Catholic High School in Denville.

The Tewksbury Soccer Academy (TSA) team is now 7-5-2, competing against top state and national competition. The Trinidad will host Manalapan in their JAGS National Division opener Sunday at 2 p.m. at Christie Hoffman Farm in Califon.

"I was happy overall with today's performance," said Coach Earl Carter.

"We got much more aggressive in the second half and utilized space better to help break the game open. Laura Zito, Danielle Saitta, Alexandra Nata and Cara Holmes all started using what the defense was giving them and that made all the difference."
TSA got on the board first when Zito flicked home a pass from Megan McQuaide for a 1-0 lead. After the Rangers tied it at 1-1, McQuaide found Danielle Saitta on the right side and the Vorhees High School standout scored to give the Trinidad a 2-1 lead. However, the Rangers tied it just before the half.
In the second half, the Hunterdon BMW defense stiffened and Holmes found Nata, who drilled a perfect strike from 25 yards out for a 3-2 Tewksbury lead.
Saitta then found Zito with a perfect "no look" pass and Zito's second goal of the game proved to be the clincher in the 4-2 final.
sourse - http://www.nj.com

Crisis will weed out weak carmakers: BMW exec

2009-03-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

But that is not necessarily a bad thing, according to BMW senior vice-president of importer markets Kay Segler. After the attrition, only the strongest will survive, and there will be 'more space' for them.

'It is sorting time now,' he told The Straits Times. 'The strong ones are the ones remaining after sorting time.'

He described the process as 'a healthy restructuring' that will claim some companies. 'It will start with the small ones,' he said, declining to name names.

According to industry watchers, brands that are among the most at risk now include Hummer, Saab, Jaguar and Volvo.

Mr Segler said mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are unlikely in the current environment.

'When two weak partners merge, it does not make them strong,' he said. 'And if one partner is strong, it (merger) will make it weaker.'

All recent M&As have unravelled or are unravelling, including marriages between BMW and Rover, and Daimler and Chrysler. The only exception seems to be the union between Renault and Nissan.

Mr Segler said the financial crisis will not blow over any time soon, but added that like all previous crises, it will end.

'When I was here during the Sars outbreak in 2003, I was staying at the Goodwood Park Hotel, and I think I was one of only five guests.

"I remember thinking, 'Will the hotel industry collapse?' Well, the hotel industry did not collapse."

Mr Segler said the biggest challenge the auto industry faces is tightened credit. This, he added, is affecting companies across all segments - from luxury brands to mass-market players.

And it affects buyers, sellers and carmakers alike.

'The basic demand for cars is not gone,' he said. 'It's just that not many people can buy cars without taking a loan.'

The impact of this credit squeeze is palpable. For the first two months of the year, BMW global sales were 25 per cent down, Mercedes about 30 per cent down, and Audi, 20 per cent.

For other makes, contractions were as big as 50 per cent.

Mr Segler said BMW was among the first to respond to the slowdown, starting early last year.

'We've trimmed our workforce by 7,500, or about 7 per cent,' he said.

Production runs at plants were cut back correspondingly.

'If you don't react, then you'd have cars stockpiling at your dealerships,' Mr Segler said. 'And you can't afford that.'

He indicated that many manufacturers are stuck with high stock levels, and this could have an indirect impact on others that do not have a stock problem.

'My worry is that all these cars will be dumped on the market, and that will lead to price competition,' he said.

BMW will also stop sub-contracting the manufacture of its X3 sport utility vehicles to Austria's Magna Steyr group. It will move X3 production to its American plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The move is to retain as many jobs as possible within the company.

Magna Steyr, however, will not be left high and dry. It will make the yet-to- be-revealed Mini Crossover, a smaller volume car. BMW owns Mini.

Turning to the topic of government aid, Mr Segler said he was against direct handouts, which 'disturb' perfect competition.

He said indirect incentives, such as rebates for scrapping old vehicles, are more palatable. These rebates can be used to buy only a newish car. In Germany, the car to be bought has to be less than a year old.

'The government earns VAT (value-added tax), so the exercise is revenue neutral,' he said. 'But unfortunately, most of the cars bought were small cars. And the beneficiaries were the Korean, French and Italian carmakers.'

Even though the German companies did not gain much, Mr Segler said 'the total effect was still positive'.

He added that the crisis has one positive effect on BMW. 'We were slipping a little into complacency. Now, with the crisis, the fighting spirit is back.'
sourse - http://motoring.asiaone.com

Concept

2009-12-19T06:48:00.000-08:00

In the future metropolis, which will be more and more chaotic, confusing, grey and polluted, we risk becoming automatons, slaves to money and personal success: not accepting the intrinsic naturalism of the human being; ready, instead, for selection and competition, forgetting about individual diversity and the respect of pure ideas, which separate us from cold, mechanic industrialization. Escape, via art, from the objective conception of things, choosing instead authentic, non-contaminated expression.

SNUG is a concept which aims to create a sense of community: a simple, fun object, designed for people who appreciate personal relationships, people who are different from the others, in their opinions and in their feelings. This multiplicity of emotions gives birth to an intention of self-expression able to make well-being and happiness blossom, trying to recover the values which are otherwise slowly vanishing in our world.

Some technical parameters :
- 4 seater interior which can be used as a living room
- changeable graphics on the side to be more unique
- fuel cell

The form concept was based on paper waves which are covering a central cell, where the interior can be found. via

Sourse - http://www.trendsnow.net

Bmw presents its AMULETT system

2009-05-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

BMW Group Research and Technology, in partnership with the main German research institutes, has currently developed a system that can assist motorists handle pedestrians that suddenly appear from between two parked cars.

AMULETT, the name of the research project which is a German acronym for ‘Active mobile accident avoidance and mitigation of accident effects through cooperative data acquisition and tracking technology’ has come up with what they call a Car-2-X Communication. The system involves vehicles communicating with radio transponders that are carried by people for personal safety purposes. The sensor systems between the car and the transponder reveal and recognize even pedestrians that are hidden from view. The three-year venture has been funded by the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology. The other participants include Continental Safety Engineering International GmbH, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ingtegrated Circuits, the Institute for High Frequency Engineering at Munich’s Technical University, and ZENTEC GmbH. At the conclusion of the project, set on May 6 this year, the results of AMULETT will be publicly unveiled.