‘EFFICIENTDYNAMICS’ PROGRAMME FOR NEW BMW 1 AND 5 SERIES MODELS
28 May 2007 - BMW

To meet new EU emissions standards due in 2010 manufacturers are now developing new engine, transmission and bodywork technologies to meet the future requirements.

In addition, by 2012 it is proposed that the EU will require an average 130g/km CO2 limit across a brand’s entire range, although at this stage manufacturers are still lobbying the powers that be on the exact levels they can meet.

This week BMW United Kingdom wheeled out their new 1 Series three-door and revised 5 Series ranges, both encompassing their new EfficientDynamics technology

BMW said their EfficientDynamics programme offers solutions for providing increased power and performance but with improved economy and lower emissions. In addition to developing further their high performance direct injection petrol and diesel engines and raising the gear ratios in the transmissions, BMW is making increasing use of lightweight materials for panels and components. BMW are also pioneering emission free Hydrogen fuel usage with their 7 Series, but no legislation is yet in place for the public use of such fuel.

BMW 1 Series 3-door
BMW launched their original 1 Series in five-door hatchback form in September 2004 and last year they sold 22,033 of them in the UK. That is 19 per cent of all BMW’s UK sales. The revised five-door 1-Series went on sale in March 2007 and now the three-door models will join the range this month at prices ranging from £17,815 through to £23,225. Additional 116i models will be added to the three-door line up in September with a starting price in the region of £15,900 Five-Door models range from £16,390 to £23,720. Both ranges have M Sport variants with petrol and diesel engine options.

BMW say that prices for the second generation 1 Series five-door models have been increased by an average 2.6 per cent but there is over £900 worth of added value in technology and specification in the latest cars.

Oliver Parsons, BMW UK’s product manager for 1-Series said this week, “ Sales of the five-door 1-Series had been 53 per cent to business and fleet buyers with 60 per cent of them being male users. Many customers had been drawn from larger, volume selling, D-segment models outside the BMW brand and had wanted a move to a premium C-segment product.”

He added, “The introduction of the three-door models is likely to increase demand from private buyers attracted by the sports styling and a broader choice of frugal petrol and diesel engines. Sales of all 1 Series models in the UK this year should be around the 23,000 mark.”

The likely best selling three-door variants will be the forthcoming 116i petrol and current 118d diesel models, which will each account for 30 per cent of 1 Series sales.

Tim Abbott, BMW UK sales director, said: “The launch of a revised 1 Series with its new, EfficientDynamics inspired, drivetrain will see the Series maintain a market leading position in terms of performance, economy and emissions. It’s a bold claim but one which is backed up with figures. The average 12,000 mile-a-year driver of a new 1 Series can expect to save up to £250 off his fuel bill compared to the outgoing model. Business users are similarly better off by more than £500 with a reduction in company car tax courtesy of lower CO2 emissions. All this in a vehicle with higher engine power output and better performance figures.”

At the core of the revised BMW 1 Series drivetrain are EfficentDynamics technologies. Innovations such as Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start-Stop and Electric Power Steering are combined with lower rolling resistant tyres and an optimum gearshift indicator to deliver economical motoring. These innovations are in addition to the use of variable valve technologies and, for the first time on the 1 Series, high-precision direct injection engines on most petrol models that boost power output but, at the same time, cut fuel consumption and emissions.

BMW said the 118d is BMW’s most economical car, managing a record 60.1mpg. Aside from the BMW Hydrogen 7, the BMW 118d posts the lowest ever CO2 emissions of any BMW recording 123g/km, putting it into the Band C £115 category for Vehicle Excise Duty.

Unfortunately that is just 3g/km higher than needed to meet the Band B £35 road tax level and puts it just outside the proposed London Congestion Charge exemption level of 120g/km. BMW say they are aware of this issue and working towards getting the 118d engine down to the 120g/km limit.

BMW revised 5-Series Saloon and Touring models
Launched in March 2007 the revised BMW 5-Series range of Saloons and Touring estate models now sees an M5 Touring model added to the range. Like its M5 Saloon counterpart it uses BMW’s impressive 5.0-litre V10 normally aspirated 507hp, 520Nm petrol engine. Top speed is limited to 155mph and 0-62mph is covered in 4.8 seconds. The price - £67,075, £2,580 more expensive than the M5 Saloon.

Around 400 units of the M5 Saloon and 350 of the M5 Touring will be sold in the UK this year.

Last year the 5-Series range, Saloons and Touring models, sold in record numbers, 19,606 units, and demand is still at an all-time high. Prices range from £26,980 to £64,495 for the Saloon models and £28,990 to £67,075 for Touring variants.

Eighty per cent of 5-Series UK sales are for diesel powered models and 75 per cent are ordered with the automatic transmission. The best selling variants, both Saloon and Touring versions, are the 520d which attracts 45 per cent of customers, the 525d with 20 per cent and the 530d with 15 per cent.

BMW said this week, the addition of elements of BMW’s EfficientDynamics programme together with subtle design enhancements, ensures that the new 5 Series will appeal to an even broader audience and build on the success of the outgoing car.

The combination of today’s EfficientDynamics technology in the new 5 Series delivers a car with all of the driving characteristics expected of a BMW but with significantly better economy and fewer emissions. Better, in fact, than many hybrid solutions.

BMW claims EfficientDynamics technology delivers significant financial benefits to retail and corporate buyers. Based on a total annual mileage of 20,000 miles, 75 per cent of which is business with prevailing fuel costs, the company driver of a 523i M Sport Saloon paying 40 per cent tax would be £1,678 better off per year. A private buyer of a 530i M Sport Touring, again based on 20,000 miles driving per annum, would be better off by £1,059 in fuel costs alone when compared to the outgoing car.

Miles Better News Agency

www.bmwgroup.com

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