Autoblog

Happy New Year! BMW rings in 2010 with price increases across the board

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:58:00 EST

BMW X6 ActiveHybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery

Normally we can think of some cute little anecdote to kick these here posts off with, but today... can't do it. BMW is raising their prices by 0.4 percent across the board on vehicles sold in North America. This price increase takes effect on January 1, 2010. Why? BMW isn't saying. And while less than a percent may not sound like much, if you're buying a stripper 760Li ($136,600), that's like $600!

There is a tiny sliver of good news. The three vehicles that just got introduced to this continent in December -- the ActiveHybrid X6, ActiveHybrid 7 and the 550i Gran Turismo -- are unaffected by this price increase. Of course as all three of those vehicles haven't proved themselves in the marketplace yet, so that sliver is even tinier upon second glance.

But it's not just the base prices that are going up. Destination & Handling fees are on the rise as well. Every new BMW is coming with an additional $50 tacked onto the 2009 $825 price, for a total of $875. And yes, this fifty dollar increase applies to the two new hybrids and the Gran Turismo as well. Happy New Year!

Gallery: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid Concept

[Source: BMW]

Happy New Year! BMW rings in 2010 with price increases across the board originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: BMW teases new 5 Series sedan ahead of unveiling using amazing kinetic sculpture

Chris Paukert — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Videos, BMW, Luxury

2010 BMW 5 Series - click above to watch the video

We knew that BMW's pivotal 5 Series was slated for replacement soon, and we've seen plenty of spy shots to prove that it's in the cards. Up until just now, however, we didn't know when it would appear.

In a brief press release available after the jump, BMW promises that its new 5 Series will be revealed with a "Live-Stream of the unveiling ceremony" on November 23 at 8pm CET. In the meantime, the automaker has released a teaser video of an amazing kinetic sculpture at the BMW Museum that gives away the car's outline. You can check it out after the jump.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading VIDEO: BMW teases new 5 Series sedan ahead of unveiling using amazing kinetic sculpture

VIDEO: BMW teases new 5 Series sedan ahead of unveiling using amazing kinetic sculpture originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: BMW looking at cheaper 5 Series Gran Turismo, rules out M model

Chris Paukert — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Wagon, Europe, Crossover, Hatchback, BMW, Rumormill, Diesel

BMW 535i Gran Turismo - Click above for high-res image gallery

The famed automotive pot-stirrers at Autocar are at it again. According to two blurbs from the UK publication, BMW's new 5 Series Gran Turismo may spawn at least one less costly, less powerful variant, but a high-performance M version is apparently off the table.

On the fuel and financial economy front, Bimmer is reportedly considering adding four-cylinder powerplants to the controversial new five-door, including the 175 bhp diesel from the 320d. A twin-turbo diesel may also be in the cards. The fear here is that the premium-priced 5GT may in fact be priced too aggressively, as it stickers above a comparable 5 Series Touring model. In any case, we don't expect to see the less-powerful diesel Stateside, although we wouldn't be terribly suprised if the company chose to shoehorn in something like the twin-turbo 3.0-liter diesel already on offer in the 335d.

On the M side of the equation, Autocar says that the gasoline V8-powered 550i will remain the pinnacle of the range, as BMW has "ruled out" a M-Technik variant. Given that BMW has recently seen fit to move M beyond traditional cars (see: X5 and X6) and that these higher performance models often have thicker margins attached, this strikes us as somewhat curious decision - especially as the 5GT figures to be the most dynamically promising of the bunch. This source also doesn't jibe with what we heard from BMW officials just last month when we drove the car in Portugal. At that time, the official line was that no decision had been made, but knowing glances and meek smiles seemed to indicate that things looked good for the model.

In other words, we'll believe it when we (don't) see it.

Gallery: First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo

[Source: Auto car]

Rumormill: BMW looking at cheaper 5 Series Gran Turismo, rules out M model originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo evolves the wagon with clever packaging, solid dynamics and... a prehensile tail?

Chris Paukert — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:56:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Crossover, Hatchback, BMW, First Drive, Design/Style, Diesel, Luxury

BMW 535i Gran Turismo - Click above for high-res image gallery

Evolution is a tough thing to watch - and not merely because it takes millions of years. While the developmental pace of the automobile has proven to be rather quicker than the natural world surrounding it, the car industry's recent house-on-fire rush into new niches and sub-genres has often been similarly challenging to make sense of. Like those primordial fish that beach themselves, drag their bellies on the sand with their fins and eventually mutate into, say, Adriana Lima, you just have to know that the industry's recent diversification efforts will eventually yield a timeless beauty or two. But thus far, you could be forgiven for thinking that the process will take a few hundred millennia - especially where it concerns the industry's nascent call-me-anything-but-a-station-wagon movement.

While the burgeoning four-door coupe segment has already yielded some supermodels, the kinlugger set has yet to work out the same way. This, despite seemingly every automaker downing the midnight Red Bull in an effort to hit upon a package that bundles the functional attributes of a family hauler without their social stigma. Some companies are disguising their efforts as SUVs (traditional square-rigged crossovers); a few have waded in with quasi-minivans, while others are staking their claim to the muddy hatchback middle ground. Enter the latest automotive platypus, BMW's 5 Series Gran Turismo, a distinctive new five-door that aims to meld the practical utility of a CUV and a station wagon without the either genre's dynamic and civil penalties.

Gallery: First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo

Continue reading First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo evolves the wagon with clever packaging, solid dynamics and... a prehensile tail?

First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo evolves the wagon with clever packaging, solid dynamics and... a prehensile tail? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2010 BMW 5 Series nearing completion

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Spy Photos, Sedan, BMW

2010 BMW 5 Series - Click above for a high-res image gallery

The 2010 BMW 5 Series is due to hit the market early next year and these latest spy shots are a clear, if predictable, indication of what styling changes are on their way.

The front fascia adopts the upright nose, elongated twin-kidney grille and contoured headlamps (Dame Edna be gone!) originally shown on the 2009 7 Series, while the rear takes on a set of similarly styled tail lamps and looses the Bangled rump we've come to know and loathe.

The overall effect should tie in well with the recently revealed BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, and expect similar powertrain options to be available, including the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8, 3.0-liter inline-six and a host of diesel options offered abroad. Transmission choices will likely include a six-speed manual and an all-new eight-speed gearbox supplied by ZF. And then there's the 2011 M5 to look forward to.

Expect the next M-fettled 5er to pack the X6 M/X5 M's tweaked twin-turbo'd eight nestled within a revised chassis sure to use considerable amounts of aluminum and carbon fiber. It's obvious that development of the next 5 is well underway, and we wouldn't be surprised to see it unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September, with the M5 appearing later in 2010.

Gallery: Spy Shots: 2010 BMW 5 Series

Spy Shots: 2010 BMW 5 Series nearing completion originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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