Chris Bangle leaves BMW and the auto industry
Chris Bangle, Chief of Design for BMW Group and one of the most famoust and controversial characters in the auto industry, has announced today that he will quit his position at BMW and that he will leave the auto industry altogether to pursue his own design-related endeavours. Bangle has been BMW’s Chief of Design since 1992, after working for Opel and Fiat too.
With his designs appreciated by many and hated by even more, one thing’s for sure, Bangle is one of the most infuential designers in the past two decades. He completely changed the ‘face’ of BMW and other car makers were also influenced by his designs. And considering that, starting with 2006, BMW is the world’s largest premium car producer, surpassing Mercedes Benz, we might say that the did a good job and, hate it or love it, his decision is a loss to the industry we all love.
BMW has announced that they’ll continue to use Bangle’s current design cues at least through 2010 and that his post will be taken by the company’s current Head of BWM Automobile Design, Adrian van Hooydonk, who has worked closely with Bangle for the past 17 years. So, what do you think about Chris Bangle’s decision and how it will influence BMW in the future? Don’t forget to drop a comment and let us know.
Friday
Chris Bangle Leaves BMW And The Auto Industry
Thursday
BMW and Volkswagen reduce hours for 86,000 workers
BMW and Volkswagen reduce hours for 86,000 workers
According to Bloomberg, the two German giants, Volkswagen and BMW will reduce hours for 86,000 workers in order to cut costs as the demand for vehicles has decreased. Last year, Germany and the United States (two of the most important markets for both car makers) saw deliveries dropping by 2 percent, respectively 18 percent, 2008 being the worst year in decades.
As a result, BMW announced that they’ll drop shifts for 26,000 workers in February and March, which means the company will build 10 percent less vehicles. The factories affected by this drop will be the ones in Dingolfing and Regensburg, and the production of the 3 and 7 Series will be reduced by 38,000 units. "Conditions remain challenging on the international automotive markets," Munich-based BMW said today in a statement. "This trend also has an impact on the BMW Group."
On the other hand, Volkswagen will close five German factories (Wolfsburg, Emden, Hanover, Zwickau and Dresden) between February 23 and 27, reducing the output of Golf, Passat and Phaeton models. "The current market situation naturally has an impact on our coworkers," Bernd Osterloh, Volkswagen's works-council head, said in a statement. He said accounts of overtime hours were largely empty.
Source: Bloomberg
2010 BMW Z4 brochure leaked
Last week we showed you a photo of the new BMW Z4 caught in a BMW showroom somewhere and now, thanks to our good friends from BMW Blog, we’ve got another goodie for all the car’s fans. This official brochure was leaked and we can get a look at the car’s rear (though it’s a scan, the quality is pretty good). Hmm, that makes us reconsider a little our previous position, because the car looks very good here. Some influence from the 6 Series, but that’s very promising, we must admit.
Source: BMW Blog
Friday
The New BMW Z4
If BMW managed to keep some mistery around its latest car, the new BMW Z4, all that is gone now, because the first photo of the car without any camo broke loose on the web. The car was photographed in a showroom (no idea where) before its official unveiling, on December 15th. We’re going to wait for the official photos and info about the car, but we don’t really like it. We had the chance to test drive the current generation, we really loved it, but this one, though the photo’s quality is not that great, doesn’t look that good. But let’s wait for more stuff on the car.
Our spies have lifted the lid on the next-generation BMW Z4 – and the big news is that it’s getting a folding metal roof for the first time!
Look closely at these prototypes, and you’ll see that instead of a fabric affair, the new Z4 is following in the footsteps of its 3-Series Convertible big brother, plus its Mercedes SLK rival, with a retractable steel top.
As our artist’s impression shows, the car will also get a more muscular look. And the convertible has another trick up its sleeve. BMW isn’t content with raining on the SLK’s parade, as it will seek to outgun the Porsche Boxster with a new range of powerful engines for the car. These are likely to include the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six-cylinder unit.
By AutoExpress
Saturday
BMW Z4 officially unveiled
After last week we saw two leaked photos of the new BMW Z4, this weekend, the German carmaker officially unveiled their new sports car. When it will go on sale, the new Z4 will be available with three engines, an entry level 2.5 liter developing 204hp (152 kW) and 250Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque, a 3.0 liter (258hp (192 kW) 3-liter engine with 210Nm (228 lb-ft) of torque) and a top of the line 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged unit that delivers 306hp (228 kW) and 400Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque and takes the Z4 from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.2 seconds.
A premiere for the Z Series is the use of a new retractable hard-top, which opens and closes in 20 seconds. Of course, this means that the car is heavier, but to deal with that, BMW has fitted the Z4 with an Adaptive M Suspension system (ride height can be raised/lowered by 10 mm with three configurations available), plus the Drive Dynamic Control function, available for the first time on the Z4.
The new BMW Z4 will make its world debut at next month’s Detroit Motor Show, when BMW will also probably announced the dates when the car will go on sale.
Check out more photos and a video after the jump.
Wednesday
Tuning Program For The BMW M3
The horror: IdingPower’s tuning program for the BMW M3.
The first question that hit us after we saw these photos is “Why?”. This BMW M3 tuning program was created by Japanese company IdingPower and consists of a new body kit with front lip spolier and a huge wing, new alloy wheels, sport exhaust system and new suspension and brake packages. We don’t know about you, but that rear wing is hideous, not to mention useless on the streets. Anyways, we think these guys love the Subaru Impreza WRX STi too much, because their M3 sure looks a lot like it.
Friday
BMW 320d Winter Concept by Miranda-Series
BMW 320d Winter Concept by Miranda-Series :
Though there’s not much left of this winter, German tuner Miranda-Series announced a very good looking winter sport package for the BMW 320d (the current generation, but the version before the facelift). By optimizing the ECU, the tuner managed to increase the 2.0 liter turbo diesel’s power output up to 199 hp. Handling was improved by equipping the car with Eibach Pro-Street-S coilover suspension and Stop-Tech brakes. Other changes include new 19-inch black alloy wheels wrapped in Dunlop winter tires and new Recaro seats. However, there’s one small setback. The package, though it looks good, it’s not that impressive, but instead is priced at €13,544 (almost $18,000), which is a lot.
Check out more photo after the jump.
Thursday
BMW 3 Series based Russian Cardi Body II roadster
BMW 3 Series based Russian Cardi Body II roadster, After making its debut 5 years ago, at the 2003 Moscow Motor Show, the Body II roadster created by Russian company Cardi has finally reached a production-ready status. We agree with the guys from Carscoop, who say the car looks pretty similar to the Ford Thunderbird but, though usually we’re horrified by Russian cars, this doesn’t look that bad. One problem though, it’s pretty hard to tell where’s the front and where’s the rear. As we said, the Cardi Body II is based on the previous generation BMW 3 Series platform and is powered by a 196 hp 2.5 liter petrol engine, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The car also has BMW’s instrument panel, front seats and switchgear. The Russian company says the roadster will be able to go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6,6 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
