BMW 3 Series 2008 News

Only a fraction of the 1.2 million cars on Australia roads with airbags that can spray shrapnel have been fixed, new figures show.

A vote by 75 motoring journalists from 22 countries has awarded the compact prestige car the World Car of the Year award for 2015.It finished on top of a 24-car field and eventually beat the two other finalists, the Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Passat.The other big prizes for 2015, Green Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year, went to the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 and the Mercedes-AMG GT coupe.The winners were announced at the New York Motor Show today at an event hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum at the culmination of a six-month voting process.The C-Class delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.The awards are in their 11th year and previous winners include the Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Lexus LS460 and Volkswagen Golf, Polo and Up.To be eligible for the overall World Car award, candidate cars must have become available for sale on at least two continents between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015.The WCOTY wins by Mercedes-Benz follow its victories in the Green Car contest in 2007 with the E320 Bluetec and 2012 with the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and its Luxury Car success with the S Class in 2014.“We are extremely delighted of winning the honour of World Car of the Year,” says the chairman of Daimler, Dr Dieter Zetsche.The WCOTY victory follows a similar success for the C-Class in the CarsGuide Car of the Year award.The WCOTY judging panel says: “Taking its design and technological cues from the S-Class, the C-Class employs an all-new aluminium/steel hybrid platform and updated rear-drive powertrains that delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.” WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2015Overall winner: Mercedes-Benz C-ClassGreen Car: BMW i8Performance Car: Mercedes-AMG GTLuxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S CoupeDesign: Citroen CactusPREVIOUS WORLD COTY WINNERS:2014: Audi A32013: Volkswagen Golf2012: Volkswagen Up2011: Nissan Leaf2010: Volkswagen Polo2009: Volkswagen Golf2008: Mazda22007: Lexus LS4602006: BMW 3 Series2005: Audi A6

THE Audi A3 small car -- which owes much of its DNA to the Volkswagen Golf -- has won the 2014 World Car of the Year, as voted by 69 jurors from 22 countries. The luxury hatch toppled the widely-tipped favourite, the Mazda3 from Japan, in the awards announced at the New York motor show today.The Audi A3 was among five German cars that took out a cleansweep of the 2014 World Car of the Year categories, and it was Audi’s second win in 10 years, having won the inaugural award. Indeed, German cars have won seven of the past 10 World Car of the Year awards, Japanese brands have won the remaining three.Accepting the award on behalf of the company, Audi's North America president Scott Keogh said: “The Audi A3 has only been on sale three weeks and already it’s off to a flying start.”Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi, said: “This major award win is an achievement that the whole company can celebrate.”The Audi A3 was among 24 finalists that included the BMW i3 electric car, which won the Green Car of the Year and the Car Design of the Year. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class was the Luxury Car of the Year while the Porsche 911 GT3 was awarded top performance car honours.But the Mazda3 had emerged as an early favourite for the outright World Car of the Year award following rave reviews globally since it went on sale late last year. The previous generation Mazda3 has been Australia’s top selling car for two of the past three years, and was the vehicle that ended the Holden Commodore’s record 15-years as the market leader, in 2011.The Mazda3 is returned to the top of the sales charts so far this year -- after being overtaken by the Toyota Corolla in 2013 -- and is likely to take out top-seller status this year buoyed by the new model which went on sale in January.World car of the year winners2014 – Audi A32013 -- Volkswagen Golf Mk72012 -- Volkswagen Up2011 -- Nissan Leaf2010 -- Volkswagen Polo2009 -- Volkswagen Golf Mk62008 -- Mazda22007 -- Lexus LS4602006 -- BMW 3 Series2005 -- Audi A62014 World Car of The Year category winnersGreen car of the Year -- BMW i3 electric carCar Design of the Year -- BMW i3 electric carPerformance Car of the Year -- Porsche 911 GT3Luxury Car of the Year – Mercedes-Benz S-ClassThis reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Audi Australia managing director Joerg Hofmann has responded strongly in correcting remarks made by BMW’s local head of corporate communications, Toni Andreevski.

With new styling and a raft of new features the new 3 Series will start at $54,500 _ $3500 above the discontinued base model _ and top out at $111,700 for the 3351 Touring.BMW says the value equation is ahead of the increase with the 320i Executive winning standard Dakota leather trim, power front seats, light alloy wheels, active front headrests and standard six-speed automatic transmission.Also now standard on all 3 Series Sedan and Touring models is the exterior lights package that illuminates the door handles when the unlock button on the key fob is pressed. It also includes puddle, footwell and ambient interior lighting.However, if you enjoy customising your car don't panic. BMW will still offer its traditional lengthy options list. 

It's the updated BMW 3 Series, which has broken cover in Europe with a much more aggressive look and some techno tweaking.The obvious changes are a bolder look to the nose, with a scalloped bonnet, while the iDrive system has been updated with extra controls and an 80-gigabyte hard drive.The range and price is likely to stay much as it is today for BMW's down under bestseller, although there is potential for a new diesel in the family.“This is a typcial mid-life refresh, with a bit of a tweak to keep the car fresh for the next few years,” says the managing director of BMW Australia, Guenther Seemann.“Our designers want to give it a more sporty and dynamic look. The M Sport package is quite a popular option on the 3 Series, which shows customers want more aggression in the style. And the entry-level car will reflect that.“A typical BMW generation lasts for seven to eight years, so it was time to freshen the design a little, but without making the existing car look out of date.”The makeover will include both the 3 Series sedan and Touring, or the E90 and E91 in BMW-speak.The arrival of the new 3 could come earlier than January, but BMW Australia wants to make a new year statement and pivot it around the introduction of the four-door M3 sedan.It is also working on the addition of a 330d as a new diesel pace-setter.“In Europe they have also announced the introduction of a new 330d. It is cleaner and more efficient, with 520 Newton-metres and 180 kiloWatts,” Seemann says.“That is a car we are somewhat interested in. We think it would work in Australia, but it is obviously still early days.“It is probably something we would see six to nine months down the track. We've identified it as a car that would sell well in Australia, but we need to put a buginess case together.”The technical details for the updated 3 Series _ which will arrive a little over four years since the new-shape car was introduced _ include a completely new front end, new bonnet, new tail lamps and wheels.Six-cylinder cars also get a wider-track suspension and engines have been tweaked a little to improve emissions.Inside, apart from some minor fiddling there are extra buttons to make the iDrive system more user-friendly and a massive hard drive.“There is also some new technology in the car. That includes the 80-gig hard drive to store music and phone information, as well as making the mapping in the satellite navigation work better,” Seemann says.“For safety, active head restraints are now also standard.” 

Within three years, production-line workers will build cars with names they can't pronounce.It's nothing new but when the Russians start pumping out Mitsubishis and Peugeots and Citroens, it is another step in the process that sees car makers move out of their backyard and onto foreign soil.The reasons are cheap.Picking a developing country with available employment, low yet aspiring standards of living and government incentives such as free land and tax breaks is the financial equivalent of a Stephanie Rice wall poster.And there's no reason to feel shy about deserting the homeland in search of reduced manufacturing costs even if Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking is scathing of the practice — though the Cayenne body is made in Slovakia — and says so in his new (only) book “Don't Follow The Crowd”.Look around.You probably know it because you're on the carsguide.com.au site, but most car owners haven't a clue where their metallic ego in the driveway was born.The Honda Accord and Jazz are from Thailand, the Volkswagen Caddy in Poland, the Suzuki APU (named after the 24-hour shop owner in The Simpsons?) van in Indonesia, the Chrysler Grand Cherokee in Austria — on the same line as the BMW X3, no less — the Volvo XC70 in Belgium and the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus hatch and BMW 3-Series four-cylinder models in South Africa.As these countries grow richer on their ability to make cars cheaper for the world, so their prices — of labour and taxes and energy — will rise.Are there any countries left that have even lower costs that car makers can exploit? While you sift through the Atlas (get a current one, some countries and borders have changed in the past decade) let me tell you about one that has it all.And only recently is word out that this could be the next big think in car manufacture.Unlike Russia or Thailand or Slovakia, this country has English as its predominant language.It has an able workforce and rising unemployment.Its needs are many because the country has high consumer goods consumption.Yet the workforce — perhaps through desperation — can be turned to receive a modest wage.There are tax breaks and land going on offer throughout the country, most close to the ocean or rivers for easy transportation of raw materials and finished product.The icing on the cake is that it has existing infrastructure to support car assembly.The country is the USA.Now the focus turns from outward looking to the manufacturing equivalent of navel gazing.Now European countries have seen a weakened USA become ripe for domestic manufacture.The US dollar is so weak that it makes importing European cars too expensive.Far better to look at camping on US soil, in the way a cuckoo camps in another nest to exploit its personal needs.While General Motors seeks manufacturing in China, Volkswagen is looking at the USA.Volkswagen is not alone, European suppliers are also sniffing out what the USA can offer.The tide has unexpectedly changed and perhaps the only hindrance will be a revival in the US economy.Preoccupied with the 'war with no end' in the Middle East, the US is poised to become the world's next big car factory.Who would have thought that possible?

Seven of the 11 winners in Germany last week were turbo-charged units, which reflects the major part the technology is now playing in efforts to improve fuel economy and curb emissions.Six companies collected prizes, but one brand had more reason than most to celebrate.BMW dominated the competition, claiming half of the awards including the top honour, International Engine of the Year.That accolade went to its 3.0-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder unit available in the 135i, 335i and X6.It is the second year in a row the engine has won the top gong.The German firm also claimed the New Engine of 2008 title with its 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, available in the 123d.Other winners for the company were the 4.0-litre V8 found in the new M3 and the 5.0-litre V10 in the M5 and M6.BMW's joint venture with French company PSA also paid off. The 1.6-litre turbo-charged four-cylinder used in the Mini and Peugeot 308 won its class.“BMW rightly views these awards as the highest industry recognition of its outstanding achievements in engine technology and manufacturing,” BMW director of power-train Peter Langen says.“It is an honour for our 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine to have earned the highest accolade for the second year running. And we are truly delighted that so many of our other engines have been judged class leaders.”The other multiple winners were Toyota and Volkswagen/Audi.Toyota's hybrid synergy drive, which powers the Prius, won the inaugural Green Engine of the Year prize.It's not the first time the engine has been honoured, though. It has previously won 10 gongs in the annual awards.Toyota's other winner — the 1.0-litre unit that powers the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 — came in the under 1.0-litre category.Like BMW, Volkswagen/Audi was honoured for its forced induction engines.The 1.4-litre TSI engine, which uses super-charging and turbo-charging, won its category. It's other winner was the 2.0-litre turbo motor in the Audi A3, VW Golf GTi and Skoda Octavia.That engine drew particular praise for not only its performance and economy but its flexibility.The 2.0-litre unit comes in a variety of tunes — 125kW, 147kW, 195kW and 200kW — to suit different vehicles, including the new Audi TTS.“The benchmark for efficiency and performance in its category,” was one comment from the judges. “A great example of an engine that's so flexible it can deliver the right solutions for a variety of vehicles.”Porsche won the performance engine award with its 3.6-litre turbo from the 911 turbo and 911 GT2.Subaru was the only other winner with its 2.5-litre turbo.British specialist magazine Engine Technology International is responsible for the awards, which are voted on by 65 motoring journalists from 32 countries, including Australia.The ceremony was held as part of the 2008 Engine Expo in Stuttgart, Germany.The awards are held in high regard by the automotive industry because the judges consider the full range of engine criteria: performance, fuel consumption, driving behaviour, driving comfort and the use of technology. The highest industry recognition of its outstanding achievementsThe Winners of the International Engine of the Year 2008 BMW 3.0-litre twin-turboBest new engineBMW 2.0-litre diesel twin-turboGreen engine of the yearToyota 1.5-litre hybrid synergy driveBest performance-enginePorsche 3.6-litre turboBest sub 1.0-litreToyota 1.0-litreBest 1.0-litre to 1.4-litreVolkswagen 1.4-litre TSI twinchargerBest 1.4-litre to 1.8-litreBMW-PSA 1.6-litre turboBest 1.8-litre to 2.0-litreVolkswagen/Audi 2-litre turboBest 2.0-litre to 2.5-litreSubaru 2.5-litre turboBest 2.5-litre to 3.0-litreBMW 3.0-litre twin-turboBest 3.0-litre to 4.0-litreBMW 4.0-litre V8Best above 4.0-litreBMW 5.0-litre V10 

The explosive growth of the BMW model range is about to be defused in Australia, with the line-up being trimmed to cut competition and duplication, making it easier for customers in showrooms.The plan is to have only three choices of any individual model, with two petrol engines and one diesel.The current list includes 36 individual models in the 3 Series sedan line-up ... without counting the coupe, convertible or station wagon.“We get a lot of questions about whetherwe have too many models,” BMW Australia managing director Guenther Seemann says.“I think we do have too many.”He believes BMW must cut the choices to streamline business, though he says there will still be all-new models in future — with the X6 four-wheel-drive and M3 sedan up next — asthe German company looks for customers.The work has begun, though there are a dozen individual BMW lines, from the baby 1 Series to the four-wheel-drive X5 and flagship 7 Series, with 50 official engine choices. BMW has 189 individual models on the list.“We've already begun tidying up. The 116i hatch has been removed from the range, there are the manuals in the 3 Series and one of the X3 manuals,” Seemann says.“In the 5 Series range, one of the V8s will go.I believe for each and every model line-up in the future, as we add models, we need two petrol and one diesel variant in each case. No more. We have so many different model lines, it is not practical or possible to display them all in a showroom.”He says it will take time to get things sorted, partly because there are so many models.“It will happen in the next two years. Globally, there are five petrol and five diesel engine choices. And that is just in the 3 Series range,” Seemann says. But there is definitely space for some additions, like the four-door M3 sedan.“We will bring the four-door version, but I do not know at what price. We have to price it lower than the M3 two-door.” 

The explosive growth of the BMW model range is about to be defused in Australia. The line-up is being trimmed to cut competition and duplication, making it easier for customers in showrooms.The plan is to have only three choices of any individual model, with two petrol engines and one diesel. The current list includes 36 individual models in the 3 Series sedan line-up . . . without counting the coupe, convertible or station wagon.“We get a lot of questions about whether we have too many models. I think we do have too many,” BMW Australia managing director Guenther Seemann says.He believes BMW must cut the choices to streamline business, though he says there will still be all-new models in future — with the X6 four-wheel drive and M3 sedan up next — as the German company looks for customers.The work has begun, though there are a dozen individual BMW lines, from the baby 1 Series to the four-wheel-drive X5 and flagship 7-Series, with 50 official engine choices. BMW has 189 individual models on the list.“We've already begun tidying up. The 116i hatch has been removed from the range, there are the manuals in the 3 Series and one of the X3 manuals,” Seeman says.“In the 5 Series range, one of the V8s will go. I believe for each and every model line-up in the future, as we add models, we need two petrol and one diesel variant in each case. No more. We have so many different model lines, it is not practical or possible to display them all in a showroom.He says it will take time to get things sorted, partly because there are so many models.“It will happen in the next two years. Globally, there are five petrol and five diesel engine choices. And that is just in the 3 Series range,” he says.But there is definitely space for some additions, like the four-door M3 sedan.“We are starting the business case. It looks good, I must say,” he says.“We will bring the four-door version, but I do not know at what price. We always follow the normal BMW pattern, where a two-door is more expensive than a four-door. We have to price it lower than the M3 two-door.”