BMW 320i 2007 News

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 

Previous Bathurst 1000 Winners 1963 Harry Firth/Bob Jane Ford Cortina GT 1964 Bob Jane/George Reynolds Ford Cortina GT 1965 Bo Seton/Midge Bosworth Ford Cortina GT500 1966 Rauno Aaltonen/Bob Holden Morris Mini Cooper S 1967 Harry Firth/Fred Gibson Ford Falcon XRGT 1968 Bruce McPhee/Barry Mulholland Holden Monaro GTS

In his 15 years at BMW, the Munich car maker's US-born head of design has overseen the creation of some of the industry's most admired and imitated, if controversial, cars.

So which carmaker is the world's cleanest? Not sure? Well, an independent survey released last week has found that BMW has most improved its average fuel efficiency and CO2 emission rate. Indeed, it's done so to an extent which will embarrass other carmakers.The study, began from 1990-2005 by Environmental Defense, a US-based non-profit environmental advocacy group, which shows BMW has improved fuel economy by 14 per cent and carbon emissions by 12.3 per cent.The next best reduction was Toyota's 3 per cent. The C02 performance of every other leading carmaker deteriorated.BMW has made much of the fact that the report covers a period when its US sales increased fourfold.The Americans, of course, buy more big X5 SUVs than the rest of the world combined. The report, Automakers' Corporate Carbon Burdens, studied the impact of 12 major carmakers' product strategies on fuel efficiency and overall automotive carbon emissions.BMW improved fuel economy on several key models, including the 3 Series, 5 Series, 7Series, Z4 M Coupe, M5 Sedan and X5 SUV. Of course, the group's Mini Cooper accounted for almost half of BMW's overall fuel economy improvements.BMW Australia spokesman Toni Andreevski says the group has made further substantial improvements to fuel consumption and emissions since the end of the survey period.“Already in 2007, one-third of new BMWs sold in Europe have a CO2 rating of no more than 140g per kilometre,” he says. “Basically it is a great result that shows that we can continue to optimise current engines. It also shows petrol and diesel engines that outperform existing hybrid technology at comparable costs.”With its latest diesel and lean-burn direct-injection petrol engines, (the latter is no good for Australia because of the high sulphur content of our petrol) BMW has taken its own hybrid direction. This week at the Frankfurt motor show, it showcased its new dual-mode hybrid that returns a claimed 20 per cent economy improvement on the highway and in town.BMW's other more vaunted green gambit is the Hydrogen 7, the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan. Driven in Germany last year by carsguide, the Hydrogen 7 emits primarily vapour when running on a non-petrol engine.Toyota rated second best, reducing CO2 3 per cent overall, a result in part due to its introduction of the Prius hybrid, but mainly to improvements made to the best-selling Corolla.The report also rated the overall 'carbon burden' that carmakers placed on the environment, derived from factors including vehicle emissions and the number sold. GM came out on top, with a 6.5per cent reduction in overall carbon burden, though its carbon emissions rose by 3 per cent. Toyota, while low in CO2, grew its carbon burden by 125 per cent because of an increase in overall sales. Snapshot: Carbon savings BMW: reduced 12.3 per centToyota: reduced 3 per centVolkswagen: up 1.3 per centSubaru: up 1.6 per centGeneral Motors: up 3per centMitsubishi: up 4 per centHonda: up 4.4 per centFord: up 4.7 per centDaimlerChrysler: up 4.8 per centNissan: up 9.2 per centHyundai: up 17 per centKia: up 30 per cent Source: US Environmental Defense group 

The Japanese car maker now owns a massive 21.9 per cent of the market, a rise of 0.6 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year.Australia's leading seller has surged to 91,984 sales to the end of May compared with 82,227 for the first five months of last year.Toyota is driving the industry to continued forecasts that more than a million vehicles will be sold for the first time in a calendar year in Australia.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has nominated an annualised rate (SAAR) of 1.022 million vehicles for 2007.Chief contributors to Toyota's booming figures are the four-cylinder Camry while the 4 x 2 and 4 x 4 variants of the HiLux have recorded huge jumps along with the Yaris and the introduction of the V6 Aurion.Significantly, since improved supply, the petrol/electric Prius has more than doubled on 2006 figures with 1333 sold to the end of May compared with 625 for the same period last year.Toyota continues to punch above the performance of the total market.“Our aspirations are always to grow bigger than the market,” Toyota Australia chairman Emeritus John Conomos said at the launch recently of the 10th generation Corolla.“No one has ever achieved 25 per cent of the market in modern times before.“It's probably not achievable this year but it's a goal worth setting.”Holden remains in Toyota's shadow. It has increased sales from 60,792 to 61,863 year-on-year, but its market share is down from 15.7 to 14.8 per cent.Ford is a clear number three but has slipped almost 5000 sales year-on-year and has lost 2 per cent market share which now stands at 10.5 per cent.Mitsubishi continues to claw its way back and is moving up on Nissan in a fight for fifth spot.Those models selling well for Mitsubishi have been the Lancer, Outlander, Pajero and the Triton 4 x 4 although the model which the Adelaide maker has staked its future on, the 380, has declined from 5176 to 4641 in year-on-year figures.On the luxury front, BMW recorded its second successive monthly record with 1497 vehicles finding owners, taking its year-to-date tally to 6462.What has been a massive seller for BMW has been the new hardtop 3-series convertible and coupe with combined sales standing at 1170 compared with 313 this time last year.While sales of the X5 Sport Utility Vehicle remain robust and Z4 convertible and coupe sales have grown by a massive 49.4 per cent it is the two-door 3-series models which have allowed BMW to gain significant market momentum.BMW customer deliveries last month were 11.7 per cent higher than May 2006, adding an extra 157 units to last May's record figure.Volkswagen, the only European importer to make the top 10 list, has lifted its year-on-year volume share to 2.6 per cent from 1.9 per cent with sales topping 10,918 to the end of May.

But those big accidents, they'll always happen to someone else, not me. And as much as I hate to admit it, I think I had fallen into this mindset. That was before I attended an advanced driver training course this week.When learning how to drive, we are simply taught to get our licence, as my instructor at the BMW Young Driver Training course, Derek Walls, told us."With every other form of vehicle — motorbikes, heavy vehicles, light vans — you have to go further," he says."But basically, when it comes to a car licence, that's it. You get your licence and don't have to do anything else."And it's true. In most cases, you're not taught how to avoid an accident, how dangerous travelling too close to the car in front can really be or the importance of wide vision.I arrived at the course to find I was on the older side of young drivers. My six fellow motorists were on their P-plates.And while they were all keen on driving a brand new 3 Series BMW for the day and hitting the racetrack, it seemed they were all there because of the initiative of parents or relatives. Some had first-hand accident stories, others told of friends who were lucky to have escaped some sticky situations.But it became clear from the start that we all shared that optimism in our abilities. So it was off to the classroom for a reality check.After some theory, we were off to put it into practice. Braking, the correct steering technique and swerving to avoid an accident were first on the list. There were some tangled arms as we tried to adjust to new hand positioning, burnt rubber as we learned the benefit of ABS and how to control a car without this technology, and quite a few witches hats taken out along the way.And while it was heaps of fun and most of the exercises were done with smiles on our faces, as well as a few butterflies in our stomachs, we all absorbed a wealth of knowledge we had previously taken for granted.After lunch it was off for some more theory and practical exercises and then came time for what most of the boys had been waiting for, hitting the track. Our 110km/h felt considerably fast, but to finish the day off, we saw real speed in action. Our instructors took us for some hot laps in their BMW M3s.Some people may criticise these courses for encouraging unsafe driving behaviour. But as Walls says, advanced driver training courses show young people their limits and encourage them to work within them.His motto is simple: "Speed that thrills is speed that kills." If you're getting excited by your driving, you're outside your comfort zone.The treat of some hot laps at the end of the day demonstrated just how much technique and experience is required to carry off such speeds with precision. We were all pretty much agreed that we were yet to possess the experience required to execute such a task."Let them experience and they will go away and make their own decision, but you have to give them the correct tools to make accurate decisions," Walls says.While most courses require you to bring your own car, this one had us all drive the same BMWs. Walls warns that some courses may not be as qualified as you think, so people should do some research before booking one.Back on the road, I've noticed I'm putting all my new skills into practice. I'm now much more alert, I'm giving extra room between my car and the car in front and I'm practising and mastering my turning technique.Experiencing actions such as braking or swerving suddenly at 80km/h shows just how hard these tasks are, something you can't quite comprehend until you experience it.I know I'd rather this on the track than in real driving conditions. With the disastrous effects of over-confident young drivers continually in the news, a driver training course could just be the wake-up call they need.How to drive safelyVision If there's one thing we're not good at, it is looking far enough ahead. In most cases we just don't do this and fail to focus far enough ahead. Keep your head up and always be aware of what is going on around you. Look out to see what's coming next. Good observation really is the key.Braking Early is better. The bottom line is if you think you need to brake, then you do. Leave two to three seconds between yourself and the car ahead. A car travelling 100km/h takes 80m to stop with reaction time. Incredibly, that's nearly as long as a football field.Seating positionYou should be in a comfortable position, but your legs must not be straight or too cramped. You should be able to fit only four fingers above your head before reaching the roof. You should be comfortable and in control in all situations. Your leg can't become locked under braking.Peer pressureThere's always peer pressure, which is especially true for young blokes. Don't cave in to these demands. "Speed that thrills is speed that kills." If you're getting excited, then you're driving outside your comfort zone.