BMW 520d 2010 News

... including sedans and wagons with no less than four different engines:- A 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel;- a 2.5-litre six cylinder petrol;- a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol;- a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel; and- a thumping twin turbocharged 4.4-litre V8.Prices range from $83,300 to $178,900 with a bewildering and eye watering array of options that then add tens of thousands more to your bill.WANT MORE?First drive by Mark HinchliffeReview by Philip KingFirst drive by Kevin Hepworth

The spread of the dealer network aims to keep up with demand caused by a booming population and Australia's strong economy.  Within two years, BMW will see $40 million spent on new or refurbished outlets as it shoots for 50 national dealerships.These include a second dealership in Perth ($15 million), expanded Doncaster (Victoria) premises ($10 million), a North Shore Sydney franchise ($8 million) and a new dealer at Tweed Heads.  The Perth dealership, to be built this year by the existing franchisee, is in the city's expanding northern suburbs.BMW Australia managing director Stavros Yallouridis says the expansion reflects the mechandising concept that takes the product closer to the buyer.  "We are, to a degree, a product for the impulsive buyer," he says."We have to go to the buyer and that redefines the distribution of our products. In many cases, as we expand our products with smaller cars, we have to be in city areas that demand small cars in order to sell to our target market."Yallouridis says the car market was aiming for record highs and, in BMW's case, highlighted by the 1-Series, X1, 5-Series and 7-Series."The X3 comes in next year and there's the 1-Series hatch and coupe, so sales will expand further," he says.The Audi Centre in Perth is more than doubling its floor area, taking over a neighbouring property in the high-end car retail suburb of Osborne Park. The suburb also hosts Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.The additional building will accommodate the new 26-car showroom - effectively 2.5 times bigger than present - to display one of each of Audi's models.  Dealer principal David Collins says the investment of about $15 million was necessary."The customers demand it and we desperately need the space because of the growth in Audi sales," he says.  "In 2004 we had 120 new car sales. Now we have 1050."Audi's sales are higher than BMW's when you take out the SUVs.  "I've ordered 250 units of the A1 for 2011 because of demand."  Collins says the Q5 was "the most successful car I've ever been involved with".He says it reflects the growing trend of buyers seeking to downsize their cars yet retain quality and luxury.  BMW has recorded a 10.4 per cent national sales growth year-to-date and, with global sales this calendar year of 775,000, has surpassed Mercedes-Benz (735,000) and Audi (726,000).It has since January sold 1156 of its baby X1 SUV - now its third most popular single-body seller after the 3-Series (3326) and X5 (1955) - for 2 per cent of Australia's passenger-car market.Audi has 1.7 per cent of the car market, primed by sales year-to-date of 1458 A3s and 2521 A4s, and Mercedes-Benz has 2.6 per cent thanks primarily to its E-Class stranglehold of the $70,000-plus large luxury car sector and the robust 4242 C-Class sales.

BMW has come up with the answer – the Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid – the third BMW model to combine electric drive with a conventional petrol engine.The 5 Series ActiveHybrid is being launched in Geneva this week to coincide with the debut of the new BMW 5 Series sedan at the Geneva Motor Show.One of the car’s high-tech features is the ability to calculate and forecast future driving conditions from data saved in the navigation system. This is designed to prepare the drivetrain components and electronic system for a possible change in requirements and driving style.To analyse driving conditions up front, the system uses data provided by engine and chassis management as well as the sensors in the driver assistance systems on board the car. For example, if the system determines that the freeway ahead is about to lead downhill, the charge level of the high-voltage battery is controlled in advance to regain brake energy upfront with maximum efficiency. Similarly, the battery may be fully charged in good time before the driver reaches his destination, enabling the system to switch off the combustion engine at an early point and change to all-electric drive along the final stretch of road, which can extend the cruising range on electric power by up to 30 per cent.The Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid represents an ongoing development of the ActiveHybrid X6 and the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 with their drivetrain technology already in production. It uses a straight six petrol engine with TwinPower Turbo technology, eight-speed automatic transmission and electric drive. The combination of the two power sources helps reduce fuel consumption and emissions by 10 per cent. At the same time the electric motor has a boost function to add more power for the petrol engine when needed. Around town the car can operate on all-electric power with zero emissions, and a hybrid-based Auto Start Stop function aids economy even further by switching off the engine at traffic lights.Drawing its energy from a high-voltage battery at the back of the car, the electric motor develops maximum output of 40kW. An automatic clutch connects the petrol engine and electric motor. When decelerating and using the brakes the electric drive system acts as a generator to feed power back into the battery pack, converting kinetic energy otherwise wasted as heat in the brake system into electric power later. In principle the system works the same as the brake energy regeneration system already available in BMW production cars. The high-voltage battery pack has been specially developed and sits near the rear axle of the car. Apart from the electric motor, the battery pack also delivers electric power to the car’s on-board network, working the climate control system remotely if needed.