BMW 640i News

BMW Australia has announced pricing for its 6 Series Gran Turismo range on sale next month, with the two-tier line-up to kick off from $123,500 before on-road costs for the entry-level 630i.

Subtle tweaks for 2015 BMW 6 Series and M6 models.BMW has given its 6 Series Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe range a facelift for the 2015 model year.The changes are subtle and mainly focused on the aesthetics and standard equipment for the luxury lineup.Headlining the changes is a new front bumper fitted with a revised pair of kidney grilles, accented by standard full LED headlights which are available for the first time on the 6.Adaptive LED headlights with selective beam, which can direct the car’s high-beams away from oncoming traffic, are also available as an option. A tweaked rear bumper has also been fitted and is said to give the car a wider and more aggressive stance, while new exhaust tips add to the sporty flavour of the updated 6 Series range.A new range of metallic paint options is also available with Jatoba, Cashmere Silver, Glacier Silver, Mediterranean Blue and Melbourne Red added to the 6 Series color pallet.The changes are minimal indoors with higher quality gloss black center console materials fitted and leather upholstery with contrasting stitching added to the options list.All petrol 6 Series models will also gain a sports exhaust system with a switchable noise flap for ultimate refinement when cruising, or a louder note when the mood suits.Power and performance figures are however unchanged from the existing range. The 640i uses a 235kW/450Nm 3.0-litre turbocharged straight six, the 650i employs a 330kW/650Nm twin-turbo V8, while the diesel 640d produces 230kW/630Nm from its 3.0-litre six.All Australian models bar the M6 use an 8-speed automatic gearbox driving the rear wheels.The M6 features a 7-speed dual-clutch unit and keeps its 412kW/680Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8. The performance model can hit 100km/h in 4.2 seconds in Coupe and four-door Gran Coupe form, while the drop-top takes an extra tenth at 4.3 seconds.Cars equipped with the optional Competition Pack get a handful of extra kilowatts at 423kW, along with stiffer suspension, new alloys and sports exhaust.Changes to the M6 range are limited to a new front fascia along with the full LED headlights and gloss black centre console materials added to the rest of the 6 Series range.The new 6 Series and M6 models are expected to arrive in Australia in the first half of 2015. 

Kids aren’t usually a factor in Car of the Year judging.  But child friendliness rates highly with women buying cars – and with women judging cars.The countdown has been kicked off to decide the Women’s World Car of the Year, and the kid factor is one the judges pay a lot of attention to.“Statistics show that women drive children in cars significantly more often than men – and that means women need to take that into account, both when buying and as judges of cars,” WCOTY president Sandy Myhre said from New Zealand.“Any woman who has grappled constantly with child seats and belts and children considers those things when looking at buying a car.  Men might too but the fact is, women drive children in cars more than men.“Women would not consider that aspect in a Porsche 911 more than a bloke. The point is, it can be considered in these awards - and that is one of the points of difference in these awards.”Myhre points out that significant research into buying habits show that in addition to buying for themselves, women have a major influence in household purchase decisions for big ticket items.Ford Australia, for example, says their research shows that women are behind the majority of purchases of the Territory SUV – either as single women buying one, or in influencing the joint decision with their partner. “A report from Mattingly & Associates in Australia concluded, in part, that businesses that didn't understand this influence would be hard-pressed to stay in business.  That report was aptly called 'When I've Made Up Our Minds',” Myhre says.However, the kid factor is just one of the criteria by which the 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year will be judged.There are four categories in the Women's World Car of the Year – Family Car, Luxury Car, Sports Car and Economy Car. Points are allocated to each of ten criteria: driveability, engineering, comfort, child friendliness, style, interior, storage, dashboard efficiency, carbon footprint and colour range.The 20 judges from eleven countries have submitted their own personal short list and more than 300 cars were suggested. These individual choices were then whittled down to form a master list of 32 in terms of popularity. Judges will now allocate points for these cars from a criteria list.The announcement of the winning cars in each category and the supreme winner will be made before the end of March. The supreme award trophy and category certificates will be presented to the car companies concerned at the Mondial de l’Automobile 2012 – the Paris Motor Show – in September. The supreme trophy will this year be made in The Netherlands. Category-winner certificates will be designed at Peartree Studios in Colerne, UK.The first winner of the Women's World Car of the Year was the Jaguar XF in 2010 and the trophy made in South Africa was presented at the Jaguar boutique showroom in Knightsbridge, London. In 2011 there was a dead-heat between the Citroen DS3 and the BMW 5 Series. The two trophies made in India were presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011. 

The 7 Series has always been BMW's top-end four-door luxury car, but not now.The 6 Series convertible and coupe - which Carsguide is just about to drive in Europe - will soon be joined by a new-age four-door model.Likely to be called the Gran Coupe, and priced at more than $200,000 , the newcomer taps the world's growing appetite for coupe-look four-door luxury cars - Mercedes CLS, Volkswagen CC, Audi A5 - and points to the potential development of a 4 Series Grand Coupe spun from the next 3 Series.