BMW 730d News

Visually, the BMW headlamps get a tweak and there are new bumpers, as well as signature kidney grilles that are slightly more prominent in line with the latest 1 Series and 3 Series cars.

Take this update of BMW’s flagship 7 Series, the latest in a flood of BMW shots from Carparazzi.The changes to the 7 are relatively minor, as it’s fairly fresh, but focus on a new eight-speed ZF gearbox and cosmetic tweaks at the front and rear end for an unveiling early in 2012.

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.

… when BMW starts talking about oil-burners in the same breath as its performance petrol engines.Currently five BMW models are available with turbo-diesel powerplants and more are coming, according to BMW Australia spokesman, Toni Andreevski.The 730d has just landed and the 330d, sharing the same 3.0-litre turbo-diesel as the 730d, arrives next month.Andreevski says the German carmaker may also add a 118d, along with diesel 3 Series coupe and convertibles, which are on the agenda for next year.The 118d model will sit under the 120d with a pricing around $45,000.It shares the same 2.0-litre turbo-diesel as the 120d but in a detuned form, developing 105kW/300Nm compared to the 120d's 125kW/350Nm.Andreevski says the key to the 118d is its combined hybrid-busting fuel economy figure of 4.5 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 119g/km.It will feature fuel saving ideas like stop-start and brake energy regeneration."We're still considering it but it is a compelling argument based on its fuel economy and emissions," Andreevski says.BMW will get a better idea of where the 1 Series diesel strategy is going once the six-speed manual version of the 120d beds in, he says."We want to get a better feel for what's happening with 120d manual and whether a BMW, with fuel economy at 4.5 litres, would be appealing to people without sacrificing acceleration and performance," Andreevski says.However, Andreevski has ruled out diesels appearing in the head-lining Z4 sportscar to go up against the Audi TT diesel."BMW equips models with diesels only if it detects sufficient customer demand for the efficiency offered by these powerplants and if it is confident the engines exceed the performance expectations of buyers," he says.For a brand that did not sell diesel-powered vehicles here before March 2003, BMW has become a big advocate of oil-burners.Diesel BMW now account for about 34 per cent of all its local sales.Twenty per cent of 1 Series and 3 Series sales are diesel and 35 per cent of 5 Series are diesels with the bulk of X5 sales being diesels."Individually the most popular engine in the 5 Series is the diesel, the 520d," Andreevski says.Luxury diesel sales are up 18 per cent overall this year, with BMW leading fellow Germans Audi and Mercedes-Benz."Our diesel strategy was to target four-wheel drives first and move down," Andreevski says.He expects the popularity of diesels in BMW's luxury sedans and hatchs to continue to increase, even though diesels still represent a relatively small number of overall vehicle sales in Australia."People are now migrating to sedan-based diesels in bigger numbers," he says.

To keep the accountants happy and eco-warriors in their place, BMW will add a frugal turbo-diesel to its new 7 Series line-up next June.Announcing prices for its petrol 7 Series models this week, BMW Australia spokesman Toni Andreevski, says the turbo-diesel will have wide appeal with its blend of performance and economy.The 3.0-litre 730d has a combined fuel economy figure of 7.2 litres/100km yet will hit 100km/h in 7.2 seconds.It is the first time the company has added a turbo-diesel 7 Series to the lineup.The same engine will be available in the 330d sedan from mid-2009, but with 20Nm less torque.In Europe, diesel 7 Series' account for almost 50 per cent of total sales.Although Andreevski refused to put a figure on local sales numbers, he says the 180kW/540Nm six-cylinder diesel had a sense of "social responsibility" about it.Apart from the fact that both Audi and Mercedes-Benz have diesels in their big luxury A8 and S-Class sedans, Andreevski says adding a 7 Series diesel to the line-up made sense for the Munich-based carmaker."The fuel economy of the 730d is something you'd be happy with in a mid-size car," he says.This also made it easier for upper-luxury buyers to feel better about their purchase, he says."Even luxury buyers are becoming more conscious about fuel consumption," he says.Andreevski expects the luxury diesel segment to continue to grow."It's important to be represented in that segment and show people the type of technology BMW has," he says.Andreevski says specifications and pricing for the 730d are still to be set but it is expected to be about $200,000."It really could be the price leader for the 7 Series," he says.Prices for petrol lineup are the same as the outgoing model.Four petrol models will be available from early next year.The 740i and 740Li will be powered by 240kW/450Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six cylinder engines while the 750i and 750Li gets a new twin-turbo 300kW/600Nm 4.4-litre V8 engine.The V8 is shared with the new X6 xDrive50i, which has just gone on sale.BMW says both engines are among the most frugal technologically advanced it has built for its big luxury sedan.Like other BMW sedans, the 7 Series makes extensive use of lightweight aluminium suspension members front and rear.External panels like the roof and doors are also aluminium, saving about 30kg over conventional steel panels.Standard equipment levels are high with swags of leather, brake energy regeneration, four-wheel steering, night vision with integrated human-shape recognition and warning, lane change warning system, lane departure warning, head-up display, runflat tyres, active cruise control and adaptive headlights.The 7 Series will also get dynamic damper control.This has a choice of five different damping settings as well as adjusting shift points for the transmission and the level of intervention from the dynamic stability control and traction control systems.Pricing for the 740i starts at $203,000 while the 750i is $274.000.Long wheelbase versions add $15,000 and $17,000.Visually, the car's styling has evolved into a contemporary less-polarising look than the previous model.  

The hulking 7 Series flagship, which set the tone and direction for a whole new generation of edgy BMW bodies from 2001, has been replaced by an all-new car which is more caring, engaging and politically correct.The fifth-generation Seven still has unquestioned impact, from the way it stands on the road to the way it cuts through curves, but is much more friendly and welcoming. Predictably, it makes more power and torque in every case while using less fuel and producing less CO2.It is a step back to the days before the Chris Bangle-driven heavyweight Seven, returning the BMW headliner to the top of a range of driver's cars.The newcome will hit Australia next March, priced from a little under $200,000, and comes with the promise of more performance and luxury, as well as all the technology the German maker can load.That means everything from four-wheel steering to infra-red night vision, lane-departure and blind-spot warnings, and even a camera which recognises speed signs and reminds the driver of the limit.No-one knows yet what will be standard for Australia, but there will be two engines at first - an inline six with 240 kiloWatts for the 740 and a twin-turbo V8 for the 750 with 300 kiloWatts - with both short and long-wheelbase bodies. A diesel will follow before the end of 2009 and could easily become the showroom favourite.The design of the new Seven is softer and smoother, both inside and out, but it is the focus on people's needs which will ignite a tight fight with the Mercedes S-Class for top-end bragging rights. There is plenty of surprise and delight stuff.But the approach is really just a return to the basics which worked so well through the first four generations of the Seven, from a roomy luxury cabin to a dashboard focussed on the driver, a huge boot, lots of toys, and leather-and-wood luxury.The Seven is new from the road upwards and that means everything from a new chassis and body - with a weight saving bonnet-doors-boot combo in aluminium - to a new diesel inline six with 180kW and 540Nm, double-wishbone front suspension, and a vastly improved version of the hated iDrive system.A first drive in Germany, over a wide range of roads near the city of Dresden in the former East of the country, proved the Seven is back to its best. It is refined and comfortable, and a car which is keen to go and gives plenty of feedback and enjoyment to the driver. 

Audi already has adiesel A8, Mercedes-Benz is about to introduce an S-Class diesel and BMW is committed to a Seven Series diesel by the first half of 2010.All three are chasing the holy grail ofreduced emissions, improved fuel economy and better performance in cars that are usually painted as lardy,inefficient and overpriced.They're also cashing in on the growing demand for diesel in Australia, as well as countering the hybrid push from Lexus with its impressive LS 600h.Audi set the engine pace with its A8, but the S-Class and Seven Series will raise the showroom pace with cars that sell in far greater numbers.The Benz S320 TDI will deliver 174kW and 540Nm, up from 165kW and 510Nm in the 350 V6 diesel motor.“This is a good way to maintain our place in the luxury class. We have almost 50 per cent share with the S-Class already,” Mercedes-Benz spokesman Peter Fedayev says.“We have customer demand, and we've been able to get the car for Australia with this new engine.“The car will be in showrooms later this month. It's the same engine as in the ML and GL 320, but upgraded with a bit more power and torque.”Fedayev says Benz is doing well with its diesels, although its growth isn't as dramatic as that of Volkswagen or BMW.“At the end of last year, it was 21.8per cent overall, and it's still growing,” he says.“This is very much a function of thegrowing demand for high-tech diesels. People are waking up to it inpassenger cars.”BMW's Seven Series diesel is expected early in 2010. It will take BMW that long to gear up for the new engine because of the likely demand for top-end petrol powerplants.“It will be a green flagship, and high-performance,” BMW Australia chief Guenther Seemann says.“Having a diesel doesn't mean wecreate a cheap entry model.“We'll bring in only the high-performance diesel, because even in this target group it's not a matter of the price of petrol — it's a matter of showing social responsibility on environmental issues.”Seemann says the Seven Series will have a development of the twin-turbo diesel six already used in the X5 off-roader, giving BMW a greater share ofthe upper-luxury class.“The segment in Australia is about 1000 cars, so if I sell 450 cars I'm the world champion. Today, we are selling about 200,” he says.Seemann believes Australians will continue to demand more diesels, andnot just in compact economy cars.“Last year, 21 per cent of our cars were diesel. But since we introduced efficient dynamics this year, in January we had 40 per cent diesel sales,” he says.“If that trend continues, and the discussion continues in regard to petrol prices, then it will be very big. It's about 35 per cent for the quarter.“Our most popular diesel is the 520d, not just because of consumption but also value for money. And, of the diesel buyers, 60 per cent were non-BMW owners joining us.”