BMW M Models 2012 News

Bernard Tomic's orange BMW coupe continues to follow him around the world - with the Aussie tennis star coming in for more police questioning at his new Monte Carlo base. Tomic's hoon-mobile caused a Gold Coast stand-off back in January, when the 19-year-old was stopped twice on Australia Day by cops over alleged sneaky drives while on a restricted P-plate licence. Despite Tomic's unsuccessful attempts to flog his motor back in Queensland, the roar of the V8 engine has followed him to the tax-free European principality, home to dozens of his fellow ATP players. One Monte Carlo policeman even put the hard word on the teen over his car. "A policeman here, he pulled my dad over while walking. The guy asked him for his licence. Just a random check," Tomic revealed after reaching the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 6-4 6-3 win over Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. "The guy followed tennis, and he asked: 'How is it going with the car?'" While Tomic may be moving on from his notorious Beemer, temptation stares him in the face, with the motor-mad teen living not far from a Maserati dealership in Monte Carlo. So far he has resisted the urge to buy a car. But like a sleazy, insincere car salesman, it's maybe time for mX to suggest a couple of nice little runners that might better suit the tennis teen.  

There is a good chance the car will have a triple-turbo six-cylinder engine, replacing today's V8 just as the M5 has moved from a V10 back to a V8.The body tweaks look fairly subtle in this Carparazzi shot but the wider arches including carbon fibre-reinforced plastic to save weight.Expect it here next year with a price tag of about $150,000.

The family yesterday turned down a bid of $146,000 for the orange high-powered sports car. The 2010 BMW M3 has only 6926km on the clock but yesterday failed to meet a secret reserve set by Tomic's father John during a Brisbane auction. Pickles Auctions manager Robert Webster said the Tomic family had negotiated with the highest bidder, a mysterious interstate buyer, but had failed to reach an agreement. "It will be up to the Tomic family whether or not they re-list the car for auction. They may sell privately or through a dealer,'' he said. "They spent around $200,000 for the car in 2010 and they were expecting a higher return.'' The failed sale comes just two weeks after the 19-year-old was pulled over three times and fined twice by police in less than two hours on Australia Day. Police also charged Tomic with three traffic offences, including evading police. Talking at a media conference this week Tomic said he might never drive in Australia again. Pickles Auctions national manager Steve Allen said Tomic had said he now wanted to focus on his tennis career without distractions. "He's had his fun and he's ready to focus on tennis now,'' Mr Allen said. "We thought it would fetch a high price given the publicity surrounding the car and its performance enhancements. "There are only five of these BMWs in this colour in Australia.'' John Tomic attended the auction and appeared disappointed with the final bid. Punters said they were shocked the top bid was turned down. Bidder John Marshall joked he wanted to buy the BMW for his granddaughter. "I was thinking about it but she's only on her P-plates,'' he said. "It's an outrageous price for a car but I guess with all that comes with it . . . "I am here looking for a more sensible car but it was great to witness the auction. I thought for sure it would sell today.'' The Tomic family has until tomorrow morning to reconsider the $146,000 bid.

Just as HSV and FPV went big on black on their latest V8 muscle cars, and Benz has plans for an upcoming Black Series C63 Coupe, so the newest BMW M3 is a black attack. It's called the Frozen Black edition, reflecting the matt black bodywork. There will only be 12 cars for Australia with the Frozen Black package, which was developed in Germany for worldwide work. It's a typical deal on the limited-edition front, with visual tickles to justify a $17,100 increase over the $155,000 showroom sticker for a regular M3 coupe. "We managed to grab 12 cars for Australia. It's only available as a coupe and we've had a lot of interest," says Piers Scott, spokesman for BMW Australia. "Frozen Black is just a synonym for the matt paint. So that's the visual effect. We've had a number of customers, through BMW Individual, choose frozen paint finishes for their cars." BMW denies the black-mobile is reaction to the arrival of the latest Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe in Australia, even though the first supplies of its obvious rival have just landed. "M3 sales are healthy. It's certainly not reactionary. It's a car that we knew there would be demand for," Scott says. The details of the Frozen Black package run to the paintwork, 19-inch black chrome wheels and black chrome exhaust, black Novillo leather in the cabin with red stitching, special leather dash trimming with red stitching, black side gills and red brake calipers. The Frozen Black M3 comes after the M3 Pure Edition and as sales of the Competition Pack for the M3 continue strongly. "The Pure edition was something just for Australia, that we concevied here. The Competition Pack is global, and so is the Frozen Black,"  says Scott. "It's only available in the Coupe. There are a batch for the 'states but I don't think you'd find them everywhere in the world."

The twin-turbo V8 in the muscular new mid-sizer is stretching the friendship with the back tyres in the fifth-generation M5 and there are concerns about customer reaction in snow-belt countries around the world. An all-wheel drive upgrade is the logical solution and BMW M chiefs from Munich admit they are considering the move. "We are thinking about it," says Max Ahme, M5 project leader. "If you are increasing the power more and more, maybe you need it." The basic powerplant in the M5 is the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 already used in the M versions of BMW's full-sized SUVs, the X5 and X6, but is tweaked to unleash 412 kiloWatts of power and 680 Newton-metres of torque. "The block is the same, but the cylinder heads are new. The inlet track is new, it has double Vanos (variable valve timing) and more revs. So, more power," says Ahme. He refuses to go into much detail but it's clear that BMW M is making a serious assessment of its first all-wheel drive passenger car. "It's a good idea, but it would add 120 kilograms to the car and it's all over the front axle," says Ahme. Other companies have made all-wheel drive conversions successful, including Ferrari with the lightweight system fitted to its new FF supercar. Ahme admits BMW has had an FF in its workshop, although he believes the system would not be suitable for an M5. "We have looked at this car. We do some swaps with Ferrari." But Ahme is totally black-on-white on one potential stretch of the M5, into a new Touring wagon. "This will not happen," he says. There have been three M5 Touring models in the past but the sales record of the car is not good, and numbers dropped dramatically in the previous-generation car. "It does not make any sense. Just look at the numbers," says Ahme.

The upcoming 520i, priced from $77,900 instead of the previous $82,000 for a 520d, comes after an earlier move on the 3 Series down under. BMW Australia says its objective is to provide better value, as well as a 'stepped' approach to equipment levels that mirrors bottom-end brands from Hyundai and Kia to Holden and Ford. It began the change with the 3 Series and is now moving on the Five with a claim of up to $7000 worth of extra value - most of it in standard equipment - on the 520i. There is also said to be more punch from the engine, which is a new 2.0-litre four with TwinPower turbo good for 135 kiloWatts and 270 Newton-metres of torque. "We've got power up, value up and fuel consumption down. Everyone is happy," says BMW spokesman, Piers Scott. A new four-cylinder 528i - replacing the previous six-pack - is also part of the 5 Series change, with more equipment in the 535i and 535d that means up to $7000 of extra value. Scott says the value boost comes thanks to the engine change but does not deny BMW's stronger emphasis on value at a time when it is taking a battering from Mercedes-Benz and Audi on both sides. "It's really just the fact that this is a brand-new engine that's available to us. That accounts for the 520 and the 528i," he says. "The other changes are to get a logical ladder into the price structure. "The jump from the 520i - which snuggles under the Luxury Car Tax threshold thanks to economy of 6.4 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of  149 grams/kilometre - to the 528i manes 180 kiloWatts and 350 Newton- metres, even though the four-cylinder basics are the same. The 528i is priced from $98,200, helped by also qualifying as a low-emission model under the LCT rules. Prices of the 535i and 535d now start at $115,600 and $120,900 respectively, with the diesel engine now boasting 230 kiloWatts and an eight per cent economy boost, with the 535i also getting a 0.7 litres/100km economy improvement. BMW Australia now also includes stop-start technology on all Fives except the 550i, with its new Active Safety package - closing the windows and sunroof, electro-mechanical belt tensioning and a crash- optimised position for the passenger-seat backrest - also part of the deal.

for the new BMW M3 when it’s revealed early next year.The German brand is set for a public launch of its all-new 3 Series towards the end of October.Sales in Australia start early next year.

The heavyweight drop top gets the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 now favoured for all M cars as well as giant 20-inch alloys that will test the BMW's ride comfort of the top-end cruiser, especially on Australia’s sub-standard roads.

BMW has announced that its semi-active suspension control system Dynamic Damping Control (DDC) from the M3 and M5 would be suitable for their motorcycles. DDC would react to acceleration by increasing damping on the rear shock to avoid rear "squatting" and in braking would increase damping at the front to prevent "fork dive". It would also stiffen suspension when the bike is leaning in a corner to prevent "wallowing". BMW says the system would come with three selectable modes, "Comfort", "Normal", and "Sport". DDC will be introduced to the first BMW motorcycles "in the near future", according to BMW Motorrad in Germany. BMW Group Australia spokesman Piers Scott says there is no timeline for the introduction of the technology or which models would be the first to receive it. However, he said it would be likely to be introduced to models where riders had greater acceptance of the technology, such as large tourers. These were also the first BMW models to include anti-lock brakes, BMW's electronic suspension and traction control. Despite many of these technologies being available in cars for many years, motorcycle companies have been slow to introduce these aids. BMW was the first to offer ABS across all its range followed by Triumph with Harley-Davidson expected to follow. BMW and Ducati were the manufacturers to embrace traction control and electronic suspension in high-end models.

There is plenty of go left in the BMW M3, based on the way it's being teased and tizzied for extra showroom appeal. The newest tweak is an M3 sedan that fits between the regular model and the GTS coupe, a space previously reserved for the lightweight CSL. The newcomer was teased at the Shanghai Motor Show with the promise of around 325 kiloWatts, bigger brakes, firmer suspension and lightened exhaust - without the wild rear wing on the M3 GTS.