A few weeks ago we told you about luxury car makers opening up show rooms in poorer countries. Rolls Royce have moved into Cambodia as the market for luxury cars grows. This week we are hearing that BMW have invested a vast amount of money in building a plant in Mexico.
BMW revealed a $1 billion Mexican plant investment on Thursday, becoming the latest major automaker to take advantage of the country’s growing industrial base and tariff-free access to the US market.
BMW outlined plans to build a factory in the central Mexican city of San Luis Potosi, reducing the German company’s dependence on higher-cost plants at home.
The plant will begin assembling models in 2019 with an initial workforce of 1,500 and annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles, the company said.
“Mexico is an ideal location for the BMW Group,” production chief Harald Krueger said in a statement. “We are continuing our strategy of ‘production follows the market.'”
Germany’s luxury car makers – BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz – are expanding overseas as their domestic plants struggle to meet strong demand for new vehicle offerings in the United States and Asia.
“With this investment, Mexico is stepping up to premium-level production of global vehicles,” Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said as the plant was announced.
BMW did not reveal what type of vehicle it will build, and a spokeswoman for the company said no decision had been made. But several Mexican and European officials at the presentation said they believed the plant would produce 3 Series cars.
“At some point I heard that they were talking about the 3 Series,” Guajardo told reporters after the event. “But I don’t have the official confirmation.”
Guajardo added that at least one other big auto investment would be announced this summer but did not elaborate. Reuters reported last month that Kia Motors Corp. plans to break ground soon on a new plant in Mexico.
Mexico’s auto sector is gaining critical mass as more global brands open production lines, boosting the supplier network.
BMW’s move comes days after Daimler announced new Mercedes production in Mexico with partner Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., which already operates two plants in the country where it had recently increased capacity.
“The premium brands are finally realizing that Mexico has the capacity to build signature vehicles,” IHS Automotive analyst Guido Vildozo said.
“We are going to see all these plants starting with one or two products at the very beginning, but they will gradually become critical pillars of profitability for the premium manufacturers,” he added.
Mexico benefits from tariff-free exports to the United States as well as Europe, while its factories are beyond the reach of the United Auto Workers union, which has been struggling to boost its influence in the US South.
BMW’s investment comes amid a domestic industrial cost review that has some German unions worried about their longer-term outlook, as the company reduces reliance on sluggish European markets that still account for 44 percent of sales.
The plant also increases BMW’s bet on the United States, which is the world’s largest luxury-car market along with China.
In March, BMW announced a $1 billion investment to expand capacity by 50 percent at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where it builds a range of sport utility vehicles.
Buyers in America are more likely to purchase luxury cars over other more traditional brands of choice. Drivers are clamouring for BMWs , Audis, and Infinitis this year, buying plush vehicles at a far faster pace than other cars or even the traditional favourite Ford F-150.
In the first five months of the year, luxury automakers sold almost 66,000 more vehicles in the U.S. than they did a year earlier, an 11 percent increase. Lincoln and Lexus in particular were stomping on the sales pedal. Sales of midsize cars such as the Honda Accord—the biggest segment of the U.S. market—slipped 3.6 percent, while truck sales—another huge chunk of the market—were up 4.6 percent.
Why are so many U.S. buyers springing for an opulent car? A relatively robust stock market helps, as does an improving overall economy. But there’s something far more interesting going on. A lot of Americans aren’t really buying new BMWs and Benzes after all; they’re renting them—or leasing, to be specific.
Leasing now accounts for a bigger share of auto sales than ever, according to Bloomberg Industries analyst Kevin Tynan. Consumers are feeling fairly flush but are still spooked about taking on large amounts of debt, Tynan says. What’s more, resale values are up, so companies are offering better leasing terms, confident that the vehicle will still be worth a tidy sum when the agreement runs its course.
Luxury drivers are more likely to lease than those to choose less pricey vehicles. About half of the Mercedes sedans rolling off of lots these days are leased, compared with 13 percent of big trucks like the Chevy Silverado.
For those who want to buy, it’s gotten easier to be a luxury car owner. Mercedes is now selling its CLA for about $30,000. (It doesn’t have the company’s famed rear-wheel drive, but it does have the logo on the hood.) Audi is making a similar play with its new A3, and BMW is shifting down-market as well with its 2 Series. Not surprisingly, aggregate sticker prices for the luxury segment aren’t nearly as high as they were last year.
So the car-buying process now includes a socioeconomic strategy question. Namely, is a starter Mercedes or a run-of-the-mill Lincoln more luxurious than a Mazda or a Ford Fusion with all the extras? That’s for drivers (and their neighbours) to decide.
BMW held onto the lead in global luxury-car sales as demand for 5-Series sedans and X5 sport-utility vehicles helped edge out Audi AG.
BMW delivered about 1,000 more vehicles than Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Audi in May as the race for the top spot tightened, according to figures from the carmakers. Through the first five months of 2014, Audi’s sales climbed 12 percent, outpacing BMW’s 11 percent gain. That helped the world’s second-largest maker of premium cars cut Munich-based BMW’s lead to about 8,200 autos from 11,000 a year ago.
Audi has been closing the gap to BMW in recent years with an expanded model line-up in a bid to become the best-selling luxury-auto brand by the end of the decade. In April, the VW unit rolled out a sedan version of the A3 in the U.S., helping sales there jump 26 percent last month. BMW responded with the 2-Series compact coupe, which went on sale in March.
“BMW is more geared into the second half and into 2015” in terms of model introductions, Arndt Ellinghorst, an analyst at ISI Group in London, said by phone. “They report stronger growth right now than I would have thought, given the product outline.”
Deliveries last month of BMW autos rose 10 percent to 153,023 vehicles, as 5-Series sales gained 11 percent and X5 demand surged 63 percent. Including the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, sales rose 6.8 percent last month, with five-month demand increasing 7.4 percent to just under 826,900 deliveries.
Delivery Target
“The BMW group continued to achieve record sales in May, keeping us well on track to sell over 2 million vehicles in 2014,” Ian Robertson, head of sales and marketing, said in a statement today.
Global sales by Ingolstadt, Germany-based Audi climbed 11 percent to 152,000 cars in May, lifted by a 43 percent surge for A3 models and a 21 percent gain in demand for the Q3 compact SUV. Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes-Benz, which also has a target of overtaking BMW in sales by the end of this decade, increased deliveries 10 percent in May to 134,031, buoyed by demand for the C-Class sedan and GLA compact SUV.
BMW declined as much as 1.1 percent and was trading down 0.6 percent at 92.02 euros at 12:59 p.m. in Frankfurt. VW fell 0.3 percent, while Daimler rose 0.3 percent.
Chinese Push
Surging demand for premium models in China and the U.S., the world’s two largest auto markets, is propelling growth at the three German carmakers, which are all targeting record deliveries for 2014. The competition is heating up after Audi briefly passed the BMW brand in sales at the beginning of this year, while new compact models have generated gains at Mercedes.
The five-month sales lead by BMW over Mercedes was about 80,700 vehicles, narrowing from a year-earlier difference of 88,300 autos. BMW introduced the plug-in hybrid i8 last week, its first sports car in more than three decades. In addition to the 4-Series coupe and X4 SUV already on sale, BMW plans to introduce a variant of the 2-Series, the van-like Active Tourer, this year.
BMW is likely to remain ahead of Audi in deliveries through 2015, said Ellinghorst. Even so, a race among the luxury-car makers to maintain volume at the expense of pricing is undermining profitability and brand perception.
“All these guys are defining themselves by volume and not by price realization,” he said. “You can’t call yourself a premium brand if you give away your product with a 20 percent to 30 percent discount.”
Luxury Car growth world wide is going from strength to strength with some promising figures already emerging for 2014. North America are not alone in their appreciation of luxury and style, but here lets take a look at who is performing well in the States.
U.S. auto sales turned out to have an incredible month of sales in May. The news was good almost universally (except for the VW brand), but the luxury car market just seems to have no end in sight in North America. What we have not done was to break out sales prices and incentives in the luxury market as a whole.
What is obvious is that the luxury market just keeps on chugging higher and higher once you look at the sales data.
Can some of this be attributed to new model launches? In some cases. Still, the numbers just look strong by almost every account. We took a look at North American sales of Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar, and Land Rover for the month of May. Even the used luxury market looked strong when the companies discussed it.
Porsche said that its May sales of 4,609 vehicles was bumped by the mid-May launch of the 2015 Macan S and Macan Turbo (1,263 units). Porsche said that this beats last year’s record sales number by 17.3 percent. It was also the best ever sales month for Porsche in the U.S. Porsche even went on to say that its two-door sports cars and Panamera have continued strong sales performance gains from 2013, and that the demand for Cayenne still outstrips the supply. Porsche even went on to say that its Approved Certified Pre-Owned vehicle sales in May were up 17 percent at 994 units.
Mercedes-Benz said that May was the company’s fifth record sales month Of 2014, with its Mercedes-Benz brand sales up 7.7% to 26,617 units. Total sales were represented as being up over 8% to 29,570 units if you blend the Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter and smart model lines. The group’s top sellers in May were its C-, E- and M-Class model lines, with the E-Class up over 25 percent to 6,168 vehicles. Its high-end flagship S-Class volume of 2,173 was up over 82% from the same month last year.
BMW Group U.S. also posted a record May for its BMW brand, in part from the launch of the BMW i3. BMW and MINI combined sales in May were up over 13% to 35,331 vehicles, but sales of BMW brand vehicles rose by more than 17 percent in May for a total of 29,602 vehicles. The BMW i3 has now officially launched, with its first month’s sales totaling 336 units. BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles also rose by 14 percent to 18,064 vehicles. Management even talked up this summer –
“This will be the summer of BMW with the new M3 and M4 on sale this month and the new X4 and 4 Series Gran Coupe coming in July.”
Audi said that this was its best U.S. May sales in the company’s history, and second-best any-month tally period – with it being the 41st consecutive U.S. sales record. Its sales rose to 16,601 powered both by the new entry-level model, A3, and by the brand’s high-end cars. Diesels accounted for 11.5% to 28.2% of sales.
Jaguar and Land Rover have shown that May sales rose 17 percent, to 5,840 units (according to USA Today) – for the best May unit sales report since 2007. The Range Rover Sport redesign had record May sales of 1,496 units for a gain of 35 percent. Sale of the crossover Range Rover Evoque rose a sharp 59 percent to 1,196 sales. Jaguar sales were up 14% in May, led by its F-series sports car coupe and convertible and by the XK sedan.
Do you think you can afford a luxury car? The luxury car market is going from strength to strength even through the recessions we have seen of late. More people are looking to invest in luxury cars, but don’t quite have the budget.
If you’ve been casting envious eyes on those Mercedes and BMWs in the office parking lot, you may be wondering if you could fit a luxury car into your budget. Luxury brands have been reading your mind and indeed have brought out more affordable models. But make sure you calculate all the costs that come with owning a luxury car — not just the purchase price.
You wouldn’t be the only one considering so-called entry-level luxury cars — those with purchase prices often starting under $35,000. Growth in this segment has been a major reason that luxury vehicles have increased their market share in recent years, according to an April report from analysts at the National Auto Dealers Association Used Car Guide. “The data suggests that the growth was due almost exclusively to new buyers entering the market,” not habitual luxury buyers trading down to less expensive models.
One of the entry-level luxury models’ best financial qualities is high resale value. And that leads to a more affordable way to drive a prestige model — by leasing it. The NADA Guide report notes that entry-level luxury cars on average retain 48.8% of their original value after three years, more than other luxury segments.
“The lower the rate of depreciation, the lower the lease payment,” notes NADA analyst Laurence Dixon III. For instance, the Lexus ES currently has a lease deal for $349 a month for two years with $2,999 due at signing.
Whether you get a good lease deal or buy the luxury car, that’s only the beginning of your expenses. As with any car, insurance, fuel maintenance and repair costs still have to be paid. To see the differential in costs, let’s compare an entry-level Mercedes-Benz C250 (selling at an average of about $35,900, according to TrueCar.com) with one of the best-selling midsize sedans, the Toyota Camry XLE, the best-equipped Camry with an average selling price of $23,061.
Here’s a look at comparative costs to own these cars:
Fuel Cost — The Mercedes, like most luxury cars, requires premium gasoline, while the Toyota, like most mainstream brands, uses regular. The current national average for regular is $3.64 a gallon vs. $4 for premium, according to AAA. The Mercedes C250, with a rating of 25 MPG in combined city and highway driving would rack up fuel costs of $2,400 per year, according to fueleconomy.gov. The Toyota, with a 28 MPG combined rating would come in at $1,950. That’s an extra $450 in your gas budget each year.
Insurance — First-time luxury car buyers are sometimes startled at their bill to insure that car. Following our example, InsuranceQuotes.com gives the following comparison for the two cars being insured in Northern California. For an age 40 married man or woman, the monthly insurance bill would be $173 for the Mercedes and $130 a month for the Toyota Camry. That’s more than $500 a year in extra insurance costs. To compare the insurance costs of your current vehicle to cars you might buy, go to Insurancequotes.com and scroll down the right side to the section called Car vs. Car. You can get an estimate using your age and zip code.
Maintenance — Oil changes and other routine maintenance typically cost more at luxury brand dealerships. As a selling point, some luxury brands like BMW offer free maintenance for the first 50,000 miles on a new car. But in our comparison, Mercedes-Benz does not offer a free maintenance program for this model. Toyota, unusually for mainstream brands, does have free maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Repairs — For repairs that go beyond standard maintenance, luxury dealers are also more expensive. You may be able to cut repair costs by avoiding dealers and going to independent repair shops that specialize, say, in German cars. But double check to see if that still meets the conditions of your warranty.
The comfort, style and prestige of owning a luxury car may in fact outweigh the extra costs for you. Just be sure you have an idea of those costs before you decide to buy or lease.
If you would like to experience a luxury car before going out and buying one, take a look at our website and see what we have to offer
Lexus and BMW have showed impressive growth figures and have taken over from Mercedes-Benz in the ranking of overall Luxury Car brands in the US.
Luxury automakers have been exceptionally busy over the past year: new designs, new vehicles, new agencies, new advertising, new marketing executives. In spite of the activity, posturing and jabbing in the ring, Lexus and BMW — Floyd Mayweather-like — seem to have taken the purchase-consideration lead in the late rounds so far this year, at least among the 1,200 or so consumers polled by marketing firm YouGov BrandIndex in an online survey.
The firm says Mercedes-Benz, which has consistently ranked among the top three luxury car brands in overall brand health this year, hasn’t gotten commensurate purchase consideration and is behind among all luxury brands.
By contrast, Lexus started the year behind Infiniti, Audi and Mercedes Benz, with only 6% of U.S. car buyers saying they would consider the brand in February. That metric is up to 16% now for the Toyota Motor luxury brand.
BMW’s purchase consideration surge with potential buyers began two weeks before Lexus, rising from a 9% in early February to a virtual tie with Lexus at 16% now, per YouGov BrandIndex, which reported that the lift happened around the time of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Perhaps not coincidentally, BMW had a big presence on the U.S. Bobsled sled team, having helped design the sleds and getting branding on the sleds and racewear and gear.
Sales have been strong for both brands. In April Lexus saw a 23% gain and BMW was up 8.5%, year-over-year. Year-to-date through April, Lexus was up 20.8% for its cars and 14.3% for its trucks; and BMW was up 10.7%.
“Lexus and BMW really separate from the pack,” says YouGov BrandIndex CEO Ted Marzilli. “That’s about three full months in the lead for BMW and about five to six weeks for Lexus.”
The firm’s study suggests that Infiniti, which has totally revamped its marketing and product, has the opposite challenge as Mercedes: while Infiniti is beginning to see a resurgence of purchase consideration, which has taken them from the bottom of the YouGov ranking to around the middle, their brand health has been near or at the bottom of the luxury car group for the year so far.
Marzilli tells Marketing Daily that BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz all scored well in advertising awareness, and that this awareness metric also indexes strongly (no surprise) for people who are in the market to buy a car.
But advertising alone doesn’t account for BMW and Lexus’ pole position. Perceived value, he says, plays a major role. He says that metric boils down to “A preconceived notion that it’s either too expensive or reasonable for what you get. Or they could be responding to a TV ad they saw this weekend, or new models. That may be what resonates.”
In the study, whose data is garnered from a poll of consumers who are in market to purchase a car over the next 12 months, Acura, Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz were measured on “Index,” the research firm’s score of brand health based on the firm’s component scores of quality, value, impression, satisfaction, reputation, and willingness to recommend; and on purchase consideration.
With the growing demand for more digital technology and style, it is no surprise that BMW have recently made a bold statement about what defines a luxury car today. The car manufacturer believes that premium manufacturers will have to focus more on details if they want to continue to charge premium prices.
The German luxury giant’s senior vice president product management, Hildegard Wortmann, said luxury car makers such as BMW would have to evolve to reflect changing tastes and expectations by buyers of luxury vehicles.
“There’s a new understanding of what luxury stands for, which is a strong evolution or revolution of where we are today,” Wortmann told Drive at the 2014 New York motor show.
“Being a leader, we think we need to be there progressing as well and doing different things.”
Speaking at this month’s New York motor show Wortmann pointed to the recently unveiled BMW Future Luxury Concept car that is a pointer to the upcoming sixth generation 7-Series luxury flagship. She said it was evidence of the lengths BMW would be going to in an effort to further build its image and sales.
“We had a lot of discussions about it internally,” she said. “Luxury is no longer adding chrome and bits and pieces to a car … there is a new generation coming up where you have to deliver luxury in a different way, which is more about innovation, about craftsmanship, about the materials you use, etcetera.”
Wortmann said while BMW would be focussing more on materials and attention to detail the digital era meant it was more important than ever for luxury brands to maintain pace with new developments.
“If you look at all the consumer electronics in the car, we cannot offer old stuff when the world around is moving fast.”
Wortmann said there was no danger of the luxury market drying up, with increasing demand prompting major players such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi to increase the number of cars they offer.
Vision Future Luxury is the latest saloon concept car coming from BMW. The German car manufacturer unveiled the car, which features augmented display technology, hoping it will wow fans of the BMW brand.
The Vision Future Luxury concept comprises the latest iteration of BMW’s Vision Head Up Display, which augments the driver’s view of the world by projecting real-time information including speed limits and road signs onto the windscreen directly in the line of sight.
Sensors located on the exterior of the car collect environmental data, which is deciphered and transferred to a light source located inside the instrument panel. Light shining through a translucent thin-film transistor (TFT) projects the relevant data on to the windscreen via specially shaped mirrors and allows the driver to view information without having to look away from the road.
“Innovative technology and modern luxury have always been an important part of BMW’s brand DNA,” explained Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President of BMW Group Design at a preview of Vision Future Luxury in Munich. “Connectivity in a luxury vehicle has to be seamless and so well integrated that it doesn’t deter from the driving that you want to do, it actually enhances it.”
The rear lighting is provided by organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for the first time on a BMW, an efficient light source consisting of wafer-thin semi-conductive layers of organic material that can be cut into any shape to allow for a variety of patterned lighting designs.
The luminescent layer is a film of carbon compound, which emits light in response to an electrical current. Each light-emitting polymer layer is roughly 400 nanometres thick, which is approximately 400 times thinner than a human hair.
Car designers have previously relied on reflectors to enable the light produced by LEDs to be seen from different angles, but OLEDs do not need reflectors, allowing designers to create less bulky and more unusual shapes. OLEDs also require less power to operate.
The roofline and sloping boot lid on the car have been designed to reduce drag, while carbon fibre openings positioned at the front and rear of the car help to channel airflow more efficiently.
“Aerodynamics and lightweight materials are key elements of this car’s design,” explained Karim Habib, head of BMW design. “Visible carbon fibre on the exterior of a luxury car is something we believe BMW needs to do.”
Carbon fibre, as a lightweight and strong composite, also allows for a minimised central B-pillar – the join between the front passenger and rear passenger doors. This allows the doors to use different hinge points to a standard car door.
The doors open to reveal a layered interior with wood, leather and aluminium finishings on top of a carbon fibre base.
“Lightweight construction is not going to go away,” says Adrian van Hooydonk. “All of our cars will have to get lighter and that means as a design team we are dealing with different types of materials, which can lead to different types of aesthetic.”
Front passengers are equipped with a personal information display, which is connected to the driver display via a touch-sensitive panel. Rear passengers also have access to two displays mounted in the headrests of the seats in front and a detachable tablet between the individual seats. All three can be used to exchange information with the front passengers using swiping movements.
Embedded user interface components from which internet-based video and music streaming can be accessed also feature.
Read on for BMW’s press release:
Heralding a new approach – the design.
“The design of the BMW Vision Future Luxury is the messenger of our philosophy of modern luxury, one in which innovative technologies play a key and vital role. These innovations deliver a new, multifaceted luxury experience that spans intelligent lightweight engineering, innovative interior design and a radically new user interface design,” says Karim Habib, Head of BMW Design, summing up the design approach to the BMW Vision Future Luxury.
This approach is particularly tangible in the interior. Throughout, the design expresses both form and function of the innovative technologies. For example, the intelligent lightweight engineering concept of the BMW Vision Future Luxury is expressed in the design principle of subtractive modelling. That is to say, the specific geometry and functions of an individual component are created from one and the same layered composite structure, comprising many different levels and materials. An initial base layer of fine carbon fabric is followed by a functional level featuring user interface components, control and display interfaces and lighting functions, which in turn is followed by a further structural, load-bearing layer of aluminium for additional strength.
Finally, the top layers comprise wood, then leather, to create a warm and comfortable ambience. In a given area of the interior, the multi-layer structure is “milled down” to the appropriate depth depending on what surface material and what function is required. Since the interior geometry is therefore always pared down to essentials, this cuts total weight substantially. This treatment also makes for virtually seamless transitions and very elegant, fluid surfaces.
The unrivalled characteristics of carbon as a material – both individually and in combination with its surrounding materials – are optimally utilised in this rigorous lightweight design concept. The carbon underlying layer is visible in the doors, under the seats and especially in the innovative, pared-down B-pillar. A full B- pillar as used in the past is dispensed with. The carbon construction allows the seat frames to be integrated into the load-bearing structure. There are also connections to the door sills and centre console, which means only a very small and unobtrusive B-pillar is required. The BMW Vision Future Luxury’s wide- opening coach doors would not have been possible without this new carbon B- pillar solution.
New-style user interface design and exclusive BMW ConnectedDrive services.
In the driver’s and front passenger’s area, precisely defined lines and surfaces create a sense of exclusive dynamism. The design of the instrument panel closely complements the design of the displays themselves. The driver is surrounded by a wrap-around cluster of three intermeshing displays, creating the typical BMW driver-centric cockpit. The three-dimensional display technology means that at the visual level the instrument panel styling appears to carry over into the displays themselves. In other words, to the eye the interior space seems to continue into the solid structures of the instrument panel, generating an impression of unprecedented depth and spaciousness.
The left-hand display mainly presents vehicle-related information, while in the centre a programmable cluster displays speedometer, rev counter and other information, as well as context-adaptive supplementary data, which is displayed as and when relevant. Meanwhile, the right-hand display – the Driver Information Display – provides additional infotainment information. The driver also has the option of controlling all these functions by voice command.
BMW Vision Head Up Display.
The primary driver display, however, is the “contact-analogue” BMW Vision Head Up Display. This display augments the driver’s view of the real world by projecting information directly in the driver’s line of sight onto the road. Buildings, traffic signs or hazards can be highlighted directly in the real-world environment, selectively directing the driver’s attention to specific information which is particularly important at any given time. This technology gives a new dimension to driver assistance functions such as Speed Limit Info, where road signs can be identified and highlighted in the driver’s field of view, or the Traffic Light Assistant, which provides real-time information about traffic light phasing.
In place of a central shared information display for driver and front passenger, the BMW Vision Future Luxury offers front passengers their own Passenger Information Display. This display is connected to the Driver Information Display via a touch-sensitive panel, where information can be exchanged between driver and front passenger using swiping movements. Applications like booking opera tickets online direct from the vehicle via the BMW ConnectedDrive Luxury Concierge service can be displayed in the Passenger Information Display, where they don’t risk distracting the driver. The relevant functions can be conveniently controlled by the front passenger using the iDrive Controller with touch-sensitive interface.
Rear Seat Touch Command Tablet.
In the back, two Rear Seat Displays set into carbon surrounds, and a detachable Rear Seat Touch Command Tablet, put the finishing touch to the integrated user interface concept of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. These displays can communicate with the front displays and also with the BMW ConnectedDrive services. Everything from trip-related information like speed and journey time to information relating to the Luxury Concierge Services can be displayed here in simple and customised form.
It is also possible to use online entertainment content like internet-based video and music streaming as well as gaming. All content and functions can be controlled from the rear seats using the detachable Rear Seat Touch Command Tablet in the centre console.
Personal space at the rear.
For the occupants of the rear seats, the BMW Vision Future Luxury offers a luxurious haven of personal space. Two large, deeply contoured single seats add to the appeal, inviting passengers to retire into their own personal “comfort zone”. A retractable table, the angled Rear Seat Displays and the rigid backs of the front seats create a very private ambience, sectioning this area off from the rest of the interior. The sense of privacy is accentuated by modern, flowing geometry and the use of select materials, with lavish wood surfaces extending from the rear parcel shelf to enfold the rear seat occupants in a cosseting three- dimensional space.
Strategically placed lighting slats integrated into the wood echo the surrounding styling and, with their warm glow, accentuate the modern and cosy ambience. Finest-quality aniline leather in Batavia brown and a lighter Silk shade, Silk nubuk leather and the warm brown, layered lime wood all have a natural aura which offers unique visual appeal and quality. The division between darker materials in the upper areas and light materials in the lower areas creates a feeling of warmth and a luxurious sense of space. A deep-pile pure silk carpet rounds off the exclusive array of materials in the interior of the BMW Vision Future Luxury.
Exclusiveness and elegance – the exterior design.
In side view, perfect proportions – precise, uncluttered and elegant – convey the exclusiveness of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. The long wheelbase, short overhangs and low, set-back greenhouse lend the stretched silhouette a refined dynamism. In hallmark BMW style, a finely sculpted contour line creates a taut arc along the side of the vehicle, and the opulent surfaces underneath this line have, as always on a BMW, been shaped by seasoned modellers. This hand- sculpted design gives the surfaces a special emotional appeal that would be beyond the capabilities of a computer.
The effect is further enhanced by the Liquid Platinum Bronze exterior paintwork, which generates a warm, shimmering effect. An exclusive flourish at the side of the vehicle is the side mirror, which appears to grow organically out of the chrome window trim. Designed as a visual continuation of the chrome trim, its slender stalk is attached to the mirror from below, giving it a graceful and effortless appearance, almost as if it were hovering in mid-air.
BMW EfficientDynamics: honed aerodynamics and intelligent lightweight engineering.
The exterior design perfectly showcases the advanced aerodynamics and innovative lightweight engineering of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. The coupé- style roofline and sloping boot lid, for example, significantly reduce drag. Underlying the tautly sculpted exterior surfaces, equally refined solutions provide optimal channelling of the airflow. They include the Air Breather system at the rear of the front wheel arch, a C-pillar with internal air channelling, and openings in the rear apron which vent air from the wheel arches. An elegant carbon strip in the door sill area alludes discreetly to the innovative lightweight engineering concept based on aluminium and carbon. Both these lightweight materials are used in the vehicle in exactly the right places to achieve maximum effect – both individually and in tandem.
BMW Laserlight at the front.
Clean and simple in design, the traditional iconic BMW front-end design cues – the twin kidney grille and twin headlights – instantly proclaim the brand identity of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. The lean contours of the headlights also hint at the innovative technology sheltering behind them: BMW Laserlight. This new technology not only paves the way for a very flat and dynamic interpretation of the typical BMW twin round headlamps, it also sets completely new standards in terms of brightness, range and intensity. The concentrated, parallel light beam is up to ten times more intense than that of an LED system. The reduced energy consumption and packaging requirements of laser lights make this technology a prime candidate for use in future vehicles.
Underneath the headlights, the assertive multi-material front apron accentuates the elegant front-end styling. At the outboard ends of the apron, graceful carbon air deflectors conceal a range of BMW EfficientDynamics aerodynamics features. The thin-walled air deflectors are made of carbon, a further reminder of the intelligent lightweight engineering concept of the BMW Vision Future Luxury. A slender chrome strip on the air deflectors highlights the airflow system.
OLED lighting at the rear.
The horizontal lines of the side profile glide gently away at the rear in a final expansive flourish. As at the front, the body styling in this area is deliberately understated, allowing the innovative, narrow and slender lights to make a powerful statement. For the first time on a BMW the rear lighting is provided by organic LEDs, paving the way for a completely new treatment of the typical BMW L-shaped lights. The BMW Vision Future Luxury’s L-shaped rear lights comprise a large number of small, likewise L-shaped OLEDs.
An organic LED consists of wafer-thin organic semiconductor layers positioned between two electrodes. The light-emitting polymer layer is only approx. 400 nanometres thick, making it roughly 400 times thinner than a human hair. Organic LEDs are not only extremely thin, as well as flexible, they also produce very uniform illumination over their entire surface. Due to their very thin dimensions, and since they do not require reflectors in order to produce the desired broad light dispersion, they open up completely new ways of using light in and around the vehicle.
2014 is well on the way and it’s this time of year that people will start looking for their next car.
Here are 3 of the top luxury cars that you should be looking at before making a purchase.
These cars are not just high on comfort but also are high on power and refinement. Amid juggling between busy schedules and bad traffic snarls, a luxury car gives you that much needed relaxation space. In recent time many international car-makers have ventured into the Indian market space with the interesting lot of luxury cars.
Audi has recently bagged the top spot in terms of sales with over 10000 units being sold in the country last year. Terence Johnson, Vice-President, Overseas Sales, Audi AG, said, “We believe this market has tremendous potential for further growth of brand Audi. Reaffirming our commitment to the Indian market, we are bringing the Audi A3 Sedan – the next big Audi to India. We expect the Indian market to continue to grow and to contribute substantially to Audi’s global sales.” The German car-maker is relying heavily on the upcoming A3 sedan in India. As per sources the company is likely to assemble A3 at the Skoda Auto India Private Ltd’s manufacturing plant located in Aurangabad. Under the hood, a 1.8 litre TFSI gasoline motor is likely to be equipped that pumps out a maximum power of 180 Bhp and torque output of about 250 Nm respectively. Diesel variant on the other hand is expected to get a 2.0 litre,TDI powertrain that engenders a top power of 150Bhpand a peak torque of 320Nm.
Mercedes Benz GL63 AMG shall be powered by 5.5 litre V8 twin-turbocharged engine that enables the SUV to propel from 0 to 100 kmph within 4.9 seconds and acquires a top speed of 250 Kmph. The usual trim of GL is devoid of the mighty 5.5 litre motor that pumps out a pinnacle power of 557 Bhp along with a maximum torque output of 760 Nm. The 5.5 litre V8 engine comes fitted with a high-tech power package that consists of spray-guided direct petrol injection, bi-turbo charging, all-aluminium crankcase, Piezo injectors, air/water intercooling, alternator management and the ECO start/stop system.
BMW M6 Gran Coupe has just been launched in the country. The sedan is powered by astonishing 4.4 litre V8 gasoline motor with two win scroll turbochargers that is capable of churning out a maximum power output of about 552 Bhp between 6,000 to 7,000 RPM and a peak torque of 680 Nm between 1,500 to 5,750 RPM. The robust engine enables vehicle to sprint from 0 to 100 kmph within 4.2 seconds and attain a top speed of 250 Kmph. The engine is mated to a seven speed dual clutch automatic transmission that transmits power to the rear wheels. M6 Gran Coupe available in international markets offers enhanced power output along with an increased wheel rim size of 20 inch.
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Original story by Car Trade at http://www.cartrade.com/car-bike-news/top-3-luxury-cars-you-may-consider-buying-in-2014-123505.html
