New BMW X6

The BMW X6 is the world’s first ever Sports Activity Coupe and has now been updated for 2012. The new model combines the elegant lines of a coupe with the prestige of a BMW X model, with powerful petrol and diesel engines, fitted with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology and the intelligent all-wheel-drive system xDrive, including Dynamic Performance Control.

The new BMW X6 gets a new front end with the standard fog lights now set in matt finish surrounds in the upper area of the outer air inlets. The striking three-dimensional modelling of the frame and newly designed bars, angled in the lower section, make the BMW kidney grille stand out even more, especially conspicuously within the vehicle front section.

Front headlights

The new BMW X6 is also the first vehicle in its segment to be fitted optionally with adaptive LED headlamps. Their bright white light ensures optimum visibility, while their high-quality visual appearance represents a new interpretation of the BMW brand’s hallmark twin circular headlamps. While in the new BMW X6 M, adaptive LED headlights are fitted as standard.

The external paint finishes for the new BMW X6 consists of two non-metallic and eight metallic colours, including Marrakech Brown metallic, Orion Silver metallic and Midnight Blue metallic. The standard equipment range also includes 19-inch light alloy wheels, and in the 8-cylinder model BMW X6 xDrive 50i, these now feature a new double spoke design in bi-colour. 

The standard interior leather trim Nevada is also available in the colour Vermilion Red and the exclusive nappa leather option with extended features now includes a choice between the colours Black and Ebony White. A three-seater rear bench is optionally available instead of the standard four seats and the luggage compartment volume is 570 litres and can be extended to up to 1,450 litres by folding down the rear backrests.

The petrol and diesel engines with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology available for the BMW X6 deliver impressive pulling power and impressive low fuel consumption figures. The V8 engine of the BMW X6 xDrive50i delivers 407 bhp, while in the BMW X6 xDrive35i an in-line 6-cylinder petrol engine with 306 bhp ensures a smooth, powerful, performance.

The in-line 6-cylinder diesel engines of the models BMW X6 xDrive40d and BMW X6 xDrive30d offer 306 bhp and 245 bhp respectively. Both engines offer not only impressively sporty power delivery but also low emission figures. The BMW X6 xDrive30d can also be fitted with optional BMW BluePerformance Technology as of spring 2012. 

BMW is also launching the BMW M Performance Automobile BMW X6 M50d and this car sets a new benchmark for pulling power and efficiency with a newly developed 381 bhp in-line 6-cylinder diesel engine. It offers unique triple turbocharging and provides the world’s most powerful standard in-line 6-cylinder diesel engine. This powerful diesel model has an acceleration rate of 5.3 seconds for the sprint from zero to 62mph.

BMW 1 Series

The new BMW 1-series has just been voted the “2012 Business Car of the Year”, after the readers of BusinessCar magazine and www.businesscar.co.uk chose it as the best product that meets the needs of a company and their drivers alike. 

BMW had a successful awards ceremony, with the German brand also collecting the Manufacturer of the Year prize, plus the Green Model of the Year for the ultra-efficient 320d ED model. There there were also sector wins for the BMW 3-series, BMW 7-series and BMW X5, as well as the BMW-owned Mini hatchback.

“BMW’s impressive and class-leading combination of desirability, efficiency and driving pleasure has again shown itself with this haul of awards, decided by the readers of BusinessCar, proving that the brand is at the forefront of the company car market,” said BusinessCar Editor Paul Barker. “Across the range there is a model for every level of employee, each one offering low tax bills, good running costs and the premium BMW badge. The people running these vehicles and giving them to their staff obviously appreciate the job BMW is doing.”

The BusinessCar Awards are awarded with votes entirely by the readers of the publication and their website, so therefore the BMW range was recognised by the very people that are likely to use the cars on a daily basis. We have the full range of BMW 1 Series models on BMW contract hire on the site now.

For the full list of winners see http://www.businesscar.co.uk/awards

BMW M5 Saloon

BMW has released the details of the fifth-generation BMW M5 saloon which has the most powerful production engine BMW has ever built, with power up by 10 per cent, torque up by 30 per cent and fuel consumption down by 30 per cent.

Powered by a 4.4-litre V8 engine, developing 560hp, the car reaches 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds, has a top speed of 155 (limited), CO2 emissions are 232g/km and combined mpg is 28.5.

The standard equipment in the UK includes Head-up Display, DAB digital radio, front and rear Park Distance Control, four-zone air-conditioning, Xenon headlights, Adaptive Headlights and front seat heating. The M5 also gets Professional Multimedia Navigation system and BMW Assist, a new real-time traffic information service that provides accurate traffic bulletins and diversion suggestions as well. With Bluetooth and USB audio interface as standard, the integration of Smartphones and music players should also keep you entertained and informed.

BMW M5 Saloon

The interior of the M5 has the intimacy of a sports-car cockpit, the spaciousness of a prestige saloon and the luxury of a premium car. It features bespoke M Sports seats, Merino leather upholstery, Aluminium Trace interior trim strips and the BMW Individual roof liner in Anthracite, plus the BMW iDrive control system with a 10.2-inch Control Display. M5 lettering on the sill panels is also standard for that extra exclusivity.

The instrument cluster with black-panel technology has classic BMW M circular dials with red needles and white illumination. The multifunction buttons on the M leather steering wheel operate the cruise control, radio and telephone. On the left-hand side the driver will now find two M Drive buttons which can call up a pre-configured setting for the car – for example, a sports or a more comfort-orientated set of driving characteristics.

The BMW M5 has gone on sale this month at £73,040 on-the-road with BMW expecting to sell around 550 models a year in the UK in its first full year.

CLICK for the BMW lease offer

If you thinking of leasing a new BMW 320d EfficientDynamics 4-door diesel saloon then one of our Partners has just loaded a 2-year BMW lease deal from only £292.13+VAT per month. This is based on a two-year non-maintained vehicle lease, 10,000 miles per annum, payment profile is 6 rentals in advance followed by 23 subsequent payments.

The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics is an ideal company car for any senior executive at it returns 69.9 combined mpg, emits only 109g/km of CO2 yet still manages to reach 0-62mph in just 8 seconds. Other terms are available from our car finance partner so fill out a Contact Form today.

BMW ActiveHybrid 5

BMW is taking the next-generation BMW ActiveHybrid technology, new four-cylinder petrol engines with BMW TwinPower Turbo and a six cylinder in-line diesel engine with BMW BluePerformance technology, to the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show in December.

The star of the BMW stand is the world premiere of the new BMW ActiveHybrid 5 (sedan) saloon which offers a six-cylinder in-line petrol engine coupled to an electric drive system, eight-speed automatic gearbox and a lithium-ion battery. The new BMW ActiveHybrid 5 also comes with a new intelligent energy management system that works in tandem with the navigation system, to prepare how the car performs and drives in advance of upcoming road conditions.

BMW 1 Series Sport Line

The next generation four-cylinder petrol engines will be on show in the new BMW 1 Series and BMW X1 xDrive20i, with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology on display in the new BMW 6 Series Coupe. The advanced diesel technology will be showcased in the BMW X5 xDrive35d with its BluePerformance diesel package and AdBlue system combining a sporty, commanding appearance with its powerful 3.0-litre six-cylinder in-line engine.

New Cars of the World

A new monthly guide, called New Cars of the World, has just been launched by Worldcarinfo.com (The World of Cars) and this new monthly format presents the latest new cars introduced from around the world.

The first edition covers September-October 2011 and features the new BMW 3-Series, Isuzu D-Max, Hyundai, i30, Mia Electric, Honda Civic, Peugeot 308 Sedan, Volkswagen up! and many more new car models.

It covers all the key motoring markets of Europe, USA, China, South America, India and Russia and is easy to use with clear and concise descriptions, with many pictures and illustrations. The guide collates its data from the hundreds of auto websites from around the world and the PDF format can be e-mailed to your e-mail inbox on the 5th of every month (subscription fee applies).

The November 2011 Edition will be out on the 5th of December and will feature all the new cars launched at the Los Angeles, Guangzhou and Tokyo Motor Shows and if you want to get the first copy FREE then visit their website @

www.worldcarinfo.com

Fisker Karma Sedan

The beautiful looking Fisker Karma Sedan (saloon) electric vehicle has been named as 2012 “Design of the Year” by Automobile Magazine. The Fisker Karma premium saloon is the brainchild of Henrik Fisker who was the designer for cars like the Aston Martin DB9 and BMW Z8. The car has an elongated hood (bonnet) and long wheelbase, plus it uses repurposed wood from sunken logs for the interior trim. Other innovative design features include solar receptors in the glass roof.

The car has been designed and built at the company’s Southern California headquarters and offers a combination of world-class styling and performance, low CO2 emissions and an extended range. Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Automotive, said,”As a design-oriented company we are incredibly proud to win AUTOMOBILE mangazine’s “Design of the Year” award. It proves our belief that we can produce environmentally responsible cars without sacrificing the emotional things that make us fall in love with cars in the first place”.

Hyundai i40

The new Hyundai i40 has just won the 2011 EuroCarBody Golden Award at this year’s conference which was held near Frankfurt in Germany. The EuroCarBody awards were judged by over 500 attending delegates with industry experts from across the world.

The Hyundai i40 was praised by the judges for its comprehensive engineering, effective development of materials as well as the car’s production efficiency, scoring 37.98 out of a possible 50 maximum points. The closest competitor to the i40 was the Audi A6 which scored 35.86 with the Mercedes-Benz B-Class in third place at 34.66. Other competitors included car models from BMW, Ford, Mazda, Nissan, Opel, Land Rover and Volkswagen. 

The Hyundai i40 is currently available in the Tourer model, with the saloon car due out next year, and benefits from Hyundai’s Five Year Triple Care package. This consists of a five-year unlimited warranty, five year’s roadside assistance and five year’s of vehicle health checks. Hyundai Contract Hire has a superb offer on the i40 Tourer on the site at present, for the Hyundai i40 Diesel 115 blue Drive Active 5-door Tourer, which starts from £196.77+VAT per month.

Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI)

BMW has just launched its new Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI) product which is an enhanced BMW ConnectedDrive feature, giving you advanced traffic information and road conditions every 3 minutes. The new system is available free of charge on all BMW models when you order the BMW Professional navigation system and Bluetooth telephone preparation with telematics. You can also get access to the RTTI product remotely via the BMW routes website, which can be accessed by any internet-enabled device.

Before RTTI was available, BMW drivers had to rely on the radio-based Traffic Message Channel (TMC) for information on road hold-ups or traffic disruption and this information was not as fast or accurate as the new RTTI system. However, now traffic information is presented on the Navigation map by using an easy colour-coded system indicating how well the traffic is flowing.

The system can be divided into distances as short as 500m and is updated every 3 minutes automatically. It allows you to monitor if there is a hold-up ahead, so that you can take an alternative route. RTTI also works with BMW’s destination guidance system (when active) to calculate the new route.

New MINI London 2012 Edition

A new MINI London 2012 Edition has now gone on sale with first deliveries expected in the UK by March 2012. This new edition model is inspired by the Olympics, which BMW is sponsoring, and only 2,012 of the special edition MINI  models are going to be made.

The new car is available in Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper D and Cooper SD trims and all come in the Union Jack themed colours of Chilli Red, White Silver or Lightning Blue. All the models will also have white mirror caps and a white roof that features the London 2012 Olympic graphic.

Outside the car features a Union Jack single sport stripe over the bonnet, roof and tailgate, side scuttles with the Olympic graphic and unique grey 17-inch conical spoke alloy wheels, which are only available on this special edition MINI.

Inside the car you get red and blue stitching twined with white piping on the front and rear Black “Lounge Leather” upholstery, Union Jack piping and London 2012 logo on the inner edge of the front seats, with coloured stitching on the hand brake, gear stick gaiter and floor mats.

The MINI London 2012 Edition is packed full of extra options with Lounge Leather sports seats, DAB radio, air conditioning, cruise control, and chrome interior touches. Opt for the diesel model and you also get exemption from the London Congestion Charge, as it emits only 99g/km of CO2.