BMW 3 Series Touring announced

German carmaker BMW has revealed details of its latest 3 Series Touring, based on the new generation 3 Series saloon. Set to arrive in the UK this September, the estate version of the popular model will, according to BMW, ‘offer an even stronger blend of thoughtful practicality and outstanding driving dynamics’. The Touring model shares much of the same underpinnings as its saloon sibling, in fact from the B pillars to the nose both models are identical. Compared to the previous 3 Series...

Sprint test: Man v BMW 3 Series

Which is faster – man or machine? BMW has found out this week, as they pitted their 320d EfficientDynamics saloon up against Olympic gold medallist Mark Lewis-Francis in the ultimate sprint test. Joined by sports scientist Professor Greg Whyte the sprint tests took place on The Mall in London yesterday; not the fastest BMW available today the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics was picked because of its crucial role on the Olympic fleet this summer. The highly economical saloon generates an impressive...

BMW celebrates best ever start to a year

The BMW Group is celebrating its best ever start to a year, with 145,505 vehicles sold worldwide in April, an increase of 6.1% compared to 2011. This means that the German company has sold 571,040 units so far in 2012, an increase of nearly 10% over 2011 figures. “Following on from the best first quarter in the company’s history, we have just reported our most successful April sales ever. We are well on course to achieving a record year in 2012. We are clearly benefitting from a very...

Cutting company fleet costs. Weekly Column

Last week I spent some time selling the benefits of bangernomics, proving that it’s possible to run a reasonably luxurious and reliable car for less than the cost of a trip to Alton Towers. Of course, if you’re a fleet manager under pressure to reduce costs then bangernomics probably isn’t a viable option. The line of BMW 320d SEs parked outside are a very visual reminder to the directors that £28,000 each is being shelled out for the staff to drive round in comfort. The two year lease deal...

BMW teams up with UK developer for new online racing game

BMW has teamed up with UK-based games developer Eutechnyx to launch a new authentic online racing game and car community called Auto Club Revolution. The PC-only game features the BMW 1 Series M Coupé, the BMW 135i, the BMW M3 Coupé, the BMW M5 and the BMW Z4 M Coupé; as well as a honest of real-world tracks to race on. As the exclusive launch partner, the German carmaker was involved in the game’s development from the early stages. Not just a racing game, the developers hope to establish...