�� BMW �� 2011 - �� 22

�� · #**106** 05-04-2011, 01:10 AM

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, BMW, Mini

Over at BMW corporate headquarters in Munich, it's time for another game of "reise nach Jerusalem" - German for "musical chairs" (don't ask us why) - shifting senior management around various departments. Following the announcement of management installed at the automaker's new i Division comes a shift in senior staff at the M Division and at Mini.

The reshuffle revolves around Dr. Kay Segler (pictured), who was in charge of the Mini brand between 2004 and 2008. Over the past few years, Segler's been running BMW M GmbH, but will now be moving back to his old job with the small car subsidiary. His role at M will be taken up by Dr. Friedrich Nitschke (not to be confused with the 19th-century existentialist philosopher Nietzsche), who was until now in charge of product development for Mini. Details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Segler moves back to Mini in BMW management shift

Segler moves back to Mini in BMW management shift originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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�� · #**107** 05-04-2011, 02:40 AM

Filed under: Classics, Performance, BMW, Design/Style

BMW M Projects - Click above for massive high-res image gallery

BMW's M division comes up with some pretty crazy ideas - things like M3 pickups and M5 cabrios. Even the X6 M could be safely defined as 'radical.' And while some make it into production, there are plenty other awesome projects that never see the light of day.

While giving us a preview of the new M5 Concept, the Bavarian skunkworks division also showcased a few of those stillborn projects. One of them was a CSL version of the recently-departed M6 coupe, unburdened of 220 pounds of excess weight, given a power boost and fitted with active aerodynamics and an electronically deployed rear spoiler. But while the prototype was reportedly fully developed, the beancounters in Munich ultimately passed on its production.

The same fate reportedly befell an M8 prototype that would have slotted in above the 850 CSi. That particular coupe that was available packed with a 375-horsepower V12, but the never-was M8 was blessed with a lofty 550 hp from its 12-cylinder engine. After the M8 project was canceled, the engine was retasked for use in another supercar: the McLaren F1.

Another variant of that high-revving V12 - originally bound for LeMans duty - was also placed in a first-gen X5 prototype with a six-speed manual, 700 horsepower and a 186-mile-per-hour top end. Another rear-drive X5 prototype developed by the M division was in attendance and, naturally, never reached production, along with an M-ified 318ti (yum), E46 M3 wagon (double-yum), E39 M5 wagon (quadruple-yum) and one horribly overwrought red roadster (above) with a clear connection to the Z1 and Z3 convertible. And as for the E92-based M3 pickup; it was built as a replacement for beheaded and bedded E30 the M crew developed way-back-when to haul parts.

Finally, last year, BMW toyed with shoehorning the V12 engine into the outgoing M5 to replace its V10 and celebrate the model's 25th anniversary (it was first introduced in 1985), but found the engine bay just a little too tight for the Le Mans-based engine. Sigh.

You can check out all the stillborn Ms in our galleries below.

Gallery: BMW M Projects

BMW M projects that didn't make it originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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�� · #**108** 05-04-2011, 09:10 PM

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, BMW, Shanghai Motor Show, Luxury

2012 BMW 6 Series Coupe - Click above for high-res image gallery

BMW has just given us an early preview of the 2012 6 Series Coupe in Munich ahead of its debut at the Shanghai Motor Show, and as you'd expect, the all-new hardtop 6er simply adds a fixed roof and a Hofmeister Kink to the cabrio we sampled earlier this year.

Head designer Karim Habib tells Autoblog that he drew most of his inspiration from BMW's iconic 3.0 CS produced in the late 60s and early 70s - particularly the elongated wheelbase, endless hood and upright, sharknose grille that just so happens to conform to the EU's pedestrian impact standards. The fascia benefits from full LED headlamps and triple-element foglamps (optional on both the coupe and cabrio), along with lower, wider kidney grilles that - when compared to the 7 Series' vertical slats - come off as less pinstripe-like and more aggressive; toothy, even.

Underneath that expansive hood lies BMW's twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, producing 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque - identical to its drop-top sibling. An eight-speed automatic gearbox shuttles power to the rear wheels, allowing the coupe to hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds before topping out at the electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

According to BMW officials, the cabrio was introduced before the coupe because it makes up 60 percent of 6 Series volume in the U.S., the 6er's largest market. BMW hasn't released an official curb weight for the coupe, but it has confirmed that it will be lighter than its 4,500-pound convertible brethren. Sales are set to begin this Fall and should command slightly less than the cab's $90,000 point of entry.

Gallery: 2012 BMW 6 Series Coupe

Gallery: 2012 BMW 6 Series coupe