X6 - BMW's Macho Machine

BMW X6, a Sport Activity Vehicle (SAV) from the German premium car manufacturer BMW has been pulling a lot of eyes in India recently. This car is imported in India as a Completely Built Unit (CBU). The BMW X6 comes in two versions the X6 xDrive50i in petrol and the X6 xDrive30d in diesel.
The X6 is world’s first Sports Activity Coupé to be equipped with BMW Dynamic Performance Control that imbues it with excellent driving dynamics. This BMW is equipped with a twin-turbo direct injection V8.
The new BMW X6 has all the agility and elegance of a coupé plus the impressive versatility of a SAV. The car has been named as Sports Activity Coupe as it ensures all the comfort and luxury of the coupe. This seven-seater coupe also provides generous spacing for both the driver and front
passenger.
This luxury SAV offers a unique synthesis of exclusive luxury, sporting dynamics, and powerful style. With a wide range of colors and materials, the BMW X6 really highlight its sporting character to suit individual style and personality. The petrol variant of the BMW X6 is priced at Rs. 83 Lakh while
the diesel is available at Rs. 65 Lakh.
The coupe X6 can be ordered across all 13 BMW dealerships in India. The German car giant has deferred the launch of its luxury hatchback the Mini in India till next year. BMW 7 series, 3 series and X3 are the other models of the world’s largest premium car make that are sold in India.

BMW to launch its Roadster Z4 in India

World’s top luxury and sports car manufacturer BMW has said it will launch its Roadster Z4 in India later this year. Roadster Z4 is top two seater sports car that company believes will attract hip and prosperous Indian youth.

BMW is very optimistic about its chances in the Indian market. It plans to launch at least half a dozen new cars here before the year end.

Its plans are not without any basis. The company has already replaced Mercedes Benz this year as the top luxury car brand in India.



After World War I, BMW was forced to cease aircraft (engine) production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty. The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted, followed by automobiles in 1928.

The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel is often alleged to portray the movement of an airplane propeller, to signify the white blades cutting through the blue sky - an interpretation that BMW adopted for convenience in 1929, which was actually twelve years after the roundel was created. In fact, the emblem evolved from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, from which the BMW company grew. The Rapp logo was combined with the blue and white colors of the flag of Bavaria to produce the BMW roundel so familiar today.

The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports car by the German automaker BMW. Replacing the Z3, first-generation production started in 2002 at BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, with both roadster and coupe forms produced. Starting with the 2009 model year, the second-generation Z4 is built at BMW's Regensburg, Germany plant as a retractable hardtop roadster.

The German auto giant’s cars are seen as the most modern cars on Indian roads, more particularly in Indian metros. They are becoming ubiquitous on potholed Indian roads.

The German auto giant sold 2,908 cars in India in 2008, its second year of operation, closing the gap with luxury car leader Mercedes-Benz, which sold 3,625 cars in the same year, which was also its 12th year in the country.

Earlier BMW India announced to launch five new cars in 2009. It has already introduced the all-new 7 Series sedan and the new 3 Series sedan. The SUV X6 and X3 diesel and a new sports model will be launched sometime this year.



The first-generation BMW Z4 was designated the E85 in roadster form and E86 in coupé form. It was designed by Danish BMW-designer Anders Warming, who later made the Mille Miglia Concept car with some of the same shapes as the Z4.

The Z4's design addresses many criticisms of the preceding Z3; the Z4 is larger, and has a significantly stiffer chassis. The Z4 features a strut type front suspension like its predecessor. The rear suspension, however is considerably different from that of the Z3, which was based on that of the E30 BMW 3 Series.

Instead of a semi-trailing arm suspension, the Z4 uses a more advanced multi-link suspension. It was built in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Initially, the Z4 was available only as a roadster, but in 2006 a coupé version was officially launched. The last of the first-generation Z4 to be assembled in North America rolled off the assembly line on 27 August 2008.

In the meantime BMW India has said that it will add 10 dealers in tier-II cities such as Coimbatore, Jaipur, Lucknow and Ludhiana.

A top company official says, ““We grew 15% in the first quarter of 2009 and surpassed Mercedes Benz in the sales tally”.

The company overtook Mercedes Bens in January this year becoming the more preferred luxury car in the country.

BMW sold 181 more cars than Mercedes in India in January. Two mighty luxury car makers BMW and Mercedes are locked in a fight for supremacy in India. The war is going on with the entry of German car giant’s India entry a few years ago.

GM’s future now depends on small cars

GENERAL Motors Corp. is known for making top- notch trucks and sport utility vehicles. The company’s survival now hinges on the difficult task of convincing buyers that its upgraded cars are just as good as its trucks and worth some extra cash. That’s essentially the business plan for the reconstituted GM, the one that is trying to make it in a US market where people no longer want $ 42,000 Chevrolet Tahoes that get only 14 miles per gallon ( 5.95 kilometers per litre) in the city. Instead, the revenue to sustain the nearly century- old industrial giant will have to come from cars, which have typically made only hundreds of dollars in profits.

Better cars, and lots of them. The change has come quickly. Faced with high gas prices and a weak economy, GM's sales fell 16 per cent for the first half of the year, with trucks off 21 percent and cars down nearly 9 per cent. GM has lost billions of dollars during the last three years. The company on Tuesday announced a combination of cuts, borrowing and asset sales that would raise $ 15 billion to weather the recent slump in US auto sales and the rapid shift from trucks to cars. Henderson, who concedes that GM has some repair work to do on its car brand image, says the change will have to come one or two models at a time.

It will follow the path of the new Chevrolet Malibu, which saw sales jump 46 percent in the first half of the year and average sale prices rise $ 4,000 over previous Malibu models due to improved quality. “ One product launch does not a success make,” Henderson said. “ It’s how do you build on that? But I think it gave us some confidence that if we get the car right and we get the promotion right, we can make progress and we can actually bring people back to the car.” GM has big plans for cars and car- based crossover vehicles. Nearly every brand, including Cadillac, will be getting a small car soon. Eighteen of the 19 vehicles GM is launching between now and 2010 are cars or crossovers.

One model, the sleek new Chevrolet Cruze due out in 2010, is the replacement for the clunky Chevrolet Cobalt small car. GM plans to power the Cruze with a 1.4- liter turbocharged four- cylinder engine, allowing it to get around 45 miles per gallon ( 19.13 kilometers per liter). Clark said in a statement, “ GM will likely face a sizable cash burn until it gets this part of the equation right.” GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said car prices also will rise because of demand, while truck and SUV prices will likely fall.