It was a 4 hour Endurance Race with min. 4x drivers change. This is exceptionally long and hard for both the car and the drivers in such hot and dusty environment. The car was specially prepared with strong air filters in order to save the engine. Also the the drivers where told not to Rev. the engine above 8000 Rpm to keep it cool enough to finish the race and to save tires and fuel. At the finish line Stanislas and Christian took first place and won the race. They managed to bring the car home without any mechanical problems or unexpected pitstop over this long period.

BMW is expected to take the wraps off its new flagship next July. For the carmaker, it will be a come back to the roots with a more conventional design and a focus on technology. The next 7-Series will be available with two petrol engines at launch, both twin-turbocharged, the 4.8-litre V8 unit that appeared on the X6 and a re-engineered V12 engine. Both engines will be hooked up to a new eight speed automatic gearbox. The V8-powered version will feature two square pipes, while the V12 engine will come with four square pipes.

For the first time, the 7-Series will be available with an all-wheel drive transmission. However this option won’t be available at launch like the four wheel steering System. The 7-Series will the first company’s model to offer this technology. Without a doubt, the four steering wheel system will help the heavy limousine to be more agile than ever in corners.

The interior will re-introduce the famous driver orientated console. Abandoned on the current model, this move confirms that the carmaker wants to go back to its roots. However, the controversial iDrive will still be available. The 7-Series will debut a second-generation which will allow the carmaker to control everything, even personalize the warning system!

The two concept cars will be unveiled at the same time as they share the same components in an attempt to cut cost. The X1 will be based on the 1-Series platform and will share its engine range with the BMW compact model. The Mini Crossman will be powered by the same engines found in the Cooper S and Cooper D. The X1 I expected to hit the showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2009, while the Crossman will go on sale from the second quarter of 2010.

The X1 will be built at the Leipzig factory in Germany, while the Crossman will be built by Magna Steyr as the Oxford plant which builds the Mini has no free production capacity due to high demand for the Mini model.

Building models in regions where they sell the most is part of the ambitious plan BMW is readying to increase its profit margin. The carmaker doesn’t expect its small SUV to be a top-seller on the American market, so its production won’t be moved to the US like the other models. It will stay in Europe, its potential largest market, at the carmaker’s Leipzig facility.

The current X5 and new X6 crossover coupé are being built at Spartanburg, located in South Carolina. They will be joined by the next-generation X3 model. The current X3 is currently produced by Magna Steyr in Austria.

The X1 will share its underpinnings with the next-generation 1-Series compact model.

In an interview with Car magazine, BMW board member, Herbert Diess, has revealed that the M1 Homage previews a supercar that the carmaker plans to launch in the near future. This news doesn’t come as a surprise. BMW has been working for a longtime on how to reach the £100,000 growing market segment.

The future supercar is said to be a rear-engined vehicle which will be focused on sports. Despite a visual link with the legendary M1, the future model won’t feature its moniker. Also unlike the M1, the future supercar will feature a wide range of engines with six, eight and ten cylinder units. The Audi R8 and the Lamborghini will likely be its fiercest competitors.

The next-generation has been spotted during testing when engineers were driving an early prototype. Technical details remain scarce although some observers believe that the next generation will carry the same architecture. Engineers will focus on weight reduction and are rumoured to use more aluminium in the construction. For the first time, the platform will also be available with an all-wheel drive transmission. Indeed, BMW has plan to launch later a small X1 that will take on the Ford Kuga and successful Nissan Qashqai.

Under the bonnet, the current engine range will be kept. If the smaller engines will likely remain unchanged, the six cylinder units will likely be re-engineered to comply with the latest emissions regulations.

Click here to see the spyshots

Source: MotorAuthority

Like the new Skoda Superb, the German carmaker wants to make a two-in-one 5-Series combining the advantage of a hatchback and a saloon. The rumoured boot would be designed to act like a conventional boot or hatchback. Why would BMW decide to release a hatchback 5-Series? In the family car segment, a hatchback is a quite common body, but in the executive segments, the only carmakers to sell hatchback models are the French clique which don’t record big sales. If customers want practicality, they generally ten to buy the estate version which is much sexier than a hatchback model, except for the Citroen C6.

The hatchback body would be sold along with the saloon and estate models. How will BMW explain the new body to its usual customers? Maybe an emerging market favours hatchback models and BMW is betting that the specific costs will be then covered. Future will say.

With this facelifted, BMW will try to relaunch the family car which has suffered since the Mercedes C-Class hit the market. The spotted version is the saloon, the best selling variant. From the clear spyshots, it appears that the model will get a serious facelift for a BMW with redesigned taillights and slightly re-designed front fascia.

The taillights will be reduced by one quarter, while the front fascia will feature a new bumper, modified foglights, new bonnet and new grille.

The facelift will also see the launch of the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre unit on the estate variant.

On the outside, the sport package adds a bodykit that includes front and rear spoilers, and sport exterior mirrors. There are also several new alloy wheels with sizes varying from 17in to 19in. The interior is trimmed with carbon-fiber panels and features a sport steering wheel.

In addition to the visual enhancements, AC Schnitzer offers engine upgrades: 135i’s output jumps from 306 to 360bhp, he 120d’s from 177 to 200bhp and the 123d’s from 204 to 240bhp. There are also a suspension kit.

The powerful BMW unit was one of seven engines to triumph in the 2008 Awards that use turbocharging to achieve high power output from smaller displacement engines that use less fuel and produce less CO2. The 300bhp powertrain is found in many models from the 1-Series to the X6.BMW also wins ‘Best New Engine of the Year’ with its 2-litre Diesel Twin-Turbo unit and the ‘1.4-litre to 1.8-litre’ category with the co-engineered BMW-PSA 1.6-litre turbocharged engine.

Peter Langen, BMW’s director of powertrain who also witnessed his engines top the 3- to 4-litre and Above 4-litre categories, commented: “BMW rightly views these awards as the highest industry recognition of its outstanding achievements in engine technology and manufacturing. It is an honour for our 3-litre twin- turbo engine to have secured the highest accolade for the second year running, and we are truly delighted that so many of our other engines have been judged as class-leading.”

The Awards, which are judged by 65 motoring journalists from 32 countries from four continents, also rewarded a variety of other manufacturers for engine excellence across a number of different categories. The Volkswagen/Audi Group, Toyota, Porsche and Subaru were all worthy category winners.

International Engine of the Year Awards 2008: Winners

Best New Engine of 2008    
BMW 2-litre Diesel Twin-Turbo (123d)   

Green Engine of the Year
Toyota 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius)                                                    

Best Performance Engine    
Porsche 3.6-litre Turbo (911 Turbo, 911 GT2)                           

Sub 1-litre
Toyota 1-litre (Aygo, Yaris, Peugeot 107, Citroën C1, Subaru Justy)                                    
1-litre to 1.4-litre      
Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Golf, Touran, Tiguan, Jetta)

1.4-litre to 1.8-litre
BMW-PSA 1.6-litre Turbo (MINI Cooper S, Clubman, Peugeot 207, 308)               

1.8-litre to 2-litre      
Volkswagen/Audi 2-litre Turbo (A3, A4 Cabrio, A6, TT, Eos, Jetta, Golf GTi, Seat Altea, Leon, Skoda Octavia)       

2-litre to 2.5-litre               
Subaru 2.5-litre Turbo (Forester, Impreza, Outback, Legacy) 

2.5-litre to 3-litre
BMW 3-litre Twin-Turbo (135, 335, X6)

3-litre to 4-litre
BMW 4-litre V8 (M3)                                                                                              

Above 4-litre
BMW 5-litre V10 (M5, M6)