Tag Archives: BMW

BMW Neue Klasse will also include new ICE cars

In 2023, BMW began the story of a new era of individual mobility with the Vision Circular and Vision Dee concepts. And while many thought that the Neue Klasse concept would include only all-electric cars, the Bavarian company thinks otherwise.

At the recent Paris Motor Show, BMW design director Adrian van Hooydonk stated that the Neue Klasse will also include future models powered by internal combustion engines assisted by various hybrid systems.

“With the Neue Klasse concept, we are embarking on the largest investment in the history of the company. We are not only writing the next chapter of BMW, we are also writing a whole new book,” said Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

The first production model from the Neue Klasse should be presented before the end of next year, and in Munich they say that by 2029 they will have at least five Neue Klasse models on offer, among which will be two SUVs and the next generation of the 3 Series, including the new M3 .

In September, BMW presented the Vision Neue Klasse concept, a car with a focus on clean vision with sharp and clean lines, which provides a new experience, creating an insight into the new future.

Source: BMW

Gallery:

BMW will produce 50 units of the Skytop concept

At the end of March, BMW revealed a Skytop concept inspired by the 503 and Z8 models, for which it was said that it would not enter production. However, in the meantime, the Bavarian company changed its mind and decided to produce 50 cars.

The Skytop concept shares a platform with the current generation BMW M8 Competition. The design of the front part and the aluminum spine that extends from the hood to the trunk show that it is not just another roadster. Subtle wings instead of door handles, specially designed LED lights that are among the thinnest seen in production cars, as well as many other details adorn this unique and exotic car at first glance.

“The concept BMW Skytop perfectly fit into the philosophy and environment of the famous Italian exhibition, and the designers and engineers made an effort to create a car that brings with it an optimal combination of dynamics and elegance,” said the first man of the BMW design department, Adrian van Hooydonk.

In the morning, high-quality materials, dashboard from Series 8, head-up screen and Bowers & Wilkins sound system are just some of the details that adorn the cabin.

Under the hood will be a 4.4-L twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which also powers the M8, with 626 hp (460 kW) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque. That’s enough to accelerate the Skytop from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.3 seconds. The engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Source: BMW

Gallery:

Buyers don’t want BMW XM

At the end of 2022, BMW presented its new crossover SUV, the BMW XM. Although it achieved poor sales results from the very beginning, customers are now increasingly moving away from this SUV. In the last couple of months, demand for the XM model has dropped by 30%.

The BMW XM is a large and expensive SUV, and in Q3 2024 only 307 units were sold, which is 136 units less compared to the same period in 2023. This makes the XM less popular than the Z4 model (543 units), a segment that is certainly not achieving good sales results. Sales of the Z4 did increase by almost 64%, but that was only an increase of 212 units.

In the first six months of 2024, BMW sold 1,096,486 cars worldwide, which is a growth of 2.3 percent compared to the same period in 2023. Although the biggest growth was recorded in the sale of electric cars, and 180,000 of them got new owners ( +34%), customers still mostly opt for cars powered by internal combustion engines and hybrids.

However, in the last three months, the Bavarian manufacturer has recorded a significant drop in demand for almost all models. In Q3, BMW sold 5% fewer passenger cars, 8.5% less SUV models, 13.7% fewer Serie 3 units, while the once-popular Mini brand recorded a surprisingly large drop of 33% compared to 2023.

Source: BMW