BMW to Introduce Scooters to U.S.

BMW plans to bring their first scooters to the United States. At the International Motorcycle Shows event in Long Beach, the company says it plans to introduce next year to their U.S. lineup the C 600 Sport and C 650 GT.

  For LA Times, BMW Motorrad USA vice president Pieter de Waal said these scooters are a “step in the dark” for the company that has produced motorcycles since 1923. He said BMW expects 70 percent of its scooter sales to come from Italy, France, and Spain, where BMW has garnered “overwhelming support” from the market to produce the two-wheelers. 

Pricing hasn’t yet been announced either, but De Waal estimates that the scooters will cost about $10,000 when they enter the U.S. market next fall, most likely as a 2013 model.

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The two scooters share the same 647 cubic-centimeter two-cylinder engine. The 2-cylinder inline engine of the C 600 Sport and C 650 GT is an all new development by BMW Motorrad with a displacement of 647 cc. In both models, its rated power output is 44 kW (60 hp) at 7500 rpm, and its max torque of 66 Nm is available at 6000 rpm. The power is transferred via a directly integrated CVT, or continuously variable transmission.

They’re capable of reaching a top speed of 100 mph. By comparison, the most powerful Vespa you can buy has an engine less than half as large and makes just 22 horsepower.

The differing characteristics of the concepts behind these two maxi scooters appeal to a wide target group: the C 600 Sport for the riders with sports ambitions, and the C 650 GT for customers attaching greater importance to comfort and touring ability.

The BMW C 600 Sport has a taller seat, flatter handlebars, and sportier styling. The C 650 GT will differ by having a larger saddle, higher handlebars, and adjustable backrests.

How they’ll do in the U.S. is “a step in the dark,” said Pieter de Waal, vice president of BMW Motorrad USA. Scooters aren’t nearly as commonplace in the U.S. as they are in Europe, and their sales are correlated with gas prices.

Source: bmwblog.com

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Joining the four-door coupe trend pioneered by the Mercedes-Benz CLS 550, BMW adds rear doors to its 6-series, calling it a Gran Coupe

At first glance, the 6-series Gran Coupe seems an odd overlap with the 7-series. BMW says the Gran Coupe fills a niche, being a car for buyers who want the sporty look of the 6-series, but also want a usable rear seat.

Normal rear doors give access to the rear seat, which will only hold two adults comfortably. BMW calls the seating configuration 4+1, as the hump in the middle of the rear bench is too prominent for long term comfort. Unlike the Audi A7 and Porsche Panamera, the new Gran Coupe employs a conventional trunk lid rather than a hatchback.

Rather than using the 6-series Gran Coupe to showcase new technologies, BMW fits it with its latest engines, cabin electronics, and driver assistance systems. The base model, and the first to go on sale, will be the 640i Gran Coupe, using BMW's excellent direct injection and turbocharged 3-liter inline six cylinder engine. With tweaked power and an eight speed automatic transmission, BMW says this version hits 62 mph in 5.4 seconds.

Following will be rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive V-8 versions, using the 650i designation. With its 445 horsepower, that version of the Gran Coupe will get to 62 mph in just 4.6 seconds. These engine configurations follow those of BMW's large cars.

BMW offered a laundry list of driver assistance features for the Gran Coupe, including night vision with pedestrian detection, its new full color head-up display, and LED headlights with adaptive cornering. The navigation system and cabin electronics will also be of the current generation from BMW, which includes integrated Google local search and app integration through iPhone.

As the production version of the Gran Coupe goes on sale next year, we expect to see it at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January.

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Car and Driver: 2012 10 Best Cars – BMW 3 Series and M3

U.S. magazine Car and Driver names, for 21 consecutive years, the BMW 3 Series and M3 as one of the 10 Best cars in 2012.The competition was represented by the new Audi A6 and A7.

Here is what the magazine had to say about the popular bimmers:

“The competition should have figured out a way to beat the BMW 3-series by now. It’s not for lack of trying: Every so often, another carmaker will pitch a worthy competitor into the mix, but none has been able to knock the 3-series from its pedestal or even maintain its consistent brilliance.

After 21 consecutive years on the 10Best list, BMW continues to evolve the 3-series toward some platonic ideal of sportiness. You don’t notice the seats, the steering, the suspension, or the brakes because everything feels natural. Everything feels right. And how has no other automaker matched the silkiness of BMW’s inline-six engines?

Don’t forget the M3, either, which remains magnificent in the twilight of a celebrated life, thanks largely to that lusty 414-hp, 8300-rpm V-8. The 3-series sedan is on hiatus until a new model drops in February. In other words, even as the entire current 3-series lineup is on the way out the door, it still roasts the competition. The biggest threat to its dominance is not from another carmaker but from BMW itself. An increased focus on gizmology has robbed a couple of recently introduced BMWs of the athletic, connected feeling that made the old Ultimate Driving Machine tag line ring so true. Here’s to hoping BMW doesn’t screw up the best one.”

Source: caranddriver.com

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