Monthly Archive for September, 2008
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But here is the interesting part: when he asked for the keys to check out the 3er diesel, he was told that it belongs to another customer who will pick up the car….NEXT WEEK. So now, I’m a little confused, will BMW really release the first diesels next week, keeping it under the table or was he just being given a false information?
Regardless, great photos, great little story and good spirit of observation.
The Production of Chassis and Driveline Systems division at the BMW Group in Dingolfing wins the industrial competition for “The Best Factory / Industrial Excellence Award 2008″. The BMW Group is the first automobile to receive the prestigious European award since 2002. The award acknowledges outstanding production management which gives companies a permanent competitive advantage.
The jury mainly justified the award by citing the clearly defined strategy which has achieved a very high level of penetration across all levels of the organisational unit. This is evident from the high level of independent improvement management carried out by the workforce. The other factor is the high level of efficiency confirmed by the outstanding performance of indicators for quality, time and costs.
Nikolaus Bauer, Director Chassis and Driveline Systems Production assesses the effect of gaining the award: “Our application for the Industrial Excellence Award has confirmed the route we have taken and sharpened our perspective on strategy and customer focus. This award also provides confirmation of our performance as an in-house manufacturer of components and all employees are entitled to regard this achievement with a sense of pride. We perceive this award as a motivation to meet the challenges of the future. I am particularly pleased to receive this award in the year 2008 – the centenary year of industrial production at the Dingolfing site. Living confirmation that age is no restriction for innovation!”
The Industrial Excellence Award competition looks at how management quality influences the excellence of a division. The jury looks at the operating unit itself and assesses all the processes along the entire production and logistics chain – from the supplier to the final customer. A key contribution is consistent tracking of all stakeholder interests – including customers and employees, as well as shareholders, business partners and other interest groups. The Industrial Excellence Award highlights strategic customer focus and a corporate culture directed towards sustainable, long-term development. The award is based on a comprehensive questionnaire developed by academics at INSEAD – one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious business schools and the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management.
In addition to winning the Bavarian Quality Prize in 2003, Chassis and Driveline Systems was also the first business in the automobile sector to gain Germany’s most important award for corporate quality in November 2005 – the Ludwig-Erhard Prize 2005. In 2006, the division received the European Quality Award – the highest European award for universal corporate excellence.
Chassis and Driveline Systems is part of the worldwide production network of the BMW Group and has developed in Dingolfing as a centre of competence for chassis and axle drives. The vehicle modules produced here are supplied to all BMW plants in Germany and abroad.
It’s no secret that the 3-Series is BMW’s most important car. Around 32,000 saloon and Touring models are bought here each year, which puts the model ahead of the Ford Mondeo in the sales charts.
But with increasing competition, led by the Audi A4, the 3-Series is under pressure, so it has gone under the knife to ensure it stays ahead of the game.
The success of the existing model means styling tweaks have been kept to a minimum. Still, the company’s designers have been hard at work improving the facelifted car.
The car is wider to provide greater stability and even better handling, while the front bumper now features more sculpted, upturned air intakes. These draw attention to the greater girth, and a big, horizontal band does the same job on the rear bumper.
There’s also a new bonnet, which has two sharp lines running from the badge to the hood’s trailing edge. And the side sills are sharply creased, giving the impression that the 3-Series is longer than before.
There are new light clusters, too. Up front are twin-halo daytime running lamps that mirror those seen on the larger 5-Series. Both front and rear clusters also benefit from LED indicators, which are brighter and more attractive.
Inside, it’s a similar story of refining the package. The cabin is more practical, while new materials improve the air of quality. But the biggest change is to the much-maligned iDrive control system. The new set-up uses a hard drive, rather than being DVD-based, so it works much faster. Plus, the controller is upgraded, while the screen is now bigger and more colourful.
A number of useful functions have been added, such as the ability to save your MP3 digital music files on to the system and the optional ConnectedDrive Internet access. The 3D sat-nav works well, too. But best of all, iDrive is more intuitive, so it’s nowhere near as frustrating to master as it once was.
We drove the 330d, which has an all-new version of the six-cylinder 3.0-litre turbodiesel. This engine is 5kg lighter than before, and although it delivers an extra 14bhp and 20Nm of torque – at 245bhp and 520Nm respectively – it’s seven per cent more fuel efficient. That means it returns 49.6mpg combined, thanks in part to the improved EfficientDynamics system, which includes stop-start technology.
On the road, the powerplant is fairly vocal, and while it’s not as tuneful as the 3.0-litre petrol, it sounds pleasant. It certainly has plenty of power, with the traction control being triggered under modest acceleration on damp roads. Most impressive is the unit’s flexibility at any speed, making town driving as effortless as overtaking on the motorway.
The steering is lighter, but still direct, and the wider track means handling remains strong. So the tweaks keep the 3-Series at the top of the tree for drivers wanting practicality and pace, especially with this impressive new diesel. But bosses predict the 320d, which has an equally strong engine at a lower price, will account for half of all sales.
Rival: Audi A4
Our current compact executive champ is typically understated inside and out, comes with punchy petrol and diesel engines and generous standard kit. Yet while Audi’s engineers have improved the car’s dynamics, it still can’t quite live up to the 3-Series along a twisting road.
Rumors of BMW reviving its Isetta brand under the auspices of ‘Project i’, the company’s eco-centric think tank, have abounded for at least a year.
Hints from executives have kept the idea alive, and now BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer has revealed that the company is working on a two-powertrain vehicle that is both combustion and electric-powered, to be targeted at major population centers.
The so-called ‘mega-city’ car will arrive in 2015, Reithofer told the German Die Zeit. Following next year’s first BMW-branded hybrid in response to toughening environmental regulations and high fuel prices, the company will begin work on the car, suited more ideally for urban centers than highways.
“It’ll be a car with a completely new look, with two engines available. One will be a very efficient internal combustion engine and the other will be a purely electric model,” said Reithofer.
It’s not yet clear if the car will be offered with parallel drive systems, such as those found in a series hybrid like the Chevrolet Volt, or simply with two separate powertrains, such as the Smart ForTwo, which is soon to be introduced in a purely electric form by its maker. The vagaries of translation, and corporate language, mean nothing is yet certain. At any rate, BMW board member Friedrich Eichener’s previous statement that a decision on an electric car could be made this year has gained some clarity, at least in terms of what sort of vehicles are being considered.
Targeting the car toward a purely urban environment will help control brand image issues such a small car might engender, and could even give the company some much-needed green cachet beyond its interesting but impractical Hydrogen7 cars. Just a few months ago Reithofer spoke in-depth about the future of the company’s powertrain lineup, including details on the hybrids set to arrive beginning next year.
The two 09 3ers spotted were the E90 sedan and an E91 Wagon. The cars are debadged so we can’t really tell which models they are, but that’s probably less important now. We also hear that the U.S 3 Series should reach our dealerships in the second or third week in October.
The M-tech front looks pretty sweet but I’m sure it will not please everyone, us, the bimmer fans, tend to be very picky.
Thanks again for the great photos ProXi, we love the detailed shots focused on different body panels.
