Nota de prensa, en inglés

Expanding the portfolio: BMW Group acquires the ALPINA brand

Pieter Nota: “Top-quality car cachet” +++ Long-term future of ALPINA brand secured +++ Andreas Bovensiepen: “This marks the beginning of a new chapter for ALPINA and BOVENSIEPEN” +++ Existing cooperation agreement expires at end of 2025 +++ New direction at Buchloe site +++

Munich. The BMW Group welcomes a new addition to its portfolio, as the ALPINA brand becomes part of the company. The BMW Group will secure the rights to the ALPINA brand – bringing even greater diversity to its own luxury-car range. BMW AG and ALPINA Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH + Co. KG have reached an agreement to this effect that will secure the long-term future of the ALPINA brand as well as the Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH und Co. KG.

The conclusion of the transaction is still subject to various suspensive conditions – in particular, approval by the responsible antitrust authorities. The long-standing cooperation agreement, which was extended for another five years in late 2020, will expire on 31 Dec. 2025. Both parties have agreed not to disclose any financial details. No shares in the company will be acquired.

Over half a century, BMW and the small-series manufacturer from Buchloe, outside of Munich, have forged a close cooperation built on the highest level of trust. Now, the transformation of the automotive industry enters a new chapter.

“The automotive industry is in the midst of a far-reaching transformation towards sustainable mobility. For that reason, existing business models need to be re-examined on a regular basis. For over fifty years, the Buchloe firm has demon­strated how to deliver top-quality car cachet through meticulous attention to detail. The BMW Group is also driven by this same passion for cars that capture the imagination. That is why we are now embarking on a new chapter in our long-standing partnership. Acquiring the trademark rights will allow us to shape the long-term course of this brand steeped in tradition. We are delighted to welcome the ALPINA brand to the BMW family,” said Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management responsible for Customer, Brands and Sales.

The transformation towards electromobility and increasing regulation worldwide – particularly emissions legislation, software validation and requirements for driver assistance and monitoring systems – result in significantly higher risks for small-series manufacturers. The management of ALPINA Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH + Co. KG is addressing this with a strategic realignment that will secure the long-term viability of the Buchloe operations.

Andreas Bovensiepen, co-managing director of ALPINA Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH + Co. KG, explains: “We recognised the challenges facing the automotive industry early on and are now setting the right course for ALPINA and for our family firm, BOVENSIEPEN. This marks the beginning of a new chapter. Both the ALPINA brand and our company are extremely desirable. We made a conscious decision not to sell ALPINA to just any manufacturer, because BMW and ALPINA have worked together and trusted one another for decades. That is why it is the right decision strategically for the ALPINA brand to be managed by the BMW Group in the future.”

The cooperation will continue – but in a different form: The company owned by the Bovensiepen family will continue to use its engineering expertise in developing, manufacturing, and selling BMW ALPINA vehicles within the existing cooperation until the end of 2025. This results in base BMW cars receiving extensive modifi­cation by the ALPINA team – including the engine and transmission, as well as the chassis, aerodynamics, and interior equipment. BMW ALPINA vehicles are pre-assembled on BMW production lines before final assembly of the vehicles taking place in workshops in Buchloe, also comprising individual interiors built to customer specifications.

The service, parts and accessories business for the existing and legacy BMW ALPINA vehicle portfolio will continue at the Buchloe location in the long term. There will be no changes to the existing aftersales cooperation. As part of a strategic cooperation between the two companies, there will be a further expansion of the existing development services business for BMW out of Buchloe. The wine business that also forms part of the family firm will be unaffected.

“BMW and ALPINA are a perfect fit! The ALPINA brand has matured alongside BMW over the past 50 years and has everything it takes to make the heart of an automotive connoisseur beat faster all over the world. It finds the right balance between cultivated sportiness, luxury, and exclusivity. We are delighted to acquire the trademark rights to ALPINA and add new vehicle capturing DNA to the BMW portfolio,” said Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer and Brand BMW.

2021 was the most successful year in the history of ALPINA Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH + Co. KG. Building on this strong foundation, the family business will strategically realign going forwards in order to address regulatory challenges and technological change in the industry. This will secure the location of Buchloe for the long term.

“We will continue our father’s life’s work and invest in the equally well-known name of BOVENSIEPEN. With our expertise and high standards of quality, we will bring other convincing mobile offerings to the market in the future,” explains co-managing director Florian Bovensiepen: “Without our creative, highly capable, and loyal employees, ALPINA’s success story would not have been possible. We are relying on the strength of our company, our team, and our families to pivot at the right time. At the same time, we acknowledge, with the BMW Group, our social responsibility towards our workforce and will do our best to cushion the potential impact resulting from this reorganisation.”

The sale of trademark rights to BMW and the resulting discontinuation of the current ALPINA vehicle programme at the end of 2025 will have implications for existing jobs at the Buchloe site. BMW will support ALPINA with the necessary adjustments to the workforce at the Buchloe location over the coming years. Up until the end of 2025, BMW will work with ALPINA to offer those employees who will not be able to continue working at the Buchloe site a new position with the BMW Group and also help them find new jobs with suppliers and development partners.

ALPINA Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH + Co. KG, a German vehicle manufacturer based in Buchloe, was officially founded on 1 January 1965. ALPINA was active in BMW tuning and motorsports from the 1960s onwards and began manufacturing passenger cars based on BMW AG products in 1978. Since 1983, the company based in Buchloe in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria has been registered as an official automotive manufacturer with the German Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg and employs around 300 people. Around 2,000 vehicles were produced in Buchloe in 2021. In addition to Germany and Europe, Japan, the US, and the Middle East are also important markets for ALPINA. The family company’s second main area of activity is the ALPINA wine business.

Se confirma el nivel de equipamiento de un BMW i7 sedán y se revelan algunas características de la cabina

BMW finalmente nos ha dado más detalles sobre el próximo i7. Ahora en línea en el sitio web orientado al cliente de BMW USA en la categoría All-Electric , el fabricante de automóviles bávaro ha incluido oficialmente el sedán totalmente eléctrico en Próximamente , y viene con algunos detalles oficiales.

Según el sitio web, el BMW i7 obtendrá un nivel de equipamiento xDrive60 Sedan. Esta es la primera variante anunciada por la marca alemana, “diseñada para aquellos que abren su propio camino hacia adelante”.

BMW confirmó que el i7 tendrá un alcance máximo de alrededor de 300 millas (483 kilómetros), aunque el fabricante de automóviles señaló que esto es solo una estimación utilizando las pruebas iniciales de BMW AG basadas en los estándares de procedimiento de prueba de la EPA. Otros detalles en el sitio web incluyen los faros de cristal y la parrilla de riñón iluminada, ambos encontrados en otros BMW recientes.

En el interior, BMW se burla de la Interaction Bar, que es una pieza de vidrio que se ubicará a través de la fascia del i7, brindando controles sensibles al tacto integrados y una iluminación sofisticada.

La pantalla de cine de BMW , que vimos por primera vez en CES 2022, también debutará en el i7 xDrive60 Sedan. La pantalla de 31 pulgadas viene con conectividad 5G, resolución de hasta 8K y está integrada con un sistema de sonido de alta gama.

BMW ha anunciado previamente que el i7 debutará en abril , aunque no se mencionó una fecha específica en el sitio web de BMW USA. BMWBLOG , sin embargo, dijo que el lanzamiento será el 14 de abril de 2022, lo que significa que solo tenemos alrededor de tres semanas antes de que el primer i7 Sedan haga su debut mundial.

Sabremos más sobre el BMW i7 para entonces, incluidos los detalles finales del tren motriz, la batería y el alcance.

BMW ha anunciado previamente que el i7 debutará en abril , aunque no se mencionó una fecha específica en el sitio web de BMW USA. BMWBLOG , sin embargo, dijo que el lanzamiento será el 14 de abril de 2022, lo que significa que solo tenemos alrededor de tres semanas antes de que el primer i7 Sedan haga su debut mundial.

Sabremos más sobre el BMW i7 para entonces, incluidos los detalles finales del tren motriz, la batería y el alcance.

BMW ha anunciado previamente que el i7 debutará en abril , aunque no se mencionó una fecha específica en el sitio web de BMW USA. BMWBLOG , sin embargo, dijo que el lanzamiento será el 14 de abril de 2022, lo que significa que solo tenemos alrededor de tres semanas antes de que el primer i7 Sedan haga su debut mundial.

Sabremos más sobre el BMW i7 para entonces, incluidos los detalles finales del tren motriz, la batería y el alcance.

Fuente: BMW EE . UU. a través de BMWBLOG

Frank van Meel, responsable del departamento //M de BMW: «Los //M mantendrán la opción del cambio manual en toda su gama»

Parece el típico recorte de una entrevista mucho más larga resaltado una parte de lo que interesa, estoy seguro de que hay mil matices a esa frase

Es en muchos sitios, incluso en España

https://www.autonocion.com/suscripcion-de-servicios-bmw-precios/

BMW saca a rodar su prototipo eléctrico de alto rendimiento.

Este prototipo sirve de base para probar los componentes de los futuros eléctricos de alto rendimiento de la marca.

Fuente: BMW

Por lo que leo, todo loque está probando la división M es nuevo. Es un sistema de tracción total por 4 motores eléctricos, con nueva gestión electrónica que permitirá mejorar mucho toda la dinámica del vehículo que lo monte

La nota de prensa, en inglés

Ultimate driving dynamics: BMW M GmbH begins concept testing for all-electric high-performance models.

First test drives with a prototype for innovative drive and chassis control systems commence. Four electric motors and an integrated driving dynamics control system enable an extremely emotional driving experience in future high-performance sports cars.

Munich. BMW M GmbH is opening the next chapter in its transformation towards electric mobility. With the first test drives of a so-called concept test vehicle for innovative drive and chassis control systems, a multidisciplinary team of developers is now putting to test the hardware and software solutions designed for future fully electric high-performance cars. The concept testing focuses on a four-wheel drive system comprising four electric motors and an integrated driving dynamics control system, which together provide an unprecedented level of performance and experience.

With the completely new drive concept, BMW M GmbH is underscoring its development expertise and, therefore, also its ability to transfer the essence of the letter M into the world of locally emission-free mobility. The purely electric drive system is combined with innovative control systems to redefine the combination of dynamics, agility and precision that is characteristic of BMW M automobiles in a high-performance sports car.

50 years of BMW M GmbH: The future begins in the anniversary year.
Exactly 50 years after its foundation, BMW M GmbH is in the midst of a transformation process towards electric mobility, which not only preserves the unmistakable performance characteristics of its models, but at the same time enriches them with new facets. The anniversary year has already seen the market launch of the all-electric BMW i4 M50 performance car (combined power consumption: 22.5 – 18.0 kWh/100 km according to WLTP; CO2 emissions: 0 g/km; data according to NEDC:  –) and the BMW iX M60 (combined power consumption: 24.5 – 21.9 kWh/100 km according to WLTP; CO2 emissions: 0 g/km; data according to NEDC:  –). And the BMW i7 M70, the first BMW M automobile based on an all-electric luxury sedan, is to follow as early as next year.

“On our anniversary, we are not only looking back, but above all also looking forward,” says Franciscus van Meel, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW M GmbH. “Before the end of the year, production of the BMW XM, our first high-performance car featuring a V8 M hybrid drive, will commence. Together with our fans all over the world, we are also looking forward to our entry into the LMDh category of the North American IMSA endurance racing series, in which we will also be competing with an eight-cylinder hybrid turbo engine in Daytona and at other events in 2023, as well as in the WEC racing series at Le Mans a year later.”

Specific drive and suspension technology in the guise of a BMW i4 M50.
In order to now bring the drive and chassis technology designed for future, purely electric high-performance cars onto the road for test and tuning drives, the engineers at BMW M GmbH have developed a test vehicle that carries the appropriate genes – both in terms of typical M dynamics and in the field of electric mobility. Based on the BMW i4 M50, a purely electrically powered coupe has been created with a modified body in typical BMW M GmbH style, the wide wheel arches of which permit the integration of specifically manufactured high-performance front and rear axle designs.

The front end of the vehicle features an adapted body strut concept taken from the BMW M3/ M4 series for particularly high torsional rigidity in extremely dynamic driving situations. The arrangement of the radiator units is also based on the configuration developed for the current high-performance sports cars.

Extremely precise, extremely variable: M xDrive four-wheel drive system with four electric motors.
The core of the revolutionary high-performance drive system now making its debut on the road in the test vehicle is an electric M xDrive four-wheel drive system with four electric motors. The fact that all four wheels are each driven by an electric motor opens up completely new possibilities for infinitely variable, extremely precise and at the same time very fast distribution of drive torque. Within milliseconds, the power and torque of the spontaneously reacting electric motors can be dosed so precisely that the load demand signalled via the accelerator pedal can be realised at a level of dynamics that is unattainable using conventional drive systems.

This means that the driver is able to experience entirely new performance characteristics even under extremely demanding conditions such as in highly dynamic situations or adverse road conditions. “Electrification opens up completely new degrees of freedom for us to create M-typical dynamics,” says Dirk Häcker, Head of Development at BMW M GmbH. “And we can already see that we can exploit this potential to the maximum, so that our high-performance sports cars will continue to offer the M-typical and incomparable combination of dynamics, agility and precision in the locally emission-free future.”

Highly integrated control unit for vehicle dynamics and drive control.
The precision during the transfer of drive torque in particular benefits significantly from the electric M xDrive four-wheel drive system. The four motors are connected to a central, highly integrated control unit that permanently monitors the driving condition and the driver’s wishes. The ideal power transmission to the road is calculated within milliseconds from the values for the accelerator pedal position, steering angle, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, wheel speeds and other parameters. The signals for this are transmitted just as quickly and directly via a multi-plate clutch and differentials to the four motors, which are able to implement them immediately and precisely.

This form of vehicle dynamics and drive control was brought to practical maturity in intensive development and test phases, initially on virtual models and then on test benches. For completely realistic application of the hardware and software developed for this purpose, the concept test vehicle is now being put on the road. The interior of the four-door coupe is equipped with extensive measuring technology that can be used to analyse in detail every completed driving situation. In this way, the theoretical results for the perfect distribution of drive torque can be compared in the rolling test laboratory with reality on the road and taken into account for further programming.

This detailed work is crucial to ensure that future high-performance models will also be characterised by exactly what has rendered BMW M automobiles unmistakable for the last 50 years: a linear build-up of drive power and lateral dynamics that permits controllable handling right up to the limits. The fact that this limit range is shifted even further by the pioneering drive principle was already apparent during the first test kilometres of the concept test vehicle on closed-off roads. Thanks to the particularly sensitive dosage of drive torque and conversion without perceptible latency, significantly higher cornering speeds can be achieved, even on rain-soaked or snow-covered roads, for example. In this case, the vehicle steers effortlessly and without a tendency to understeer, as the drive torque for the outside rear wheel has already been increased parallel to the steering angle.

The high-performance character of the new drive system is also evident in the recuperation of braking energy. Right up to the limits of driving dynamics, the four motors can assume the function of a generator when braking before a bend, for example, and feed electricity back into the high-voltage battery.

Los modelos de BMW y Mini tendrán interiores veganos a partir de 2023.

BMW Group planea lanzar sus primeros vehículos con interiores completamente veganos en 2023. Esto es posible principalmente a través del desarrollo de materiales innovadores con propiedades similares al cuero. También será posible utilizar estos materiales para las superficies de los volantes, que deben cumplir criterios exigentes en lo que respecta a la sensación, la apariencia superior y la resistencia al desgaste. Los interiores completamente veganos estarán disponibles para los modelos BMW y MINI por primera vez a partir de 2023. Por lo tanto, BMW Group satisface la demanda de interiores veganos y sin cuero, que aumentará aún más en el futuro cercano, especialmente en los EE. UU. , China y Europa.

Fuente: BMW

Esto no es pasarse ya 3 pueblos, 4 condados, 5 Comarcas, y toda la Tierra Media, ida y vuelta?, estas ideas me hacen replantearme mi amor por los coches…