By Giancarlo Perini ©

BMW Board of Directors,  managers and employees have presented their all-new 3 series limousine to the press gathered in Munich for an event that has been broadcasted on line for all car enthusiasts, in sometwhat retoric yet appropriate cerimony celebrating the BMW team at large and the Munich factory that produce the company most iconic and profitable range.

The new BMW 3 series is at ist 6th generation and the first units are going on sale next as of next Feebruary.

The new classic notchback is some 93 mm. Longer and sits on a 50 mm. longer wheelbase that the model it replaces but is nominally (4 mm.) narrower, despite its much wider tracks,. Yet, the car is some 50 kgs lighter and in some istances faster. Still it is more fuel efficient than its equivalent predecessor. The new dimensions do indeed set new proportions and deliver improved dynamics and aerodynamics.

The side and front views show the benefits of those additional 93 mm. length, with the long, flowing and very dynamic bonnet that does not sacrifice beauty and meets with pedestrian safety standards. The overall heigth just increases 9 mm.

The drag coefficient (Cd) is as low as 0.26 thanks to streamlined underside covers which create a diffuser effect at the rear and „Aero Curtain“ air channels in the front apron which reduce the turbulence created by the revolution of the front wheels in their arches.

The new look seems to be somwehat „typical“, indeed the new 3 is quite a step forward.   Give sometime to your eyes to see the cacr on the road and in daylight for few days and the difference will become obvious and, once again, trend setting.

Exterior design is back to a slightly wedge-shaped silhouette but with a the side highlight splitted in two sections that „work in harmony“ along the whole side and in combination with the charachter line front and rear.

Statements from the company´s officials have pointed to the key theme of the new generation: efficient dynamics delivering top fuel efficiecy and record low CO2 emissions. The premium carmaker is proposing four different engine options at lunch time but the range will eventually reaches 8 different powertrain versions, all turbocharged, gasoline or diesel and whether some will come only with 8 speed automatic geaboxes, a couple of them will be available both with standard manual 6 speed and optional 8 speed transmission.  As in the U.S.A.

In March 2012, when more engines are added to the four at launch, BMW will offer eight different versions, with CO2 emissions at or below 120g/km while competitors can presently offer only one each. In markets such as the U.K. this brings clear benefits to owners in terms of Benefit-in-Kind company car taxation and Vehicle Excise Duty, while the 320d EfficientDynamics model, with CO2 emissions of less than 110g/km, allows businesses which outright purchase, to write off 100 per cent of the cost of the car against tax in the first year.

Complete Photo Gallery

Here is a summary of the engine specifications.

Combining creativity with complete know-how and modern technology.

I would like to share with you this report recently published in Japan by Car Styling magazine. A special issue dedicated to the Italian Designers and “Carrozzeria”.

Within the territories of one-man-design-show, resisting in and around Torino, Paolo Martin keeps his creativity and design work running in many directions. As usual.  His hairs are whiter than ever but his genius is evergreen, just as it is the case for secluded Marcelo Gandini and public-persona Giorgetto Giugiaro.

He is one of the very few talents left that has a complete understanding of car design and body construction. One of the few men who can tackle any aspect of the process. As such he is a very precious heritage of the traditional art of coach building.

It is for this reason that he regrets that he receives less commission from the car, yacht and motorcycle industry these days of decline. He still has plenty of good ideas that could be turned into a successful project. Even more relevant he regrets he has few chances of passing over to the young generations his past experience, just as Maestro Giovanni Michelotti did with him when he was 16 years old.

On the other side, he is happy to take commissions from private investors and enthusiasts. He loves the human relations with them and the exchange of cultural input, be it from the Arabian Peninsula, the Far East or the Americas.

On the projects he develops for private customers he must keep the secret, unless authorized by his patron.

Recently, he was allowed to release some interesting design works he developed in the past couple of years.

Three projects he had a lot of fun to work with.

One for a multifunctional “Desert Running Suite” that combines a carry-on tent of some 100 square meters blossoming from a sort of very large 6×6 all-road heavy-duty vehicle carrying a small living room with all comfort and all the most sophisticated equipment that tycoons, VIP, government officials may want or need to take with them in the desert for a mission, a week-end excursion or a party.

One derivative also considers a sort of moving “ceremony hall on wheels for the desert”.

A sophisticated mechanism develops the huge tent in minutes and displays solar cell panels providing plenty of energy for the satellite communication centre and other amenities. The execution of the vehicle has been put on hold after the recent turmoil in Nord Africa.

The second project is a typical “coachbuilder” sportcar that is clearly inspired to the popular De Tomaso mid-engined V8 two-seater that the new “De Tomaso” company is to unveil at the Los Angeles auto show later this year. His project has not been commissioned by the company but by a private collector who was eager to see what could done at this time to revive the myth of the affordable supercar and have one built for himself.

The layout, dimensions and proportions are very modern and yet there is the de Tomaso DNA in this car.

This second project shows how Paolo Martin has kept up with the CAD and virtual modelling technologies and indeed he has developed the “2 Posti Sportiva 2012” in few weeks on his PC with all the technicalities integrated into the project and the basic data for quick and economical milling.

Probably Paolo Martin is the only star designer who emerged in the great old times (the 60ies and 70ies) of Italian coachbuilding and has developed his skill to confirm and visualize his design ideas through contemeporary virtual technology.

See his renderings for self-speaking evidence. Obviously we need not to comment on his own, very elegant and dynamic design for a modern mid-engined sport car.

We would simply add that we would love to see it in the real world.

We can show also a third project that Paolo Martin has developed on his own after the instigation of a journalist who asked him how he would design the Modulo of the third millennium.

In no time Martin penned what he calls the “Modulo Enzo”. A design that is absolutely up to the mythical name of “Modulo” and of Ferrari. Again, the project is not just a beautiful rendering created on a PC but a realistic vision (though futuristic, like he Modulo) of a super Ferrari. The car is feasible, with few concessions, and recently a famous connoisseur and collector has shown interest in having one built for himself.

That would certainly be a dream of millions enthusiasts coming true and a fantastic promotional vehicle for a high-tech company.

End of this report by Giancarlo Perini ©.

Just 21 days ahead of the Auto Shanghai 2011 show, BMW has officially released the news concerning the very unique and amazingly fast M3 Pick-up developed by a task force in a very short period of time.

Considering the speed of the entire development, today I prefer to let the press-office tell you the entire story by reproducing here the full press release, issued just few hours ago.

Media Information 01 April 2011

Unique: BMW M GmbH develops the world’s fastest pickup. Drive and suspension technology from the BMW M3 – comprehensive testing completed on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife – 420 hp and 450 kg load capacity – world premiere on 1 April 2011.

Munich. Following the BMW M3 Coupé, BMW M3 Convertible and BMW M3 Sedan, a fourth body variant of this globally successful high-performance sports car is about to cause a stir. Under the strictest secrecy, the world’s first high-performance pickup has been created at the BMW M GmbH development centre. The sportiest example by far in this vehicle category, the BMW M3 Pickup will fire the imaginations of all motorists with a deep appreciation of top performance matched by a keen practical bent. 309 kW/420 hp under the bonnet and a rear-axle load capacity of up to 450 kilos take the hallmark BMW M relationship between race-oriented driving pleasure and everyday utility to an entirely new level. This unique vehicle has already completed extensive test and set-up drives on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife in advance of its global unveiling on 1 April 2011.

With this vehicle, BMW M GmbH once again furnishes evidence of its exceptional competence in developing and building high-grade, individual dream cars. With a high-revving V8 engine at the front, a generously sized load area behind and a removable Targa roof above, driver and passengers in the BMW M3 Pickup will relish an unprecedented take on the familiar M feeling. Yet this spectacular new development is unmistakably recognisable as a member of the BMW M3 model family. Corroborating this kinship are not just the inimitable power of the engine, but also fine-tuned aerodynamics and a tailored suspension set-up. Measurements in the wind tunnel at the BMW Group’s Aerodynamic Test Centre showed a Cd factor on a par with that of the BMW M3 Coupé. Like every BMW M model, the BMW M3 Pickup has also demonstrated its dynamic potential on the North Loop of the Nürburgring. Official lap times have not yet been released, but the needle in the dial vouched for a top speed of 300 km/h.

The kerb weight of the world’s fastest pickup undercuts that of the BMW M3 Convertible by around 50 kilograms. Removing the Targa roof shaves off a

further 20 kg while at the same time lowering the car’s centre of gravity. This most unusual experience of top-down driving pleasure in a BMW M3 thus goes hand in hand with further optimised dynamic handling.

The practical features of the BMW M3 Pickup are no less impressive. Maximum load capacity has been raised to 450 kilograms. The load bed of the BMW M3 Pickup is clad in high-grade structured aluminium sheeting and provides the biggest cargo capacity ever offered on a BMW M vehicle. In terms of the unit of measurement generally applied to premium automobiles, that gives the loading area of the BMW M3 Pickup the capacity to carry up to 20 standard 46-inch golf bags. What’s more, the BMW M3 Pickup is the first BMW M3 variant in the 25-year-plus history of this model range to come with a trailer tow hitch.

Notwithstanding these unquestionable stand-out qualities, the BMW M3 Pickup will not be heading for the golf course or series development, but will retain its status as an exclusive one-off. It is earmarked for use as a workshop transport vehicle for BMW M GmbH. With this in mind, the current BMW M3 Pickup – unlike a similar predecessor built back in the 1980s – has gone through the requisite procedures to earn its road certification. Which makes it officially a truck – but one that puts a whole new spin on the meaning of the word.

Are you bored of your Fiat 500? Is not enought agressive?

500 Marcia Corta is the answer for your cutie 500.

In the era we live in where the design is a important item on every car, even the smallest,  you can ensure that the level of customizing a car is such that you can significantly alter the character and the final appearance of  your vehicle.

In a jungle of body kits that range from exhaust to ugly spoilers , check out a kit with a strong  and sporty taste, capable of radically transforming the look of the most common of modern cars, Kit “500 Marcia Corta” .

Designed by CAMAL (http://www.camalstudio.com/) , design & 3D modelling study in Torino, this work aims to find consent form the enthusiasts and new investors to bring it to the road, the final price at  the  moment is unknown.

Got Enough ? no !

Let’s follow the link for more tasty shots of the body kit: www.500-marcia-corta.com

I have got to share with you my opinion of the vote in favour of the innovative Nissan Leaf by the 59 members of the European Car of the Year 2011. I have no doubt that among the seven finalists candidate the jury was called to choose their one and only COTY for the year 2011 there could be no contest. 

The Nissan plug-in electro-mobile Leaf is the one that will mark the year 2011 as the first regular production car by a major carmaker that has been designed as a credible alternative to popular middle class hatchback powered by internal combustion engines. All other candidates were simply “business as usual” propositions that represent a very modest progress as means of private transportation, apart the average (and far from satisfactory) improvement in fuel consumption/lower emissions.

Yet, I question the inclusion of the Nissan Leaf among the candidates for the award, against the clear (few and simple) rules set by the founder and organisers of the much coveted award.

It is easy to imagine the embarrassment of the voters confronted with the list to choose from. How could they vote any other car with a candidate that is anticipating the long-awaited blossoming of the so-called zero-emission car for the average driver? On the other hand, how could they vote for a car most of them drove for an hour or so and still has to pass all sort of test in real-life use around the world? No to mention the COTY rule that requires that to be eligible a new car “must be available in at least five European countries at the time of voting.”

Has Nissan cheated them? A Nissan press release issued in Japan, after the announcement of the vote, announced the time of first deliveries as follows: “Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Today (Dec, 3, 2010)  announced the launch of the all-new 100% electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF, which goes on sale December 20th at Nissan dealers nationwide. It will be followed by the United States, also in December, and in select European markets in early 2011. Release in other global markets is set for 2012.

How could Nissan rivals competing for the valued honour be so naïf not to add an electrified version of their candidate?

Would the Alfa Romeo Giulietta  or Opel Meriva have finished second and third, respectively, or would one of them come out as the winner if they had also a (prototype) EV proposal?

We shall never know. After all this is not important. What matters here is, perhaps, the fairness of the game. The polarisation of the vote and motivation by the members of the jury only goes to clearly stress the point. Four members vote 10 whereas eight of them voted zero, two voted 9 and seven voted 1.

However, as past editions proved, the ultimate vote is in the hand of the market and the car buyer which starting next year will tell if Nissan was right for its courage and determination to invest some € 5bn in its “car of the future mobility” and has done its job well enough to deserve the success it is now beginning to harvest.

Now, here the motivations from six members of the Jury who voted top points or nothing in favour of the  Car Of The year 2011 Nissan Leaf.

Thomas Imhof (Germany) .  Vote 10.

The world needs electric cars to become less depending on crude oil and to reduce local emissions and noise.  The LEAF is a real, full-size car, without the many compromises of electric cars of the recent past. What amazed me most is the way it handles on twisty roads. Virtually no body roll, good grip on the front axle, light steering – this car even offers some fun to drive. Also the built quality is rather good, and the exterior design just futuristic enough to stand out from the crowd. Of course we don’t know yet how the car will behave in the hands of the customers, how long-term reliability will be and to what extent the driving range will really dwindle on a cold winter or hot summer day. I trust Nissan that they have taken all those imponderables into account and vote LEAF “Car of the Year” to acknowledge the company’s courage to lead the rest of the industry the way into still unknown territory.

Frank Janssen (Germany)  Vote 2

Welcome! The first car of a new generation that reaches the shortlist of our organization. We should celebrate that. The Leaf has a roomy, well designed cabin that offers a glimpse in a silent new world of mobility. It is even fun to drive – for a short test drive at least. What I am not so sure about is the maturity of this concept. Could it be a prototype in the customers hands? Hopefully not. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it will work out. At this moment, I prefer not to underline my recommendation for a car with a durability that is not proven under real life circumstances.

Rune Korsvoll (Norway) Vote 10.

For a long time car-companies have been bragging about zero emission transportation. Nissan Leaf stands out as the first good example of the electric urban car. It is a complete car and is not falling short in comparison with traditional cars in the Golf-class: It seats four people, has space for luggage, good comfort and equipement on the same level as traditional competitors. That includes six airbags, ESP and so on. In Norway, where more or less all the electricity is made in hydro-electric plants, the Leaf is a super-green alternative.

Carlo Cavicchi (Italy)  Vote 0.

While this year all the cars in the finals displayed quite a high level of quality, there was no real novelty, no entrant that was   able to grab the whole attention or to prevail over the rest of the participants. However, I have really appreciated the suicide doors on the Meriva, their uniqueness and Opel’s attempt to be an   exception to the rules. This is why I gave this car my preference. As far as the Nissan Leaf is concerned, it is a very pleasant car    and, moreover, its choice of electric traction alone is a great   promise for the future. Unfortunately, production and diffusion are   still limited, therefore it is difficult to evaluate in full its   real potential. I believe that more time and more feedback from the    customers are needed to give an objective and not merely emotional   appraisal of this car.

Jean-Jacques Cornaert (France) Vote 10.

The Nissan Leaf is the first electric car specifically designed to the cope with the constraints of this type of propulsion. Roomy, comfortable and enjoyable to drive, it addresses concerns of potential electric cars customers. Driver information is especially thoughtful. Thanks to geo localisation of the car, the driver is well informed about energy consumption, autonomy and recharge opportunities. The Nissan Leaf shows what a growing share of the car market could look like in the near future.

Sergio Piccione (Spain) Vote 0.

It is to me impossible to vote this model. It is the result of an interesting technical effort, comfortable and fun to drive. But my experience of use is inferior to 50 kilometers and I have not been able to verify the difficulties of the recharging process. It is, in addition, a car whose purchase cannot be recommended to any private user, of any European country, due to the lack of the necessary infrastructure for recharge the batteries.

BMW, the world leader in premium cars will not be the first to join the EV mass market but it will certainly be among the best dressed when it joins the party late in 2013. The number plate of the first Megacity Vehicle to come off the new production lines – to be built in the meantime within the Leipzig (Saxony, Germany) plant – has already been announced at a ceremony attended by German Chancellor Mrs. Angela Merkel and other local authorities. The plate reads L MV 2013, L for Leipzig, MCV for Megacity Vehicle and 2013 for the year of the planned launch.

What that car will be and look like is something BMW keeps for themselves, even if they feed the interest (of competitors as well as car buyers) very high by releasing teasing information at regular intervals.

What is clear is that the new plug-in electric BMW will be a roomy and comfortable premium car that will be offering the driving pleasure, quality and comfort standards of a 4 seater BMW either in two or four door configuration (although I would not be surprised if it comes with a new innovative opening system linking the rational EV with the emotional Vision Efficient Dynamics) and with more than adequate cargo area.

With an overall length close to 4 metres and because of the package advantages offered by E-propulsion systems it will offer the roominess and status of a 1 series within a length some 25 cm shorter than a first generation 1 series (the second generation due to be released next year is said to be significantly longer and a bit wider).

As all BMWs it will be rear wheel driven but, unlike them, its compact but high torque electric engine will sit on the rear axle, behind the bed of Lithium-Ion battery pack.

BMW has designed a specific market strategy for its all-new car of the future focusing on Mega Cities around the world. The definition of “megacity” or “mega-urban area” is used to describe cities with at least 8 million inhabitants. Worldwide there are now more than 30 of these vast agglomerations, says a BMW press release, with a total population of some 280 million. While these cities are growing ever faster, so also are challenges such as overcrowding and pollution.

BMW is developing the most consequent car for those areas. To this aim the German carmaker is investing* in ultra-light body construction and maximum efficiency of on-board efficiency to grant a 100 miles range on a charge at brilliant city-and suburban driving speed. To compensate for the extra weight of the energy pack estimated at 260 kilos, BMW is investing in a new approach in the design and engineering of the “revolutionary” lightweight body concept, which will combine an “ultra-light” Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic body mounted on an aluminium chassis.

According to BMW their MCV – to be marketed by what is described as a new sub-BMW brand – will weigh “no more than a comparable, conventionally powered car”.

After years or research, development and “on-field” tests (with its Mini-E and soon with the upcoming Active-E) BMW is so confident that its strategy and technology is a winner that it has already announced, in Leipzig, an investment of 400 million Euros to expand the production facilities there, in order to produce on a large scale its new EVs with an additional workforce of 800 people. Since the car is much simpler to assemble than a traditional one and the process highly automated, one can estimate that the production capacity being installed might start at 50,000 units per year and could eventually reach 100,000 units, allowing for very attractive scale of economies.

* The carmaker says that, including production of components, the BMW Group and the joint venture set up with the SGL Group for the manufacture of carbon fibres are investing a total of      € 530 million in the project. The beneficiaries of this investment are the BMW plants in Leipzig and Landshut and the joint venture facilities in Wackersdorf and Moses Lake (Washington state, USA). A total of over 1,000 jobs will be created as a result of the investment. The BMW plant in Dingolfing will produce important components for the drive system and chassis of the MCV.