US Manufacturers Retreat, Foreign Makes Advance

At first glance, a similar trend seems to be the fate facing car manufacturing, but a closer look at who is building what indicates that the industry remains strong, although American companies tend to be shedding plants while foreign manufacturers are building or expanding facilities.

South Korean automaker, Kia Motors, is investing nearly one billion US dollars to open a plant in West Point, GA. Honda Motors, which recently celebrated their 50th anniversary in the US market, opened its sixteenth manufacturing plant last year in Indiana, pushing the Japanese auto giant’s American manufacturing investment to $10.6 billion.

Billions Invested In South Carolina

Volkswagen, which was a pioneer manufacturer when their Westmoreland, PA plant went online in 1977 (subsequently closing in 1988), has plans to return to the US by building a one billion dollar assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And BMW, which has a huge manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina is nearing completion of expanding that facility, a move which will allow the plant to build the BMW X3, X5 SAV and X6 SAC models and its variants there. Those vehicles will then be sent abroad for sale in more than 120 markets.

BMW’s latest investment totals $750 million, a move which expands the existing paint shop and opens an all new assembly facility. BMW reports that the assembly building is now fully enclosed with equipment being installed. The paint shop expansion has been completed with the new equipment in place and currently undergoing testing. In addition, a new 1/3 mile conveyor system has been constructed which will connect the paint shop to the new assembly plant.

BMW says that when the work on its expanded Spartanburg facility is complete, the German automaker will have invested $4.6 billion in its South Carolina operations. The BMW Group’s sales headquarters are located in Woodcliff Lake, NJ while a design firm and technology office is located in California. The BMW Group consists of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, but only BMW has a manufacturing presence in the United States at this time.

Source: BMW Group

See Also – BMW Introduces Voice Command Feature

Beginning this September, BMW will become the first European automobile manufacturer to offer voice command technology, a feature which will allow drivers to find their favorite songs and get directions without taking their hands off of the steering wheel.

The Ford Motor Company got a huge leg up on the competition last year when they introduced SYNC, a voice command feature developed with Microsoft which allows drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel while issuing commands such as making phone calls or playing a particular song. Recently, Ford sold its one millionth vehicle with SYNC included, a head start that has forced its competitors to play catch up.

Europe Embraces Voice Command Technology

The BMW Group is the latest company to roll out voice command technology, a system which will be made available to its customers beginning this September.  Offered throughout Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, and the USA, BMW’s technology will come in a wide range of languages with the ability to comprehend addresses and music choices.

For drivers seeking directions for a particular address, the BMW voice command feature will allow one single voice command to completely transmit the driver’s destination into the navigation system. The driver’s verbal statement specifying the place, street and number is processed immediately by the system, with all data going directly into the navigation unit.

Interpreting Song Titles To Find The Correct Tune

As for pulling up songs, the BMW system will monitor and interpret the user’s voice commands regarding the type of music, the name of the artist, an album or an individual title, to ensure accurate access to the audio program desired. Indeed, BMW says that system will “understand” if the driver gives it the English title of a song sung by a German artist.

The new technology will be included throughout BMW’s model line as standard equipment in each of the markets previously identified. Beginning the following Spring, the system will even cover data files on a music player connected to the car.

Source: BMW Group

See Also –  BMW Commits To SC Expansion

BMW’s first production electric car is the MINI E, but it’ll be in limited (test) production when the car debuts early next year. Available only to residents of two U.S. cities: New York and Los Angeles, BMW hopes for a successful launch which would eventually entail a worldwide release of the MINI E.

MINI E -- All new and all electric. Limited availability however as parent BMW will introduce just 500 test vehicles to customers who live in either Los Angeles or New York City.

BMW has not said whether the test vehicles will get the plugin logos, but given that they are working with two cities to come up with electrical replenishing stations, any sort of easily identification demarcation makes sense. Besides, MINI drivers will probably find these touches to be cute. Awwww!

There are few design differences between the MINI E and the regular MINI, but if you look close you

BMW says that the MINI E will go from 0 to 60 in 8.5 seconds and top out at 95 mph. At the show, the vehicle was started up and driven away, a truly silent car with no greenhouse emissions and no noise pollution.

If you are interested in the MINI E and you live in NYC or L.A., you can sign up on the MINI USA website for your chance for ownership. Likely, they’ll be a groundswell of interest in this car because with a 150 mile range and 8 hour recharge time, it could be the perfect city car for many drivers.

(Source: BMW Group)

At present, BMW builds the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle, X6 Sports Activity Coupe, Z4 Roadster, M Roadster, Z4 Coupe, and M Coupe in Spartanburg and will soon move production of the X3 Sports Activity Vehicles from Austria.

The expansion plan, slated to take three years to complete, will include the building of a second assembly facility, nearly double the size of the current Paint Shop, provide renovations for the Body Shop, and increase annual production capacity to 240,000 units by 2012, a 50% increase.

The Spartanburg facility is BMW’s only US plant and it started producing vehicles in 1994. Currently, the plant employs 5400 people and since opening up, BMW has seen its market penetration expand from 65,000 units annually to more than 335,000 cars and SUVs.

(Source: BMW.com)

In the X6, BMW claims to have created an all-new vehicle category — sport activity coupe — to describe a vehicle that has four doors plus a hatchback. Yes, I know the notion of four-door coupe sounds strange, never mind the hatchback part, but the roof-line gives credence to BMW’s claim.

According to BMW, “the BMW X6 is available in two engine variants: the xDrive50i (4.4 V8 engine, 400 hp, 450lb.-ft torque) and the xDrive35i (3.0 inline six-cylinder engine, 300 hp, 300lb.-ft torque), both with Twin Turbo and direct injection. The BMW X6 offers unique features and performance ability in a combination unmatched by any other vehicle, and its design combines the sporting elegance of a large BMW Coupe with the powerful presence of a BMW X model.

“The BMW X6 comes standard with BMW’s intelligent xDrive all-wheel-drive technology with electronic control for variable distribution of drive power between the front and rear axles, consistently adjusted to driving conditions at all times and in all situations.”

The X6, which will be released this year as a 2009 model and include a hybrid, has some other important attributes including: dynamic performance control, which offers improved driving dynamics and stability through the management of the drivetrain and chassis, by distributing drive forces and power as necessary for optimal vehicle control. And, a new wheel well, measuring more than 21 inches with a Y-spoke design created specifically for this vehicle.

(Source: www.bmw.com)

Power to the 8 Series!

For BMW, the 8 Series represented a whole new breed of vehicles one that the German automaker tested extensively during the mid 1980s before deciding to go ahead with production. Although the car was heralded as a success, other factors conspired to cause BMW to drop the model after ten years of production. Today, the 8 Series is but a memory for most: a model that is no longer produced, but definitely not forgotten.

Killed by the Gulf War

Poorly made BMW parts were not behind the reason to discontinue the 8 Series, nor was it inferior engineering, below average quality, or any other company characteristic. Instead, the Persian Gulf War, skyrocketing energy costs, and a lack of demand for a supercar caused sales to languish. Indeed, with a very high price level, the 8 Series was the flagship of the BMW fleet and an expensive one at that.

Expensive BMW Parts & Maintenance

Chief complaints about the 8 Series included high maintenance costs, high fuel costs [most models were V12s!], and high priced luxury accessories. No, it wasn’t the oxygen sensor or the catalytic converter that were costly instead, the overall price was much more comparable to limited edition Ferraris then to other BMWs. Also, replacing typical computer parts, such as the computerized dash, put even the most carefree owner close to the brink of bankruptcy.

One of the hallmarks of the 8 Series was its tremendous co-efficient of drag rating, 0.29, which was perfected via CAD technology and via the extensive use of wind tunnels to perfect the car’s shape. This permitted the car to slip down the highway with ease, although its bulky weight did present a big drag on overall fuel economy.

Overall, the sales of the 8 Series was disappointing with just over 30,000 units sold over its lifespan. When BMW discontinued the car, no updated model was planned and even today there appears to be no interest in pursuing a follow up model. Instead, BMW appears content to keep producing M Series for those who love fast cars.

As with any hard to find model, replacement auto parts can be a challenge to locate including a replacement BMW Window Motor or a BMW Window Regulator. Fortunately, by shopping online you can find wholesale prices on most any BMW parts through quality companies including the Bimmer Parts Wholesale site. Shop online today and head down the road to bimmer paradise!