BMW M Model Sales Up 50% in 2008

The global slowdown in the auto sector in 2008 had no affect on BMW's M car division that reported a 50 percent sales increase over 2007. Overall, BMW sold 24,186 'M' vehicles, making 2008 the second best year in the sport division's 30-year-old history after 2002 when it shipped 26,776 units. The driving force behind the M division's success was of course the new BMW M3, which in its first full year of production managed to sell 18,000 units worldwide.

The most successful model in the range was the M3 Coupe with 10,571 units followed by the M3 Sedan (3 ,253 units), M3 Convertible (4,169 units), M5 Sedan and Touring (2,465 units), M6 Convertible (1,158 units), M6 Coupe (1,102 units), Z4 M Coupe (739 units) and Z4 M Roadster (699 units).

Once again, the United States was the M division's most prominent market with 10,663 vehicles sold in 2008. In Germany, BMW recorded sales of 2,777 "M" vehicles which represents a 37 percent increase over 2007. By far the strongest growth was reported in Canada, where sales increased by almost 130 percent to 1,114 vehicles.

For Sale: BMW Z4 with 551HP M5 V10 Engine

Germans love power and speed. While most of us would have been more than content with a stock BMW Z4 M, the owner of this Z4 that's for sale on a German online vehicle marketplace found that an inline-six with 343 HP couldn't satisfy his lust for speed. So what more reasonable than to throw in a BMW M5 / M6 sourced 5.0-liter V10 engine. But even the M5 V10's 507 HP weren't enough for our German protagonist who decided to replace the Z4's inline-six with an even more powerful, Hartge-prepped version of the V10 delivering a hefty 551 HP. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

Aside from a set of Hartge 20-inch alloy wheels, the Z4 V10 is all stock on the outside. The asking price for the V10-powered German roadster is a not-so-easy-to-swallow, 97,900 Euros which comes to about $137,700 US with the current exchange rates.

Source: Mobile , Via: Autogespot

BMW M-Model Sales More Than 50% Up in the first 11 Months of 2008!

Crisis? What crisis? While most car manufactures around the world are seeing their sales plummet in 2008, BMW's M-Division is flourishing in this harsh economic environment having exceeded the previous year's equivalent figures during the first 11 months of 2008 by over 50 per cent! From January to November 2008, BMW has sold 22,340 M-Model cars worldwide compared to 14,092 vehicles in the same period in 2007. In November 2008 alone some 1,900 BMW M automobiles were delivered around the globe. As long ago as August 2008 the worldwide sales figures of BMW M GmbH reached 16,150 units, thus surpassing last year's total figure of 16,128 units.

"The fact that our dealers were able to supply significantly more vehicles than the average of the last nine months even in such dramatic times for the world economy demonstrates the fascination and attraction which BMW M automobiles exercise on our customers," said Ludwig Willisch, President of BMW M GmbH.

A major contribution to BMW M's runaway success in 2008 has been the introduction of the all-new M3 which is now offered in three body variations (Coupe, Sedan and Convertible). The high-performance sports car sold almost twice as well in its first year of production than its predecessor model did within the same period.

Currently, BMW M offers seven models that include three body types of the M3, the BMW M5 Sedan and Touring as well as the M6 Coupe and M6 Convertible.

Overall, BMW brand sales in 2008 for the first 11 months of the year, are down 3.5% compare to the same period in 2007 to 1,105,112 units.

BMW M Model Gathering in Munich

More than 180 participants with around 120 BMW M model vehicles of all sorts ranging from the original M1 supercar to the latest M3 took part in an official gathering at the Bavarian automaker’s headquarters in Munich, Germany this past weekend. All participants were members of the BMW M-Power club which is limited to owners of the specific model series. The lucky chaps spent the day visiting BMW’s M head office, the BMW World center and the Bavarian firm’s museum. Moreover, along with showing off their latest offerings that included the 2009 M6 with the Competition package, the German automaker treated the M-Power community members with an exclusive close up of the M1 Homage Concept. Hit the jump to view the image gallery. -Continued

2009 BMW M5 & Μ6 Get New Mirrors & iDrive

For the 2009 model year, BMW is updating its V10-powered M5 Sedan / Touring and M6 Coupe / Cabriolet models with the introduction of the new generation iDrive that includes a redesigned controller with direct-dial buttons on the center console and a high-resolution 8.8 inch display. Furthermore, all four “M” models feature a new navigation system that allows a full-screen map display. BMW has also replaced the external mirrors on both the M5 and M6 models with new ones that feature an enlarged field of view. Finally, for the 2009 model year M5 and M6s, the Bavarian carmaker has added a new Carbon Black metallic color on the option list. –One more pic after the jump

Project Frankenstein: 1988 BMW M3 with 507Hp M5 V10 Engine!

Think about it; a nimble and compact 1988 BMW M3 equipped with the most powerful engine that bimmer has to offer today – the 507 Hp 5.0-liter V10 unit from the M5/M6 models. Too much power, to much weight up front, no more balance if you ask us, but admittedly an interesting project from Piper Motorsport’s behalf. The Franken M3 (that’s the project car’s name) is being developed as we speak.

Understandably, fitting a massive V10 under the hood of an E30 M3 is no easy task. According to the guys at Piper Motorsports, it will be done by using all new OEM BMW 3-Series E90 front/rear sub frames and suspension pieces. These parts will be assembled on a chassis jig to fit within the stock body of the 1988 M3. After finishing these modifications to the front sub frame and fire wall Piper will place the new OEM M5 V10 power plant. –Images after the jump

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Piper

BMW M6 Convertible: Total... Burn Out

All we know about this BMW M6 Convertible is that it was burnt to the ground – but apparently you can see that for yourselves, and that according to the poster on the forum where we found the pictures, the baked bimmer was located somwehere in the Swedish city of Malmo. We also know that it's heartbreaking to see a car like the M6 in this condition. –More pics after the jump



Thanks for the tip Jons! - Via: Zatzy