BMW, short for Bavarian Motor Works (in English anyway), says on its website that the company fosters a culture of
ideas. "Ideas are everything," one page says. It is this attitude of exploration that has kept the German car maker in
the forefront of the automotive industry.
Known primarily as a manufacturer of luxury-imports and high-end motorcycles, BMW's tag-line here in the USA is,
"The Ultimate Driving Machine," and that isn't far from wrong, considering the quality of design that goes into their
cars, but what isn't was widely known is that the company was originally an aircraft engine manufacturer.
The founder of BMW, Karl Friedrich Rapp, took a contract to build V12 engines for Austro-Daimler in 1916, and because he needed more capital, he joined forces with Camillo Castiglione and Max Friz,
It was after this that the name BMW was born - the company officially became BMW AG in 1918.
Since then BMW has been busy. They built the first motorcycle engine, and later the first motorcycle, innovated
the designs of sedans and coupes, and eventually became the parent company of Mini, Rolls Royce, and Rover (as in Land
Rover), though they sold the latter.
In 2000, under Christopher Bangle's direction, BMW redesigned their entire line, and while traditionalists balked,
sales increased, and have continued to increase. Their 3-series cars are currently the standard to be met in entry-level
luxury sedans and their performance vehicles, while pricey, are gaining popularity.
Today, BMW continues to put
their ideas to work, even showing a hydrogen fuel cell concept car, the Hydrogen 7, in Geneva this year. At BMW, ideas really
are everything.
2012 BMW M3Available in either a coupe or convertible, the 2012 BMW M3 is sure to draw some attention to itself. This isn’t just any ol’ sports car; it’s a boldly redesigned speed and luxury machine that has an MSRP of $60,100. Okay, so it’s a little out of the price range of many consumers, but wait until you hear everything this car has to offer. The front grille has remained the same traditional BMW design, for the most part, while the roof and side panels have received most of the renovations, allowing for far greater aerodynamics than models in the past. The M3 also has a lower center of gravity, giving it not only better aerodynamics, but far better handling and control of the vehicle.
As far as the interior of the M3 is concerned, consumers and test drivers have had nothing but good things to say – well, except maybe the lack of rear seat legroom. The GPS navigation system, powered by iDrive, is reported to be one of the best and most detailed navigation systems out there. If you need audio turn-by-turn directions, you got it.
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2012 BMW X3The 2012 BMW X3 is available to consumers in 8 colors and starts at a price of $37,100. Colors include Deep Sea Blue Metallic, Space Gray Metallic, Mineral Silver Metallic, Black Sapphire Metallic, Titanium Silver Metallic, Vermilion Red Metallic, Sparkling Bronze Metallic and Blue Water Metallic.
2012 BMW Z4The 2012 BMW Z4 is everything a BMW connoisseur could ask for in a roadster, and more. The folding hardtop convertible is just one of many amazing features the Z4 has to offer.
2012 BMW Alpina B7Focusing more on the technicalities of the 2012 Alpina B7, the German engineers at BMW gave this car a standard engine that comes in a 4.4 L V8 turbo with a 6 Speed Automatic standard transmission.
2012 BMW 6 SeriesThe engine lineup of BMW in the U.S. is known for being a collection of flexible engines that still maintain a simplistic feeling even in all their glory.
