April Showers Don’t Slow BMW Sales

Posted on May 10, 2012 by New Country| Leave a comment

 

They say April showers bring May flowers, but BMW’s sales blossomed last month as the brand reported a 12-percent increase in U.S. sales compared to April 2011. Riding the momentum of a strong first quarter, the automaker moved 21,062 units off of BMW dealership lots in April, easily surpassing its total of 18,801 from the same month last year. BMW sales are now up 15.7 percent year-to-date compared to the same period last year.

The American-built BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) was one of BMW’s main movers and shakers last month, posting a 50.9-percent year-over-year sales increase for April. Meanwhile, sales of the BMW 6 Series coupe spiked by 92.9 percent, and the BMW 3 Series remained the brand’s perennial volume leader, moving 9,003 units for a 20.8-percent increase compared to April 2011.

“The April sales report is particularly good news for the workers that build BMW’s sports utilities down in the South Carolina plant; sales of those vehicles were up 25 percent last month,” said Michael Trontz, general manager of Spring Valley, New York BMW dealership Wide World BMW. “With gas prices the way they are, the fuel-efficient diesel models of the BMX X5 were very popular as well.”

April sales of the diesel BMW X5 xDrive35d were up 51.6 percent year-over-year, helping to boost the SAV’s sales increase to 17.5 percent year-to-date compared to the same period last year. Returning drivers up to 26 mpg on the highway, the 2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d is powered by a 3.0-liter, 265-horsepower clean-diesel engine mated with a six-speed automatic transmission.

While BMW’s diesel models have made in-roads with American buyers, it is another alternative powertrain that is the focus of the automaker’s latest concept vehicle. Unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show last month, the BMW i8 Concept Spyder plug-in hybrid sports car became the third sustainable vehicle concept released from the BMW i sub-brand. Featuring BMW’s eDrive technology, the two-seat convertible combines a three-cylinder gas engine, an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery to deliver a combined 354 horsepower while still achieving up to 94 mpg in the European testing cycle.

A special version of another BMW i sports car, the BMW i8 Concept coupe, made an appearance in Germany recently, but it was lacking any sign of a drivetrain. Built entirely out of LEGO blocks, a life-size BMW i8 replica was featured at LEGO Kids Fest in Munich last month. There, visitors were invited to help build the replica piece-by-piece until it was fully formed. Though it was unable to produce any horsepower like the real-life model, the LEGO i8 did sport working headlamps.

“Just like the LEGO i8 can be picked apart and rebuilt, we’ll probably see some changes between the i8 Concept and its final production model,” added Trontz. “Though its LEGO model might have it beat when it comes to fuel-efficiency, the real BMW i8 should give off minimal emissions while still packing a whole lot of performance.”

 

 

Posted in BMW News, X5

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Lexus Bests Porsche, Infiniti in Motor Trend Hybrid Shootout

Posted on May 9, 2012 by New Country| Leave a comment

 

No other luxury automaker has dedicated itself to hybrid vehicles as much as Lexus, and that expertise was made clear in a recent Motor Trend magazine comparison. The all-new 2013 Lexus GS 450h available at Lexus dealerships prevailed over the 2012 Porsche Panamera Hybrid and 2012 Infiniti M35h, emerging as the superior high-performance luxury hybrid.

Motor Trend editors evaluated each vehicle based on the quality of their interior features, as well as their drivetrain refinement, handling and how efficiently they operate as a hybrid. While the Porsche’s interior and handling reflected its price tag, which was over $30,000 more than its two competitors, it couldn’t match the overall package provided by the 2013 Lexus GS 450h. The Lexus hybrid earned praise for its agile cornering, its leading fuel economy and intuitive interior features like a large 12.3-inch touchscreen.

“Lexus has used its position as a hybrid innovator to make the GS 450h’s efficiency an intricate part of its performance, unlike the puffed-up Porsche and the unrefined Infiniti,” said Eric Rosen, general manager of New Country Lexus of Latham, an Upstate New York Lexus dealer. “If not for the badge saying so, you would never know the GS 450h is a hybrid because the driving experience is completely seamless. There are no shudders or hesitation, just smooth acceleration.”

Motor Trend noted shudders from both the Panamera Hybrid and Infiniti M35h as the vehicles switched between electric and gasoline modes. Both models feature similar hybrid drivetrains, utilizing a V6 engine attached to an electric motor with a conventional transmission. The Lexus GS 450h, however, uses an entirely different system to smooth out transitions, featuring one planetary gearset that acts as a continuously variable transmission and an additional gearset to improve efficiency at high speeds.

The Lexus GS 450h’s fuel-efficient drivetrain showed its value in Motor Trend’s highway and city driving tests, easily leading the pack by returning 33.5 mpg at freeway speeds and 35 mpg in the city. The Infiniti could only muster 31.5 mpg and 30.2 mpg, respectively, while the Porsche lagged even further behind. Though the Panamera Hybrid made up for its lackluster efficiency with its acceleration and speed, its performance wasn’t nearly as surprising to Motor Trend testers as the impressive, fine-tuned handling of the GS 450h.

The improved cornering ability in the 2013 GS 450h comes thanks to Lexus’ focus on creating a sportier feel for the entire new Lexus GS family, and it has reaped rewards in the showroom. Last month, Lexus dealerships sold more than 2,000 GS models, an increase of 421 percent compared to April 2011. Those sales made the Lexus GS the brand’s third-best-selling car in April, coming behind the IS and the best-selling ES luxury sedan. Overall, Lexus car sales were up 11.7 percent year-over-year last month.

“New York drivers are finding that the new GS is just as fit for back-road cruises as it is for the everyday commute, and opting for the hybrid model doesn’t mean losing out on the fun,” Rosen noted. “Lexus is always pushing to innovate and improve its models, and the GS is an impressive reminder of those efforts.”

 

Posted in GS Hybrid, Lexus News

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World’s Oldest Known Unrestored Mini Sells at Auction

Posted on May 8, 2012 by New Country| Leave a comment

We’ve seen plenty of throwback MINI Coopers at our Connecticut MINI dealership, and members of our service department have been under many an old MINI’s hood. However, we’ve never seen anything like this before: the oldest known unrestored Mini in existence!

The 1959 Austin Mini Se7en De Luxe Saloon (‘XLL 27’), pictured above, was only the eighth of its kind to roll off of the assembly line in May of that year. Three of its younger siblings have been accounted for over the years, but all have since been restored. We know that Minis hold on to much of their value over time, and the XLL 27 is no exception – it sold for $65,000 at auction on April 30.

So what kind of shape is this Mini in? Most of its parts are original, right down to the engine, transmission and even the numberplates. The odometer reads 30,041 miles, which is extremely low compared to today’s standards, and there’s no need to consult Carfax for prior service records – a paper brake service label notes that this Mini’s service was performed at 17,942 miles. All things considered, we have to say that the XLL 27 aged quite well.

If you’re a huge fan of MINI’s retro styling, but are more in the market for something that runs, we invite you to come down to our MINI dealership in Hartford, CT. You don’t have to drive a relic to own a modern classic!

Posted in MINI News

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