September - GGC BMW CCA

Bimmerphile Editor: Bob Vitkus
Board Moves… At its meeting on July 20, 2006, the Supervisory
Board of BMW AG made a number of decisions which
will shape the management of the BMW Group in the long
term. Dr. Norbert Reithofer, 50, was appointed as chairman
of the Board of Management and will take over this position
from Dr. Helmut Panke, 59, on September 1, 2006.
The Supervisory Board also appointed Frank-Peter Arndt,
50, to the Board of Management as Reithofer’s successor with
responsibility for production. Arndt is currently head of the
BMW Dingolfing plant. In addition, the Supervisory Board
appointed Dr. Klaus Draeger, 49, to the Board of Management
of BMW AG effective November 1, 2006. At that date,
Draeger will take over responsibility for research, development,
and purchasing from Professor Dr. Burkhard Göschel,
60. Draeger is currently Director of the development department
with responsibility for the Group’s large-model series
(BMW 5, 6, and 7 Series). BMW Group [Dr. Göschel, who turns
61 in October, was given an exception to the company’s mandatory
retirement age of 60. Dr. Panke, who turned 60 last month, was
not. bv]
Second Quarter Interim Report… BMW, the world’s
biggest premium carmaker, posted a one-third increase in
second-quarter pretax profit, clearly beating market expectations,
as automotive profits surged on record car sales.
Earnings before tax (EBT) rose to €1,230,000,000
($1,570,000,000), the Munich-based company said, easily
beer than the average estimate of €1,040,000,000 from 25
analysts in a Reuters poll.
“On this basis, the BMW Group is therefore well on
course to achieving its targets for the full year 2006 and
hence, as forecast, the best year in the company’s history,”
Chief Executive Helmut Panke said. Reuters [For more
information including downloads and audio-streams visit www.
bmwgroup.com/ir – bv]
Diesels Coming To U.S.… BMW intends to start selling
diesel-powered cars in the United States within two years,
using a urea-based additive to meet emissions standards, the
Financial Times newspaper reported in July.
“Urea will take another two years but, then diesel is really
clean and can be sold in all 50 states,” the paper quoted BMW
sales and marketing head Michael Ganal as saying at the
British International Motor Show. “The U.S. is more open to
diesel than two or three years ago.” Reuters
And The #1 Most-Stolen Car In The U.S. Is… Small cars
that can be chopped into parts and sold for use by street racers
dominated the list of the most-stolen autos in the U.S. last
year, but high-priced cars and expensive sport utility vehicles
also ranked high… Leading the way was the 2001 BMW M
roadster, which was stolen at a rate of one for every 200 on
the road, according to the Chicago-based CCC Information
Services Inc., an industry group that tracks the and vehicle
damage. AP
Oxford Gets New Paint Technology… BMW Group has
introduced an innovative paint technology, known as IPP (Integrated
Paint Process), at its Mini plant in Oxford, England.
The system is expected to have a long-term impact on energy
savings and emissions reductions, while meeting high quality
standards for surfaces. The IPP introduction is a key factor in
the expansion of the plant’s production capacity to a midterm
volume of up to 240,000 units.
Compared with previous technology, IPP completely
eliminates the primer coat application and oven stage.
Instead, the system uses a “wet on wet” application of two
layers, the first integrating all the functions and qualities of
a primer-surfacer, while the second base coat applies color,
effect, and depth. A clear coat is applied on top of the base
coat as before.
The system dispenses with a solvent-based primer-surfacer,
which the company says supports its environmental
objectives, and reduces energy costs and emissions in the
paint shop by more than ten percent. As well, the space and
infrastructure previously used for primer coat application can
be reallocated as an additional base coat line.
Plant Oxford, the sole production site for the Mini, is
the first BMW Group manufacturing facility to use the new
paint system. The introduction of IPP into other plants will
be considered on a case-by-case basis when paint shops need
replacing or refurbishing. canadiandriver.com
Put A Lid On It… Quick, what company developed the Z4
coupe? Hint: it wasn’t BMW. Answer: Magna Int’l. That’s right,
the tier one supplier of stampings, systems, assemblies, etc. actually
developed the idea for the Z4. According to Mark Hogan,
Magna’s president, workers at its Piedmont, South Carolina,
heavy stamping facility—which produces outer body panels
for the Z4 roadster that’s built at the nearby BMW Spartanburg
plant—were puzzled as to why BMW did not plan to produce
a coupe version of its popular roadster. Aer all, its predecessor—the
Z3—included a coupe variant. That idea placed a series
of steps into motion where Magna began its own study to determine
if BMW could produce the coupe profitably. Within a year,
Magna engineers wrapped up their proposal and presented to
BMW’s product development team, who eventually gave the
project the green light. Automotive Design and Production [Magna
Int’l, the industry’s number-three supplier in terms of revenues, builds
every X3 for BMW at its Magna Steyr facility in Graz, Austria – bv]
Perhaps It Was Because BMW Was Busy With The Z29
Prototype… The mysterious prototype coupe widely disseminated
in the media three years ago (then dubbed “Z5” or
“Z10”), has been unveiled by BMW as the Z29.
Lightweight construction using aluminum front and tail
modules bolted to a carbon-fiber monocoque results in a
curb weight of 1,160 kg (2,550 lbs), including the same 343 hp
S54 motor used in the M3 and Z4-based M Roadster and M
Coupe. 0-100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 4.4 seconds.
But, there’s no chance that it will go into production.
automotorundsport.de
The Z29 That’s Not In Your Future
Excerpts From Automotive News Interview With Howard
Mosher… BMW NA’s executive vice president for operations.
AN: Will the replacement X5 [E70 - bv], due next year,
be bigger than the current model? Is that wise with gasoline
prices on the rise?
Bimmerphile
BMW News Bytes
automotorundsport.de
10 September 2006 die flüsternde Bombe
September 2006 die flüsternde Bombe
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