BMW UK announced two new models that will make their world debut in March at the Geneva Motor Show: the 320d Convertible and the 125i Coupe. Next to them BMW will also launch a concept car showcasing the outlook and future direction of BMW’s innovative EfficientDynamics programme, the new M3 Convertible and the BMW X6.
The 320d Convertible will be available in both SE and M Sport guises, and will be powered by the same 1,995 cc engine from other 320d models in the 3 Series range to offer 177hp and 350Nm of torque. It will go on sale in March at a price of £35,735.
The new 125i Coupe is powered by a 2,996 cc four-cylinder engine that delivers 218 hp. It accelerates from zero to 62mph in 6.4 seconds and achieves a top speed of 152mph. Sales will begin on March at a price of £23,195 for the SE version and £25,050 for the M Sport derivative.
Press release after the jump.
Press release
BMW UK has announced additions to the 3 Series Convertible and 1 Series Coupé ranges. The new BMW 320d Convertible and 125i Coupé will receive their world debuts at the Geneva Motorshow in March alongside an EfficientDynamics concept car and a raft of other new models.
Highlight of the BMW stand at the Geneva Motorshow will be a concept car showcasing the outlook and future direction of BMW’s innovative EfficientDynamics programme. It will appear alongside the worldwide debut for the forthcoming BMW M3 Convertible with M Double Clutch Transmission. The new BMW X6 and 1 Series Convertible also make their European debuts.
The new BMW 320d Convertible
Following the announcement of the new BMW M3 Convertible at one extreme of the open-top car spectrum, BMW introduces of the most frugal Convertible in the 3 Series range, the 320d. Available in both SE and M Sport guises, the new 320d uses the same 1,995 cc engine from other 320d models in the 3 Series range to offer 177hp and 350Nm of torque.
This single-turbocharged two-litre diesel engine propels the 320d Convertible from zero to 62mph in 8.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 139mph. EfficientDynamics plays a part in the car’s performance with stop-start technology on manual cars, a second-generation common-rail injection engine, and a Diesel Particulate Filter fitted as standard. These technologies ensure that the new 320d Convertible is BMW’s most frugal open-topped 3 Series, delivering an impressive 53.3mpg on the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of just 140g/km.
The 320d SE Convertible is priced at £33,110 OTR with the M Sport model priced at £35,735 OTR. Both models go on sale in March 2008.
The new BMW 125i Coupé
The BMW 1 Series Coupé range has been strengthened with the addition of a fourth derivative. The six-cylinder 125i joins the twin-turbo 135i M Sport, the four-cylinder 120d, and the 123d that features the world’s most powerful four-cylinder diesel engine in a production car.
Generating 218hp from its 2,996 cc engine, the new 125i Coupé accelerates from zero to 62mph in 6.4 seconds and achieves a top speed of 152mph. EfficientDynamics ensures that this level of performance doesn’t compromise the car’s consumption and emissions with the two-door Coupé delivering 35.8mpg on the combined cycle and emitting 190g/km of CO2.
The new 125i Coupé SE costs £23,195 OTR while the M Sport derivative, with its 18-inch alloy wheels, sport seats and body styling, costs £25,050 OTR. The new BMW 125i Coupé goes on sale in March 2008.
Other Geneva Motorshow introductions
The new BMW M3 Convertible
The new BMW M3 Convertible is the fourth generation of BMW’s open-topped M3 and the first M car to feature a Retractable Hard-Top. It is also the first car to feature BMW’s new seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT) as an option. Changing gear using either paddles on the steering wheel or the gear lever, the new M DCT gearbox has the next gear pre-selected in readiness and changes gear in just a few milliseconds. The M DCT-equipped car also outperforms the manual gearbox car in terms of outright performance, economy and emissions.
The new M3 Convertible’s engine develops 420hp at 8,300rpm and 400Nm of torque at 3,900rpm from its 3,999cc V8-power unit. When equipped with its standard six-speed manual gearbox, this engine powers the car from zero to 62mph in 5.3 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph. However, even with these supercar levels of performance, BMW’s EfficientDynamics programme ensures that economy is not compromised with the car delivering 21.9mpg on the combined cycle.
The new BMW X6
The new BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupé is the latest in the BMW’s X family of Sports Activity models. It’s also the first time that BMW has combined the safety and convenience of the command driving position with the on-road performance of a sports car, all wrapped in a coupé body style.
In another BMW first, the entire model range is turbocharged with the X6 offering a quartet of forced induction power plants. The range flagship is an all-new twin-turbocharged V8, the X6 xDrive50i, producing 408hp. The configuration of the new V8 engine is unique too. It is the first engine in the world to locate twin-turbochargers and a catalytic converter within the vee of the engine.
The V8-engined car is joined by the 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged six-cylinder petrol-engined X6 xDrive35i producing 306hp.
The X6 will also offer two turbocharged diesel-powered derivatives. The BMW X6 xDrive30d is powered by a single-turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine featuring third-generation common-rail fuel injection and producing 235hp. The BMW X6 xDrive35d uses an award-winning twin-turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine to produce 286hp.