M Sport Comes to BMW 3 Series Coupe and Cabrio (UK)

Press Release

• New BMW 130i M Sport Limited Edition

• BMW’s engine plant goes green

• BMW Group wins awards from private and business drivers

• March 2007 model actions

 M Sport comes to the 3 Series Coupé and Convertible

The BMW 3 Series Coupé and Convertible ranges both have a new flagship model. The M Sport specification level is now the most dynamic and sporting incarnation currently available for the recently launched Coupé and Convertible ranges.

Offered on all engine variants, M Sport cars come with a raft of additional equipment as standard compared to an SE model. An M Aerodynamic body styling package gives the cars a distinct, sporting look, while Sport suspension with a stiffer, and 15mm lower, set-up provides a more focussed ride. All models come with 18-inch M star-spoke light alloy wheels as standard with a differently styled 19-inch M Double-spoke light alloy wheel as an option. High-gloss Shadow line exterior finishes to the window surrounds is also a standard feature.

Inside, all M Sport models feature Sports seats upholstered in Blue Shadow cloth Alcantara, Individual anthracite headlining, M designation doorsill finishers and a short-shift M gearlever with a perforated leather gaiter and handbrake lever. A Brushed Aluminium interior trim and M leather steering wheel complete the package.

M Sport models are traditionally a popular choice for BMW buyers. On six-cylinder-engined 3 Series Coupé and Convertible models they account for more than three-quarters of all sales. The introduction of this latest generation of sports model is expected to maintain this ratio.

M Sport model cars are only available in a choice of four metallic colours (Titanium Silver, Black Sapphire, Le Mans Blue, Sparkling Graphite) and two non-metallic colours (Alpine White, Crimson Red).

Prices start at £28,330 OTR for a 320i M Sport Coupé rising to £37,745 OTR for a 335d M Sport Coupé. The entry-level 320i M Sport Convertible costs £32,255 OTR while the range-topping 335i M Sport costs £40,250 OTR. Full price details are outlined below.

New BMW 130i M Sport Limited Edition

An exclusive new BMW 1 Series model comes to the range in Spring 2007. Based on the 265hp 130i, all 130i M Sport Limited Edition models will be built in Carbon Black metallic paint with a Lemon leather interior and come with 18-inch World Touring Car Championship-style light alloy wheels.

Other differences that set it apart from a standard 130i M Sport include Chrome Line exterior surrounds to the windows and a bespoke monikered start/stop button. This is in addition to the M Sport equipment level that includes Aluminium Glacier Silver interior trim, Individual anthracite headlining, M Sports steering wheel and M doorsill finishers to enhance the car. Sports seats, a short-shift M gearstick, Sports suspension and the M Aerodynamic exterior styling package complete the upgrade.

Only 160 BMW 130i M Sport Limited Edition cars will be available in the UK priced at £30,270 OTR. News of the new model comes as pricing for the rest of the BMW 1 Series 3-door range has been confirmed.

BMW’s engine plant goes green

BMW’s engine manufacturing plant in Steyr, Austria, has boosted its green credentials by completing a new waste water free production process that saves 30 million litres of water a year.

Courtesy of new water filtration techniques, the plant, which produces 60 per cent of all BMW’s engines, now recycles all of its water used during manufacturing. A combination of nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and evaporation systems make the dramatic difference. The process was first introduced in 2003 into several areas of the plant on a test basis but it proved so effective at minimising waste, managers embarked on the ambitious project to make the entire factory self-sufficient. The result of this endeavour has proved so successful that it led to the mains drainage connections all being closed off at the end of 2006. Now the water used in manufacturing is continually recycled.

The news comes as the BMW Group in the UK continues to work at reducing its environmental impact. Plant Swindon recently installed a radiant gas heating system as part of a £40 million investment programme which cut CO2 emissions by 950 tonnes a year. Improved manufacturing processes and increased recycling of waste at BMW Plant Oxford saw the weight of landfill waste per new car produced reduced by nearly 50 per cent. BMW Plant Hams Hall has won awards for its wildlife conservation that includes a composting facility to feed the soil surrounding the three wildlife reserves at the factory.

In total, since 2003, all BMW Group’s manufacturing bases in the UK have cut water consumption by an average of 15 per cent. CO2 emissions from the same plants have similarly been cut by an average of 15 per cent. This is despite output from most business areas over the same period increasing – in the case of Hams Hall, this has been by as much as 66 per cent.

BMW Group wins awards from private and business drivers
BMW and MINI have won the same category awards from What Car? and BusinessCar magazine, proving that MINI, BMW 5 Series and BMW 3 Series models are the right solution for private and business drivers alike.

BusinessCar awarded the new MINI Cooper ‘Best Supermini’ for the fifth time, polling nearly double the votes of its nearest rival. What Car? chose the MINI Cooper S for its ‘Hot Hatch’ award and highlighted the new model changes making it a “…far more comfortable proposition, so you can buy it with your head as well as your heart.”

The BMW 3 Series won awards in the ‘Compact Executive’ category. It was a case of third time around from BusinessCar, while What Car? called it the “…benchmark car for this class in so many areas.”

“The BMW 525i SE Auto does it all,” said What Car? when they awarded it their ‘Best Executive Car’ for the 11th time in 12 years. BusinessCar highlighted impressive resale values, low running costs and lower emissions meaning tax savings for company drivers.

March 2007 model actions

From 1 March, 2007 the on-the-road price of several models in the BMW range will increase. The average price increase across the range equates to a rise of 1.4 per cent compared to the previous listing.