| VWSA forced to slash production
Johannesburg - Volkswagen South Africa said on Thursday it was cutting back on production after losing car parts on a ship grounded off the southern English coast. Looters made away with everything from car parts to BMW motorbikes and nappies as wreckage littered the beach after MSC Napoli was purposely grounded last Saturday to prevent it sinking at sea amid storms. The vessel was supposed to unload almost half of its 2 400 containers at South African ports in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban, said Mike Vanhear, Johannesburg's manager for MSC, one of the world's largest shipping lines. The total value of the cargo was still to be calculated, he said. VWSA said it would shut production at its South African plant every Friday for at least the next four weeks after vehicle parts needed for four car models - the Citi Golf, Polo, Golf and Jetta - were lost, a company spokeswoman said.
Grounded ship hits S.Africa car and wine sectors
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Volkswagen South Africa said on Thursday it was cutting back on production after losing car parts on a ship grounded off the southern English coast. Looters made away with everything from car parts to BMW motorbikes and nappies as wreckage littered the beach after MSC Napoli was purposely grounded last Saturday to prevent it sinking at sea amid storms. .
(AFX UK Focus) 2007-01-23 14:25 GMT: BMW loses millions of euros worth of goods in British shipwreck
FRANKFURT (AFX) - German car maker BMW said that it had lost millions of euros' worth of goods in the shipwreck of container ship MSC Napoli, which has been stranded off the southwest English coast. "We're talking about losses running into the single-digit millions" of euros, a BMW spokesman said. "We've lost 77 containers." The containers, which had been insured, were carrying 39 motorbikes, engines and parts, all destined for South Africa, he said. Storms in the English Channel on Thursday left the MSC Napoli with large gashes on both sides and, fearing the battered vessel would have broken apart and sunk, officials ordered tugs to beach it. The 62,000-tonne container ship, 275 metres long, is lying in shallow water off Branscombe village, about 25 kilometres east of the city of Exeter.
Another BMW/Citroen/Peugeot Engine
The engine co-operation between the BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroen has moved forward with the announcement of a 1.4-litre unit. It's basically the same as the 1.6 already used in both turbocharged and naturally-aspirated form in, for example, the MINI and the Peugeot 207. The lower capacity is due to a reduced stroke (which in turn suggests the ability to rev higher) but the variable valve lift and timing remain in place. The 1.4 will be used in the entry-level MINI One mentioned in our recent feature. As with the 1.6, all the parts are created at the PSA plant in Douvrin, which is also where engines intended for use in Citroens and Peugeots are assembled. The parts for the MINI engines are transported to Ham Hall for assembly there. Once the process is fully up and running, production of the three engines combined is expected to reach one million units per year, 20% of them being 1.6-litre turbos.
New BMW offers hi-tech features
The German car maker has unveiled its new M5 Touring model (pictured), only this time the car will be available in right-hand-drive form. With the previous E34 version having its steering wheel on the "wrong" side, UK buyers were denied the chance to drive a supercar-baiting BMW with added versatility. The new model boasts all the good bits from its saloon relative, such as a 507bhp V10 engine, a nought-to-62mph sprint time of 4.8 seconds and BMW's clever SMG sequential manual gearbox. Production of the M5 Touring starts in March, and the car will be priced from £67,075 on the road. The arrival of the new M5 model also heralds an update for the 5 Series. BMW has improved the car's engine range and added some hi-tech features, such as a lane departure warning system and active cruise control.
New models hit BMW top gear
German car maker BMW said today that sales hit a record high during 2006, boosted by new versions of its 3-Series models.
The company, which also owns the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, said sales jumped by 5% to 49bn, up from 46.7bn in 2005, as the group sold more than 1.37 million vehicles worldwide.
Chairman Norbert Reithofer said: 2006 has been the best financial year in the companys history. We have reinforced our position as the worlds leading premium manufacturer by posting a new record sales volume figure.
He added he remained confident of posting annual pre-tax earnings figures of 4bn when BMW reports in March, with higher sales volumes and increased operating efficiency offsetting rises in raw material and energy costs and poor dollar exchange rates.
BMW 3-series convertible Test Drive
Phoenix (Arizona) Infomotori.co.uk starts its 2007 with a nice travel in USA! BMW invited us to for a preview test drive of the new BMW Serie 3 Cabrio. The German car manufacturer broght us to Phoenix, where it never rains, to make sure we could drive on the better weather conditions. But let's now tell us about our adventure...
The fourth generation of BMWs open-top four-seater heralds a new chapter in the history of the BMW Cabriolet (Convertible). While the existing triple-layered fabric roofs currently showcased in the 6 Series Convertible and the Z4 Roadster are unsurpassed in heat and noise insulation, the designers of the new 3 Series Cabriolet (Convertible) decided to raise the bar again. The model now comes with a three-piece electronically-operated retractable hard-top a first for BMW.
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