Change your car's color with an app: BMW unveils color-changing car

LAS VEGAS - German carmaker BMW has unveiled the world's first "color-changing" car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The concept car, called the BMW iX Flow, uses electronic ink technology normally found in e-readers to transform the car's exterior into a variety of patterns in gray and white.

"This is really energy efficient colour change using the technology E Ink," said BMW research engineer Stella Clarke. "So we took this material - it's kind of a thick paper - and our challenge was to get this on a 3D object like our cars."

When stimulated by electrical signals controlled by a phone app, the material brings different pigments to the surface, causing the car to take on a different shade or design, such as racing stripes.

In the future, the changes would also be controlled by a button on the car's dashboard or perhaps even by hand gestures, Clarke said.

No energy is needed to maintain the colour the driver selects, according to BMW.

"My favorite use case is the use of colour to influence sunlight reflections," said Clarke. "On a hot, sunny day like today, you could switch the colour white to reflect sunlight. On a cold day, you could switch it black to absorb the heat."

Though the vehicle displayed at CES could only alternate between gray and white, the technology will be expanded to cover a spectrum of colour, according to BMW. (Reporting by Omar Younis; Editing by Karishma Singh and Gerry Doyle)

-reuters-

BMW names new boss as it looks to speed up electric transition

BERLIN -- BMW said Thursday that its production chief Oliver Zipse will replace Harald Krueger as chief executive in August, as the German auto giant looks to accelerate its transition to electric cars.

Krueger, who had been criticized for not steering the group quickly enough towards electric technology, said earlier this month that he would not seek another term when his current office runs out next April.

However BMW's supervisory board said in a statement on Thursday that Zipse will take his place on August 16.

Zipse, 55, began as a trainee at BMW in 1991 and has since held various management positions. 

As current head of the product division he supervised 31 factories worldwide as they were in the process of transitioning to electric car production.

The other main contender to head the car behemoth was believed to have been BMW research chief Klaus Froehlich.

One of the main tasks facing the new boss will be shifting gears to an electric future ahead of tougher anti-pollution measures gradually coming into force in the EU.

Supervisory board chairman Nobert Reithofer said that "decisive strategic and analytical leader" Zipse will "provide the BMW Group with fresh momentum in shaping the mobility of the future".

source: news.abs-cbn.com

BMW recalls over 1 million cars over exhaust system fire risk

FRANKFURT AM MAIN - German high-end carmaker BMW said Tuesday it would recall more than one million additional diesel cars, citing a problem with the exhaust system that "in extreme cases can cause a fire".

"In some diesel vehicles, glycol cooling fluid can leak" from a faulty component called the exhaust gas recirculation cooler, which can combine with other substances in the system to create the fire risk, the group said.

BMW said it was contacting sellers who would in turn get in touch with owners of the affected vehicles to arrange a checkup.

"The exhaust recirculation module will be checked and if there is a fault the parts will be exchanged," the group said.

BMW had in August announced a recall for Europe and some Asian countries of over 480,000 vehicles affected by the same problem, and issued an apology in South Korea after around 30 cars caught fire there this year.

It said Tuesday it had checked more diesel models and identified a "minimal risk" of fire in some of them.

The latest recall brings the total number of cars affected to some 1.6 million around the world.

Shares in BMW shed 1.4 percent to trade at 73.38 euros ($84.21) in Frankfurt by 11:45 am (0945 GMT), against a DAX index of blue-chip German shares down 2.1 percent.

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BMW sued in US over diesel emissions

NEW YORK - German luxury carmaker BMW has been sued in the United States over "defeat devices" installed in tens of thousands of vehicles in order to cheat diesel emissions tests, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Tuesday.

The case, filed in federal court in New Jersey, will become a class-action suit once it is certified by a judge.

The suit singles out the BMW X5 and 335D model diesel cars sold between 2009 and 2013. 

The attorneys at the Hagens Berman firm claim emissions from those cars were as much as 27 times higher than the standard allowed -- a fact masked by the "defeat devices" and their "manipulative software."

"At these levels, these cars aren't just dirty - they don't meet standards to be legally driven on US streets and no one would have bought these cars if BMW had told the truth," said Steve Berman, the firm's managing partner.

"BMW blatantly chose to leave its loyal customers in the dark, forcing them to unknowingly fit the bill for its degradation of the environment."

BMW is the latest automaker to face legal action over emissions violations, rival Volkswagen was found to have built "defeat devices" into more than 11 million cars worldwide in the so-called "dieselgate" scandal.

The attorneys are seeking reimbursement for their clients for their car purchases.

A week ago, German authorities raided BMW headquarters in Munich and another site in Austria in connection with a preliminary investigation into possible fraud relating to emissions cheat systems built into more than 11,000 cars.

BMW confirmed the raids and repeated the company's stance that "a correctly programmed software subroutine was mistakenly allocated to incompatible models."

In February, the German automaker admitted the software was present in some vehicles and said it would recall them for a software update as soon as one was approved by the KBA German vehicle licensing authority.

Volkswagen eventually was ordered to pay huge fines in the United States in connection with "dieselgate".

Since that scandal erupted, several automakers have been accused of using software to skirt emissions standards.

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Mercedes-Benz overtakes BMW, becomes largest luxury carmaker

STUTTGART - Mercedes-Benz sales overtook BMW last year for the first time in more than a decade, a feat achieved, ironically, only after parent company Daimler stopped chasing market share and focused on making stylish high-tech cars.

On Monday, Bavaria-based BMW said it sold 2,003,359 cars in 2016, less than the 2,083,888 by Stuttgart-based Mercedes. BMW had outsold Mercedes every year since 2005.

The achievement is a coup for Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche, who struggled to revive the company following a messy divorce from mass-market brand Chrysler in 2007. Less than four years ago, Zetsche faced restive shareholders, worried Daimler was lagging BMW and Volkswagen's Audi brand.

"We had some deficits, cost and quality problems. Design was not top-notch. And with Chrysler we were no longer a pure premium carmaker," Zetsche told Reuters in an interview late in 2016 in his office at Daimler's headquarters.

Zetsche has presided over a renaissance in the design and technology of Mercedes vehicles, refocused the company on technological excellence and autonomous driving instead of short-term sales goals, and adapted the entrepreneurial mindset of Silicon Valley to the traditionally risk averse culture of Stuttgart.

Daimler is also preparing for a new era when the auto industry's business model moves beyond manufacturing and selling cars to luring customers interested in pay-per-minute transport solutions provided by self-driving cars.

At the company's 125th anniversary in 2011 - a year when Audi sales overtook those of Mercedes, pushing it into third place - Zetsche forecast his improvements would make Mercedes the best-selling luxury car-maker by 2020.

"Since then we worked hard and today we are leading or among the leaders when it comes to innovation, quality, design and security," Zetsche said.

Daimler traditionalists were shocked by the volume forecast, fearing that selling too many vehicles could dilute the exclusivity of their cars and reduce the appeal of the Mercedes brand in the long run.

But consumer electronics companies such as Apple had already proven the pull of their brands did not suffer with increased sales volumes.

Daniel Binns a managing director at branding agency Interbrand, said advances in technology have made a product's scarcity less of a selling point.

"I've got it and you haven't, is what used to make premium. Now it is much more about having a better quality experience. So much of what defines an experience to the current generation is about what the technology delivers. The autonomous vehicle is the pinnacle of that," he said.

The overhaul of Mercedes began in earnest in May 2013 with the launch of a new flagship S-class. To burnish its credentials as a technology leader, Mercedes developed a prototype version which drove around 100 kilometers (62 miles) autonomously the same year.

Rather than designing a limousine which appealed mainly to rear seat passengers, the new S-Class featured large digital display screens on the dashboard, a deliberate attempt to appeal to a younger, driver-focused audience.

The same youthful design approach was used for the new C-Class and E-class designs, which are now the company's big sellers.

To counter the threat from Audi, Zetsche appointed a young designer, Gorden Wagener, to head up Mercedes design. He introduced an elegant and sporty style to spruce up Stuttgart's Teutonic limousines. Mercedes cars were also equipped with state-of-the-art digital display technology, luring smartphone savvy customers.

It was a change for Mercedes where engineers always believed they were producing the best cars in the world, but measured quality mainly using technical or engineering criteria, a strategy which often led to powerful cars with expensive and complex technical innovations.

Today, Mercedes-Benz follows its motto "the best or nothing" by thinking about whether customers would notice or benefit from a new technological innovation, and by benchmarking the brand against competitors, Zetsche said.

Mercedes also revived the Maybach brand, a marque targeting the ultra-luxury sector which the company had stopped making after the prior bespoke design failed to gain traction, leading the car to sell only 200 times in its final year of production.

Since Maybach's latest revival in February 2015, Daimler has sold 15,000 cars.

"The rewards we are reaping today are the logical consequence of careful preparation," Zetsche said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Karel Marquez clarifies BMW wedding gift to husband

MANILA – Karel Marquez took to social media to clarify some matters surrounding her recent wedding with Sean Fariñas.

In a lengthy post on Facebook, Marquez said she sees nothing wrong about giving her husband a BMW car as a wedding gift because she worked hard for it.

“Why would people dictate what we should do when we all can do what we want as long as we worked hard for it, and as long as wala tayong inaaway o tinatapakang tao. We all have different opinions. Different life choices,” she said.

Marquez also denied that it was her parents who paid for the luxury vehicle.

“My parents are middle class people who have worked their way to where they are now too but even so, I would be embarrassed to let them pay for ‘my gift’ pero pera nila. Naku kawawa naman mga magulang ko if I did that? Ridiculous comments. Respect that we do not need to expose glamorous things, but do not be quick to judge as well,” she said.

Marquez pointed out that the car is not actually brand new and that she bought it from one of their wedding godparents.

“It was the most I could afford today and spare, so it is not a brand new one. It took me 6 months to earn this and always had to set aside a monthly budget in the middle of paying for our groceries, food, my children's tuition fees and the list goes on. It was a sacrifice,” she said.

The actress further belied speculations that the car bears a special plate number which only congressmen are allowed to use.

“Whoever had a screenshot of my gift for him with the # 8 plate in front, you can zoom in to the photo and see that it was just placed on top just maybe after Sean went down the hotel lobby with his entourage to see his surprise gift.

“His cousin is a son of a congressman so they just put it there during the surprise. It's his dad's and not ours so relax. It was taken off by the boys I think seconds right after the photo and before even heading to the church,” she said.

Marquez likewise stressed that she has never been married to anyone prior to Farinas. Marquez was previously in a relationship with Arman de Guzman, with whom she has two children -- Keiley and Kyler.

“Despite all the conjectures, I kept quiet and avoided the limelight and unnecessary issues. People would stereotype that maybe just because they know I have two beautiful children, I may have gotten married. I was never married yet even via church or civilly my whole life,” she said.

Marquez also shared her message to those spreading lies about her marriage.

“To the gossipers, naysayers, negative thinkers, and plain bored, it's okay! Pero nakaka tanda yan, ha. Sayang ang beauty niyo day. Hehe,” she said.

Marquez and Fariñas got engaged last May during their beach vacation in Negros Occidental. The two became a couple in December 2012.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Why rich Koreans are shunning BMWs for Maseratis

SEOUL - Flashy Maseratis and Bentleys are fast becoming the cars of choice for young, monied South Koreans, eclipsing German luxury brands now so commonplace that some in Seoul's upscale Gangnam district jokingly refer to a BMW 5-series as a Hyundai Sonata.

Driving the sales of six-figure plus cars is a growing acceptance of conspicuous consumption in the conservative home of Hyundai Motor Co, where more younger, affluent Koreans are turning their backs on their parents' frugal ways.

"While our parents saved a lot in the past, younger people nowadays spend on things they can enjoy," said chef-restauranteur Song Ji-hoon, who last year sold his Mercedes-Benz CLS to buy a Maserati Ghibli.

"The street is now flooded with German cars. My car is not something one can see often," Song, 34, told Reuters.

Last year, the Seoul dealership of Volkswagen unit Bentley Motors was the top global seller of Flying Spur sedans, which start at just under quarter of a million dollars. The outlet, in Gangnam, ranked second in overall sales behind one in Dubai.

South Korea is also the seventh-largest market for Fiat Chrysler's Maserati, which saw sales increase five-fold last year to a record 723 cars after the brand introduced its Ghibli sports sedan, which starts at around $90,000.

"Korean consumers now want to flaunt themselves," said Kevin Kang, chief operating officer of the joint dealership for British luxury brands Aston Martin and McLaren Automotive which will open in the first half of this year in Gangnam.

"There lingers antipathy towards the wealthy, but at the same time there is aspiration to be wealthy," he said.

Imported luxury vehicles were relatively scarce in South Korea before a trade deal which took effect in 2011 unleashed an influx of high-end mainstream German cars from the likes of BMW , Audi AG, and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz.

While South Korea is the 11th largest car market, it ranks in the top four for certain top-end models such as Audi's A8 and the Mercedes-Benz S Class line, according to the companies.

Sales of imported vehicles priced above 100 million won ($91,100) grew by a third in 2014 from a year earlier to 14,975, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association says, a figure that excludes Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferarri, which are not association members.

Sales of foreign brands priced 150 million won ($136,339) and above nearly doubled last year, as more wealthy drivers sought "ultra-premium" cars to flaunt their status, a trend mocked and celebrated in Psy's 2012 hit song "Gangnam Style".

"There is a strong me-too-ism in Korea. People follow what other people are buying," said Andy Bae, senior analyst at automotive research firm IHS, which expects South Korea's ultra-luxury car market to grow 45 percent by 2017.

South Korea's overall car market grew 8 percent last year.

The number of South Koreans with assets exceeding 1 billion won doubled to about 167,000 in 2013 from five years earlier, according to KB Research. This rising wealth, coupled with younger peoples' desire to stand out in a traditionally conformist society, is encouraging luxury automakers.

Koreans are also marrying later and often rely on parents for housing, leaving many with the means to splash out on flashy purchases.

"As consumers get younger, they are less shy about something that stands out," said Kim Eui-young, a sales manager at the Maserati dealership in Gangnam, which opened in 2007.

Some ultra-luxury cars owners, however, prefer discretion.

A businessman in his 40s, who did not want to be identified, said he bought a blue Ferrari 355 Spider to enjoy on weekends. He also owns a Porsche and a Maserati, but drives a Hyundai SUV to work every day. "People are looking at my cars," he said. "But my employees do not know."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

BMW says talks with Apple don't involve developing a car

FRANKFURT - German carmaker BMW said on Thursday its talks with technology giant Apple did not involve developing or building a car, denying a German magazine report.

Auto Motor und Sport said in its March 4 edition that the two firms were discussing possibilities for cooperating on the development of a passenger car.

Apple was impressed with BMW's carbon-fiber electric cars, the magazine said, citing a "high ranking BMW manager."

The BMW spokesman said: "We are in regular talks with companies from the IT and telecommunications sector, including Apple, concerning topics like connected vehicles. Developing or building a car is not a topic of these discussions."

An Apple spokesman said the company did not comment on rumor or speculation.

Auto Motor und Sport said Apple cars could be sold in Apple stores and serviced at BMW dealerships.

Among the issues that needed to be resolved was whether BMW would allow Apple to develop an operating system for its i3 model, a step that would require BMW to reveal details of its own vehicle software to the technology giant, the magazine said.

Last month, a source told Reuters that Apple was looking beyond mobile devices to learn how to make a self-driving electric car, and was talking to experts at carmakers and automotive suppliers.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

BMW to deploy 200 vehicles for APEC 2015 in PH

MANILA – German luxury carmaker BMW will be deploying over 200 vehicles to service leaders and officials attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in the Philippines next year.

BMW will provide BMW 7 Series Long-Wheelbase Sedans and BMW 5 Series models in Sedan and Gran Turismo forms for heads of states, dignitaries, government officials, and private sector leaders attending the meetings.

BMW, which serves as the official premium mobility partner of APEC, also sponsored a fleet of BMW 7 Series Long-Wheelbase Sedans for the Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting (ISOM) held on December 8 and 9, 2014 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

The vehicles served over 350 foreign and Filipino experts from multilateral organizations and national agencies, members of the academe, and various industry practitioners.

The two-day symposium streamlined priorities for next year’s conference, which carries the theme “Building Inclusive Economies, Building A Better World.”

Asian Carmakers Corporation (ACC), the official importer and distributor of BMW in the Philippines, expressed its support to the government’s efforts in setting the agenda for its host year amid the inclement weather last week.

“BMW congratulates the Philippine government for taking point in this year’s APEC ISOM. We will continue to support the endeavors of our leaders in the coming year as they tackle economic strategies in major business sectors including the automotive industry, which is poised to help spur growth in the region,” said ACC president Maricar Parco.

The Philippines will host a series of APEC meetings to be held in held in Metro Manila, Boracay, Iloilo City, Tagaytay City, Cebu, Bagac, Bataan, Clark, Pampanga, and Legazpi City in November.

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BMW cuts auto part prices in China amid anti-monopoly probe

SHANGHAI - BMW joined its German rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz in cutting prices of auto spare parts in China, where the government has complained about overcharging and launched probes to expose what it describes as anti-competitive behavior.

BMW, which has already cut prices for 3,300 spare parts in China by an average of 15 percent this year, will further reduce prices for over 2,000 components by 20 percent starting Aug. 11, the company said in an e-mailed statement on Friday.

The price cut is in "active response" to concerns expressed by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's price regulator, BMW said.

China is ramping up efforts to bring companies in line with its anti-monopoly law. In recent years, it has slapped foreign companies including Mead Johnson Nutrition Co and Danone SA with hefty fines. It is currently probing Microsoft Corp and carmakers including Mercedes-Benz.

The NDRC said on Wednesday that it would punish Volkswagen AG's premium brand Audi and Fiat SpA's Chrysler for their anti-competitive practices. The fines could be up to 10 percent of their annual revenues in China, according to Chinese law.

Foreign carmakers including Chrysler, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar Land Rover have in recent weeks rushed to announce price cuts to appease Chinese regulators.

"Recently, NDRC's Price Supervision and Anti-Monopoly Bureau expressed great concerns over problems in the auto industry and the after-sales market," BMW said.

"BMW has been paying close attention, and in response, is making the effort to bring down wholesale prices and promoting the flow of original parts."

BMW will expand the sales channels where independent repair shops can buy the carmaker's original parts, addressing criticism that carmakers don't allow components to be sold outside their authorised dealershops.

Foreign luxury brands have frequently been criticized by the state media in China for inflating car and spare part prices and overcharging customers, and have been the focus of an anti-monopoly probe that started in late 2011.

Industry experts say automakers have too much leverage over car dealers and auto part suppliers, enabling them to control prices, considered as a violation of China's anti-trust law.

German brands account for about 70 percent of China's luxury car market. China is BMW's biggest global market.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

BMW, Toyota agree on joint sportscar platform

FRANKFURT- Carmakers BMW and Toyota have agreed to develop a joint platform for sportscars, BMW's development chief Herbert Diess told a German newspaper.

"We have agreed on a joint architecture for a sports car. What is important is that there will be two different vehicles that are authentic to the two brands," Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Monday quoted Diess as saying.

BMW and Toyota had in January signed an agreement to cooperate on various areas including lithium-air batteries and lightweight technology.

They also said at the time they would study the potential for a joint platform for a mid-sized sports vehicle in a feasibility study to be completed by the end of 2013.

Frankfurter Allgemeine said that Diess declined to provide details on the models that would result from the cooperation.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

New BMW dealership opens in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines - A new BMW dealership has opened in Eton Centris, along North EDSA in Quezon City.

Asian Carmakers Corporation (ACC), the official importer and distributor of BMW in the Philippines, recently inaugurated its latest dealership AutoAllee BMW.

This is the 8th BMW dealership in the country, making BMW the only luxury car brand with the widest dealer network in the country.

The new dealership was officially inaugurated by Graeme Grieve, Vice President of Importer Regions of the BMW Group and Neil Fiorentinos, Managing Director of BMW Group Asia, together with Gov. Jose Ch. Alvarez, ACC Chairman and Maricar C. Parco, ACC President.

"We are proud to welcome AutoAllee BMW as the newest member of the BMW dealership network. As the 8th dealership in the country, AutoAllee BMW is a testament to BMW’s commitment to further build and strengthen the brand in the Philippines. Having the widest dealer network in the luxury vehicle segment, we affirm our unmatched leadership in the country for over a decade.” said Maricar C. Parco, ACC President.

The three-storey dealership is built on a 1,900 square meter lot area and houses the most complete line-up of services in BMW’s network of dealerships.

AutoAllee BMW boasts of an expansive showroom that can hold up to six display vehicles, as well as a BMW Lifestyle where customers can avail of the premium items that are reflective of the BMW lifestyle.

The Isetta Bar on the second level, inspired by BMW’s iconic car from the 1950’s, provides customers with a place to wait in ease and comfort while their transactions are processed.

A New Car Delivery area is also housed inside the showroom, where customers can wait in comfort for the formal turnover of their newly purchased vehicle. Highly trained BMW sales consultants are ready to conduct a 6-point walk-around to introduce customers to the features and details of their new BMW.

Autoallee BMW also boasts of extensive after-sales services. The air-conditioned service assessment area, the first in the country, is designed to provide customer with ultimate comfort while certified BMW technicians inspect and assess the vehicle prior to being serviced.

A large-capacity service garage, equipped with the latest tools and equipment, allows multiple vehicles to be serviced at the same time to expedite service efficiency and ensure customer satisfaction. A two-car service elevator also allows easier access to the 3rd floor, which holds additional parking spaces for customers.

The latest addition to the BMW dealership network also features a fully air-conditioned BMW Premium Selection (BPS) showroom on its third floor. BPS is an exclusive selection of pre-owned BMW vehicles that fulfill the highest standards, thereby providing customers with continued sheer driving pleasure.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com