BMW opens showroom in Mongolia

Success breeds even more success, especially if you’re BMW. It managed to put more cars on the road than arch rival Mercedes-Benz, and seems to be moving from strength to strength. One wonders though, if its success has been the result to clever deals, such as the massive discounting for the IMF/World Bank limousines, or the rapidly falling price of the latest 3 Series since its launch in early 2005? If BMWs are such wonderfully rewarding cars to drive, why is there the need to have so many promos to get them on the road? Perhaps the time is ripe for BMWs to return to first principles and be sold on the fact that they are excellent driver’s cars. Now that the dealer doesn’t have Mini in its line-up (Minis are now marketed and sold by the Eurokars Group), it is time that BMW launch the 1 Series, in particular the basic 116i. It should be marketed like the E36 316i, a special limited-edition under $100,000 BMW to compete against the Mercedes-Benz A-class, Alfa Romeo 147, Volkswagen Golf 1.6 and Audi A3. It should be stripped of all extraneous gadgets like i-Drive, sat-nav or variable ratio powered steering, but be true to the fine handling that its 50:50 weight balance and rear-wheel drive affords. It will be a ‘classic’ BMW that will appeal to drivers, not the posers that have been sucked in by deals and clever marketing schemes.

Well its official, the new BMW 3 Series Cabriolet gets a folding steel roof similar to that found in the Volvo C70, Volkswagen Eos, Peugeot 307 CC and Renault Mégane. This ends the long rumoured argument between BMW’s marketing and engineering departments. Marketing of course finds the trendy folding metal roof easier to sell, and it is probably seen as being very progressive. On the other hand, BMW engineers and purists, who are justifiably proud of making fine handling and perfectly balanced cars with 50:50 weight distribution between the front and rear axles, would probably have preferred to stick to a fabric roof as it is lighter and more compact. It seems as if marketing has won out over engineering as this metallic roof structure most definitely means that the 3 Series Coupé-Cabriolet can no longer claim to be perfectly balanced. There will most certainly be a difference in weight distribution from the roof being up to it being collapsed in the boot, no matter how light BMW has managed to make the 3-piece folding hard-top roof structure. For a start, the range for the new Convertible consists of the 325i and 335i, the latter being a 306bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre direct-injection unit. Most certainly, other engine variants will follow. The 3-piece folding hard top takes just 22 seconds to deploy, and to encourage owners to keep the roof down, BMW has developed the world’s first ‘sun-reflective’ leather upholstery. As for appearances, credit must be given to BMW for developing a Coupé-Cabriolet that looks good both with the roof deployed as well as collapsed, with none of the awkwardness that affects other cars with a folding hard-top structure. Pity about losing the weight balance, though. Do you think BMW made the right decision about the new Cabrio's roof?

The BMW Sauber F1 Team will take their place on the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest this coming weekend with a different driver line-up. After his accident at the German Grand Prix last weekend Canadian driver Jacques Villeneuve will not be racing.