Source: BMW
The most successful 7 Series in the history of
BMW will set a new standard in the luxury performance class once
again as it enters the 2006 model year. A significant improvement in
performance along with enhancements to the chassis and suspension
reaffirm the BMW 7 Series as the driver’s car in the segment.
Refinement in design, in turn, expresses the car’s enhanced driving
dynamics and sportiness at very first glance while retaining the
unmistakable presence that gives the BMW 7 Series its elegant and
charismatic character.
BMW 750i and 750Li: Powered by an all-new VALVETRONIC V8
The 2006 750i and 750Li
will feature a new 4.8 liter VALVETRONIC V8 engine capable of 360
horsepower (SAE net) and 360 lb-ft of torque. The new models are
even more responsive than their predecessors, with a 0–60 mph time
of just 5.8 seconds.
BMW 760i and 760Li: Twelve-cylinder engine with a unique
combination
of direct fuel injection and VALVETRONIC.
Launched in 2003, the
BMW 760i/Li V12 remains unchanged, with engine output of 438
horsepower (SAE net) and maximum torque of 444 lb-ft. With its
combination of four-valve technology, VALVETRONIC, double-VANOS and
direct fuel injection, the BMW 760i/Li remains unique in the
marketplace. VALVETRONIC ensures the engine’s very high level of
fuel economy under partial load. Direct fuel injection, in turn,
serves to increase both torque and output.
New engines reflect BMW’s ongoing commitment to the ultimate
driving experience:
More power, greater efficiency, lower emissions.
Together with its
ongoing model initiative, BMW’s recent engine initiative ensures
that BMW will continue to deliver the ultimate driving machine.
Recent examples of this
commitment include the new 3.0-liter inline-six with its composite
magnesium/aluminum crankcase, and, of course, the 5.0-liter V10
high-speed power unit in the BMW M5.
In the development of
new engines, BMW’s engineers carefully consider all parameters and
components for their potential, at the same time questioning
virtually all conventional principles. The result is innovative
materials, new machining processes and optimized procedures in
production. The BMW customer, in turn, receives far more powerful,
lighter and cleaner engines that offer a significantly higher
standard of fuel economy.
Efficient Dynamics: Overcoming conventional conflicts of
interest.
Increasing engine output
and torque while reducing fuel consumption, enhancing agility and
nimble performance, and intensifying the experience of driving
dynamics enjoyed by the customer: This is what BMW refers to as
“Efficient Dynamics”, the guiding principle underlying all of BMW’s
development and innovation. This applies equally to engine
construction as it does to chassis development.
In a nutshell, Efficient
Dynamics means consistently solving and eliminating conflicts of
interest. In conventional terms, more power also means more fuel,
more comfort means more weight, which again means more fuel, and so
on. Particularly in the case of large luxury-performance sedans like
the BMW 7 Series, solving such conflicts of interest is an
especially great and demanding challenge.
BMW is able to escape
this continuous loop through the use of intelligent materials and
systems – for example, aluminum helps give the chassis and
suspension of the 7 Series its light-footed, nimble behavior.
Chassis and suspension have been refined to improve
both handling response and ride comfort.
The BMW 7 Series
features an aluminum suspension which offers outstanding steering
precision, exceptional agility and well-balanced driving
characteristics. As a result, the chassis and suspension of the 7
Series combine superior agility and sporting performance on the one
hand, with superior comfort on the other. In other words, it offers
the best of both worlds.
The chassis and
suspension of the 2006 BMW 7 Series has been updated and enhanced.
The rear track is wider by 14 millimeters or 0.55 inches. Combined
with enhanced suspension kinematics and BMW’s revolutionary Active
Roll Stabilization, the 7 Series will continue to offer an
unparalleled driving experience. For those seeking an even sharper
edge, the Sport Package will again be offered with its unique
suspension calibrations.
As a result, BMW offers
the widest choice of suspension control systems in the luxury sedan
segment, naturally also including enhanced brakes reflecting the
higher level of power and performance.
Refinement in design: Even more sporting and dynamic,
but with unmistakable presence and elegance.
The enhanced performance
and dynamic qualities of the BMW 7 Series ensured by the new engines
are appropriately reflected by suitable refinements in design. Apart
from the new, striking powerdome in the hood, the kidney grille,
headlights and front air dam have all been discreetly revised. The
rear, in turn, is characterized by surfaces and body panels with
even clearer contours, a new chrome trim strip, modified tail lights
and the redesigned rear air dam. At the side, the more pronounced
light contour in the sills emphasizes the enhanced sportiness and
dynamic character of the BMW 7 Series.
In all, BMW’s luxury
performance sedan preserves its powerful presence and clearly stands
out on the road through its charismatic, elegant and truly unique
appearance.
Inside the car, the
unique feeling of luxury and peaceful tranquility has been further
refined by the choice of materials and colors, with the control
elements following the main lines of the instrument panel. So again,
the interior of the 7 Series is now even more luxurious and
sophisticated than before.
The iDrive control concept: Refined in its details, even more
user-friendly.
BMW’s iDrive control
concept, the ergonomically sensible combination of single-button
control and display monitor introduced in 2001 and much copied since
then, has now been further refined.
Optimized menu guidance in the Control Display, the upgraded
presentation of menus, and direct access to the various
entertainment functions – for example, one can now directly select
audio source and radio frequency band – are essential elements of
the updated iDrive system in the BMW 7 Series.
New features for extra safety, comfort, and individual style.
As of spring 2005, the BMW 7 Series is
available with an even higher standard of series equipment and
individual options for customizing the car:
• All BMW 7 Series now feature BMW’s two-stage Adaptive Brakelights:
Whenever the driver applies the brakes harder than usual, motorists
following behind are warned by the larger brake light area.
• The optional CD changer is now MP3 CD-capable.
• The standard BMW Assist telematics service now includes Bluetooth
hands-free phone capability.
• Last but not least, the updated BMW 7 Series offers the customer a
choice of four new paint colors, four new upholstery colors, as well
as new 18-inch wheels on the 750i and 750Li.
The most successful BMW 7 Series
ever.
Accounting for almost
160,000 units delivered to customers worldwide, the
fourth-generation 7 Series is the most successful prestige luxury
performance sedan in BMW’s history. Since its introduction to the
world in 2001, the current 7 Series has already outsold the former
model by almost 8 per cent. And with customer deliveries of 57,899
units worldwide in its most successful year so far, 2003, the
current BMW 7 Series outperformed its predecessor in that model’s
best year (1997) by almost 14
percent.
In Germany, the BMW 7
Series became the sales leader in the luxury sedan market in 2004.
Sales have shown impressive growth in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern
Europe, Oceania and Africa where, compared with the former model,
sales of the current 7 Series have more than doubled after 38 months
in the market. Sales volumes in those regions are catching up with
the markets where, by tradition, the BMW 7 Series has always had a
strong position – in particular, Europe and North America.
In the United States,
the success of the current 7 Series is unparalleled. In its first
three years, it outsold its predecessor’s three best years by a
significant seven percent.
Accounting for more than
50 per cent of total sales, the BMW 745i/Li with its large V8 power
unit has been the best-selling model worldwide. The long-wheelbase
version, in turn, accounts for more than half of all BMW 7 Series
sold.
The BMW 7 Series
combines two cars in one: On one hand, it is a genuine BMW offering
those typical BMW virtues such as driving pleasure, agility and
nimble handling for the customer who enjoys driving. On the other
hand, it is a highly prestigious luxury sedan offering generous
space and comfort for the driver and passengers.
More than any other car
on the market, the BMW 7 Series offers that Sheer Driving Pleasure
so typical of BMW not only in the classic sense, but also in the
extended sense of being driven. It is indeed this perfect
combination of two worlds that the BMW customer opting for this
luxury performance sedan appreciates so much, making this model the
most successful 7 Series ever.
The J.D. Power & Associates 2004 APEAL Study (Most Appealing Premium
Luxury Car) and the Strategic Vision Total Delight Index (Best
Luxury Car, two years in a row) affirm that 7 Series owners love
their cars. The 2006 BMW 7 Series will give them more to love.
New V8 engines combined
with numerous other enhancements will ensure that success of the BMW
7 Series will continue with the 2006 model.