Here you will find the latest news and information on the BMW brand:
From end of October, BMW customers in selected markets can enjoy in their vehicle a special festive animation video to celebrate Halloween.
With the Festive App, BMW sends animated videos accompanied with festive sound and atmospheric ambient lightning to the customer’s vehicles: this year BMW is surprising its customers in their BMWs with a festive animation for Halloween. While watching the animation video, customers can immerse in the charm of funny shadow plays, spooky characters, and a heart-warming new friendship.
Customers will receive a notification in their control display once the vehicle has been started, signaling the approaching Halloween celebration. By clicking the notification, the BMW “Happy Halloween” animation video will start and is available until the beginning of November. Customers can replay the animation as often as liked during the festive season by clicking on the app icon in the BMW all apps menu.
To display the festive animations, the vehicles need to have the appropriate optional equipment and a BMW iDrive with Operating System 7, 8, 8.5 or 9, as well as a production date after 07/2020.
Building on the legacy of the iconic 2022 BMW 3.0 CSL, BMW is turning driving dreams into reality with the exclusive new BMW Skytop.
First unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2024 on Lake Como, the BMW Concept Skytop (➜ Read also: BMW Concept Skytop) captivated driving enthusiasts with its timeless elegance and precise craftsmanship. This visionary concept now becomes reality in a highly exclusive edition of only 50 vehicles.
The open-top two-seater pays tribute to the history of iconic BMW roadsters such as the BMW 507 or BMW Z8. Powered by a 4.4-litre M TwinPower Turbo petrol engine delivering 460 kW (625 hp), it combines dynamism and exclusive design. Equipped with BMW xDrive and an 8-speed Steptronic transmission, the BMW Skytop accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in only 3.3 seconds.
The new BMW 1 Series is taking over not only the roads but also the world of gaming. Players can now use the model to take over the arenas in one of the most successful titles ever: Rocket League.
But it gets even better! Everyone had the opportunity to design the decal for the BMW 1 Series in Rocket League in a design contest. The winner will be chosen in mid-October. Whoever wins over the jury with their design will win USD 3,000 in prize money – and a place in gaming history.
More information about the BMW 1 Series in Rocket League can be found at rocketleague.com. As usual, you can find out all about the new BMW 1 Series in the showroom.
BMW Group, Mattel, Inc. and AirConsole announced that Mattel’s classic card game UNO™ will be revealed for in-car gaming. Visitors to the AirConsole booth at gamescom 2024, the world’s largest event for video games, were the first to experience ‘UNO® Car Party!’ in the new BMW X3. The game will roll out via the AirConsole platform to BMW over-the-air on August 21st.
UNO was transformed into a playable connected game in a brand-new environment: the car. Whether a family is at rest during a road trip, or a group of friends stop to figure out their next move, stationary drivers can use AirConsole’s unique game controller system to connect any passenger to the game using their personal devices. Up to four players can experience the game that brings people together through its simple, universal gameplay that transcends languages and cultures. Vehicles must be in park to enable gameplay.
Since 2022, the partnership between the BMW Group and AirConsole has been pioneering in-car gaming, bringing intuitive and innovative gameplay to BMW vehicles through the AirConsole platform. Its selection of games has grown since the introduction of AirConsole, with popular games such as “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”, which launched as an in-car world premiere in collaboration between Sony Pictures Television, BMW Group and AirConsole.
AirConsole is available in current BMW models with BMW Operating System 9 in combination with BMW Digital Premium and with BMW Operating System 8.5 in combination with BMW ConnectedDrive Professional.
Over the past five decades, UNO has maintained its legacy as a game with wildly unpredictable fun, spirited competition, and inclusivity. UNO continues to surprise and delight fans through innovative offerings from top-line physical products, mobile games, live gaming events and premium collective card games; inclusive gameplay through products like UNO Braille and culturally relevant product from fan-created UNO memes to the UNO Artiste series featuring the artwork of artists from yesterday and today.
The BMW M5 is powering into a new era. With 40 years of history under its belt, the legendary high-performance sedan is entering its seventh model generation. And the executive model from BMW M GmbH now has an electrified drive system for the first time. A model-specific version of the M HYBRID system gives the new BMW M5 a maximum output of 535 kW/727 hp and peak system torque of 1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft). The combination of a high-revving V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology and an electric motor, plus power transfer courtesy of an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission and M xDrive all-wheel drive, enables acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.5 seconds.
The chassis design of the new BMW M5 comprises a double-wishbone front axle and a five-link rear axle with bespoke kinematics and elastokinematics, plus a host of other specially tuned components. The electrically assisted rack-and-pinion steering with M Servotronic and variable steering ratio has a rigid connection to the front axle subframe to ensure optimal feedback from the road and a high degree of directional accuracy. In conjunction with the wide tracks and the excellent torsional rigidity of the body and chassis mountings, this combination produces the handling attributes for which BMW M models are renowned, shaped by agility, precision and the linear build-up of lateral forces when the driver is pushing on.
BMW International Open: World-Class Golf in Munich
Experience the top-class BMW International Open golf tournament from July 3-7, 2024, in Munich. Don't miss the thrilling long-drive show match on Thursday evening, July 4, featuring world champion Martin Borgmeier. Expect a loud, long, and spectacular event. For more information and tickets, visit www.bmw-golfsport.com.
A four-legged robot named “SpOTTO” recently joined the team at BMW Group Plant Hams Hall in the UK. The autonomous robotic dog scans the plant, supports maintenance and ensures production processes run smoothly. Equipped with visual, thermal and acoustic sensors, SpOTTO is deployed in a number of unique use cases: On the one hand, it collects valuable data for the plant's digital twin (the virtual representation of an object); on the other, it serves as a watchdog, overseeing maintenance of production facilities. “Virtualization, automation and artificial intelligence are central pillars of the BMW iFACTORY,” explains Klaus von Moltke, SVP of Engine Production at BMW AG. “Bold, innovative application examples like those at Plant Hams Hall showcase the full range of possibilities.”
SpOTTO was created by Boston Dynamics with the product name “Spot.” It is a nimble robot small enough to use indoors, that climbs stairs and traverses rough terrain with ease. “Spot” was renamed SpOTTO at Plant Hams Hall – paying tribute to the heritage of the British engine plant. Gustav Otto was one of the founders of BMW and son of Nicolaus Otto, inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine. Marco da Silva, Head of Spot Product Development at Boston Dynamics explains: “The working environment at Plant Hams Hall is well suited for industrial inspections using a quadruped robot like SpOTTO.”
