In a move that might alienate some fans of the brand, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer has revealed plans for a range of small BMW cars that will share a front wheel drive / all-wheel drive platform with Mini.
This is a major paradigm shift. Up until now, BMW has stuck to either rear or all-wheel drive for its entire line-up, on the basis that only those layouts would deliver the superior handling balance that’s central to the marque’s reputation. How else could BMW provide The Ultimate Driving Machine / Sheer Driving Pleasure / Freude am Fahren etc, etc?
The new BMW models will sit below the 1 Series, which is to retain its RWD architecture, and be between 3800mm and 4300mm long.
To put those figures into context, the Mini hatch is 3699mm, the Mini Clubman is 3937mm and the BMW 1 Series hatch is 4239mm. So it seems the new range is going to have to squeeze into a tiny gap between those existing models.
A fairly safe assumption is that the next generation 1 Series will grow slightly, creating space to accommodate the newcomers. It’ll still be interesting to see whether the new FWD range has more interior space than the 1 Series, though. Unlike the 1 Series, it won’t need an engine bay that can take a longitudinally-mounted straight six engine, a consequence of RWD that certainly affects packaging.
Will the advent of FWD really bother potential customers? That’ll probably depend on who you ask.
The majority probably won’t understand the question. According to a recent survey of 1 Series drivers carried out by BMW, a shocking 80% thought their car was driven through its front wheels. So, as long as the new range handles fine, they really won’t care. It works for BMW’s competitors. Audi, for example, manages quite happily using FWD for all of its cars except the A8, R8, Q5 and Q7.
Admittedly, it’s debateable whether an Audi ultimately offers as good a driving experience as its equivalent BMW. For some of the remaining 20%, such arguments might make them a bit sceptical of FWD. However, Mini has already proven that BMW can engineer a very capable FWD chassis. The Mini’s handling prowess combined with the better ride that a longer wheelbase should give sounds like a pretty good recipe.
That leaves the third, most likely smallest, group. Those who think FWD is the work of the devil, who would rather walk than drive such a creation. OK, in a fit of pique they may decide to boycott the rest of the BMW range, but they should be reminded that the market isn’t awash with RWD cars smaller than the 1 Series. The only mainstream alternatives are the Mazda MX-5 or Lotus Elise / Exige, 4020mm and 3785mm respectively. Not exactly direct competitors to the BMW, then.
One of the biggest problems facing BMW will be what to call its small car. 0 Series?
Monday, March 22, 2010
BMW goes FWD
In a move that might alienate some fans of the brand, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer has revealed plans for a range of small BMW cars that will share a front wheel drive / all-wheel drive platform with Mini.
This is a major paradigm shift. Up until now, BMW has stuck to either rear or all-wheel drive for its entire line-up, on the basis that only those layouts would deliver the superior handling balance that’s central to the marque’s reputation. How else could BMW provide The Ultimate Driving Machine / Sheer Driving Pleasure / Freude am Fahren etc, etc?
The new BMW models will sit below the 1 Series, which is to retain its RWD architecture, and be between 3800mm and 4300mm long.
To put those figures into context, the Mini hatch is 3699mm, the Mini Clubman is 3937mm and the BMW 1 Series hatch is 4239mm. So it seems the new range is going to have to squeeze into a tiny gap between those existing models.
A fairly safe assumption is that the next generation 1 Series will grow slightly, creating space to accommodate the newcomers. It’ll still be interesting to see whether the new FWD range has more interior space than the 1 Series, though. Unlike the 1 Series, it won’t need an engine bay that can take a longitudinally-mounted straight six engine, a consequence of RWD that certainly affects packaging.
Will the advent of FWD really bother potential customers? That’ll probably depend on who you ask.
The majority probably won’t understand the question. According to a recent survey of 1 Series drivers carried out by BMW, a shocking 80% thought their car was driven through its front wheels. So, as long as the new range handles fine, they really won’t care. It works for BMW’s competitors. Audi, for example, manages quite happily using FWD for all of its cars except the A8, R8, Q5 and Q7.
Admittedly, it’s debateable whether an Audi ultimately offers as good a driving experience as its equivalent BMW. For some of the remaining 20%, such arguments might make them a bit sceptical of FWD. However, Mini has already proven that BMW can engineer a very capable FWD chassis. The Mini’s handling prowess combined with the better ride that a longer wheelbase should give sounds like a pretty good recipe.
That leaves the third, most likely smallest, group. Those who think FWD is the work of the devil, who would rather walk than drive such a creation. OK, in a fit of pique they may decide to boycott the rest of the BMW range, but they should be reminded that the market isn’t awash with RWD cars smaller than the 1 Series. The only mainstream alternatives are the Mazda MX-5 or Lotus Elise / Exige, 4020mm and 3785mm respectively. Not exactly direct competitors to the BMW, then.
One of the biggest problems facing BMW will be what to call its small car. 0 Series?
This is a major paradigm shift. Up until now, BMW has stuck to either rear or all-wheel drive for its entire line-up, on the basis that only those layouts would deliver the superior handling balance that’s central to the marque’s reputation. How else could BMW provide The Ultimate Driving Machine / Sheer Driving Pleasure / Freude am Fahren etc, etc?
The new BMW models will sit below the 1 Series, which is to retain its RWD architecture, and be between 3800mm and 4300mm long.
To put those figures into context, the Mini hatch is 3699mm, the Mini Clubman is 3937mm and the BMW 1 Series hatch is 4239mm. So it seems the new range is going to have to squeeze into a tiny gap between those existing models.
A fairly safe assumption is that the next generation 1 Series will grow slightly, creating space to accommodate the newcomers. It’ll still be interesting to see whether the new FWD range has more interior space than the 1 Series, though. Unlike the 1 Series, it won’t need an engine bay that can take a longitudinally-mounted straight six engine, a consequence of RWD that certainly affects packaging.
Will the advent of FWD really bother potential customers? That’ll probably depend on who you ask.
The majority probably won’t understand the question. According to a recent survey of 1 Series drivers carried out by BMW, a shocking 80% thought their car was driven through its front wheels. So, as long as the new range handles fine, they really won’t care. It works for BMW’s competitors. Audi, for example, manages quite happily using FWD for all of its cars except the A8, R8, Q5 and Q7.
Admittedly, it’s debateable whether an Audi ultimately offers as good a driving experience as its equivalent BMW. For some of the remaining 20%, such arguments might make them a bit sceptical of FWD. However, Mini has already proven that BMW can engineer a very capable FWD chassis. The Mini’s handling prowess combined with the better ride that a longer wheelbase should give sounds like a pretty good recipe.
That leaves the third, most likely smallest, group. Those who think FWD is the work of the devil, who would rather walk than drive such a creation. OK, in a fit of pique they may decide to boycott the rest of the BMW range, but they should be reminded that the market isn’t awash with RWD cars smaller than the 1 Series. The only mainstream alternatives are the Mazda MX-5 or Lotus Elise / Exige, 4020mm and 3785mm respectively. Not exactly direct competitors to the BMW, then.
One of the biggest problems facing BMW will be what to call its small car. 0 Series?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
2010 Sebring 12 Hours
Following a dominant performance in qualifying, it was no surprise that Peugeot went on to win its first Sebring 12 Hours race this weekend.
In the end, it was the number 07 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP of Alexander Wurz, Anthony Davidson and Marc Gene that took victory in the first race of the 2010 American Le Mans Series.
Its sister car, driven by Pedro Lamy, Sebastien Bourdais and Nicolas Minassian, finished just behind in second place, completing the same number of laps.
It was, arguably, a somewhat hollow victory. The main challenge to the diesel Peugeots for both LMP1 and overall honours would probably have come from the Audi R15 TDI, also diesel powered.
Audi however was absent from Sebring, although it had wanted to compete. Because Audi didn’t have a full 2010 spec car ready in time, it tried to enter an interim R15 instead. It would have complied with the updated regulations regarding air restrictors and reduced turbo pressures, but its aerodynamics - especially around the front of the car - would not have.
Therefore, to be allowed to take part, all other teams would have had to agree. Peugeot emphatically said ‘non’ though, so that was that. The irony is that Audi will be taking the full 2010 spec R15 (pictured below) to Sebring later this week for a testing session.
The third podium place was taken by the LMP1 Lola-Aston Martin of Stefan Mücke / Harold Primat / Adrian Fernandez, the first petrol-powered car to cross the line.
Away from LMP1, LMP2 only had three entrants. The class was eventually won by the Porsche RS Spyder of Greg Pickett / Klaus Graf / Sascha Maassen.
GT2 was the most hotly contested category, with thirteen entrants. Many expected one of the Chevrolet Corvettes to win. Indeed, that did seem to be the likely outcome until just over three hours into the race.
In what could kindly be described as an unfortunate incident, Jan Magnussen had just got into the number 3 Corvette following a driver change. Upon being released from his pit box, he immediately collided with his team mate Emmanuel Collard who was entering the adjacent pit in the number 4 car. Both Corvettes needed repairs following the accident, gradually dropping them down the field.
Corvette Racing’s misfortunes, together with various episodes that affected the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR runners of Team Falken Tire and Flying Lizard Motorsports, ultimately handed the class win to the Ferrari F430 GT of Risi Competizione, driven by Jaime Melo / Gianmaria Bruni / Pierre Kaffer.
Luckily, the ALMS field is bolstered by two additional categories, LMP Challenge and GT Challenge, which are essentially one-make classes. Without these, the grid would have been reduced to a rather pathetic twenty-one entrants, rather than the thirty-four that actually did start the race.
LMPC is new for 2010, and all teams use the Oreca FLM09 prototype. These cars have full carbon fibre chassis, run with a minimum weight of 900 kilograms and have engines producing 430 hp. LMPC also uses single-supply Michelin tyres to keep the racing as even as possible. The Level 5 Motorsports car of Scott Tucker / Ryan Hunter-Reay / James Gue took a comfortable class win at Sebring, finishing 10th overall and sixteen laps ahead of its nearest LMPC challenger.
GTC is exclusively for the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. The class victory went to the number 81 car driven by Juan Gonzalez / Butch Leitzinger / Leh Keen, entered by Alex Job Racing.
In the end, it was the number 07 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP of Alexander Wurz, Anthony Davidson and Marc Gene that took victory in the first race of the 2010 American Le Mans Series.
Its sister car, driven by Pedro Lamy, Sebastien Bourdais and Nicolas Minassian, finished just behind in second place, completing the same number of laps.
It was, arguably, a somewhat hollow victory. The main challenge to the diesel Peugeots for both LMP1 and overall honours would probably have come from the Audi R15 TDI, also diesel powered.
Audi however was absent from Sebring, although it had wanted to compete. Because Audi didn’t have a full 2010 spec car ready in time, it tried to enter an interim R15 instead. It would have complied with the updated regulations regarding air restrictors and reduced turbo pressures, but its aerodynamics - especially around the front of the car - would not have.
Therefore, to be allowed to take part, all other teams would have had to agree. Peugeot emphatically said ‘non’ though, so that was that. The irony is that Audi will be taking the full 2010 spec R15 (pictured below) to Sebring later this week for a testing session.
The third podium place was taken by the LMP1 Lola-Aston Martin of Stefan Mücke / Harold Primat / Adrian Fernandez, the first petrol-powered car to cross the line.
Away from LMP1, LMP2 only had three entrants. The class was eventually won by the Porsche RS Spyder of Greg Pickett / Klaus Graf / Sascha Maassen.
GT2 was the most hotly contested category, with thirteen entrants. Many expected one of the Chevrolet Corvettes to win. Indeed, that did seem to be the likely outcome until just over three hours into the race.
In what could kindly be described as an unfortunate incident, Jan Magnussen had just got into the number 3 Corvette following a driver change. Upon being released from his pit box, he immediately collided with his team mate Emmanuel Collard who was entering the adjacent pit in the number 4 car. Both Corvettes needed repairs following the accident, gradually dropping them down the field.
Corvette Racing’s misfortunes, together with various episodes that affected the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR runners of Team Falken Tire and Flying Lizard Motorsports, ultimately handed the class win to the Ferrari F430 GT of Risi Competizione, driven by Jaime Melo / Gianmaria Bruni / Pierre Kaffer.
Luckily, the ALMS field is bolstered by two additional categories, LMP Challenge and GT Challenge, which are essentially one-make classes. Without these, the grid would have been reduced to a rather pathetic twenty-one entrants, rather than the thirty-four that actually did start the race.
LMPC is new for 2010, and all teams use the Oreca FLM09 prototype. These cars have full carbon fibre chassis, run with a minimum weight of 900 kilograms and have engines producing 430 hp. LMPC also uses single-supply Michelin tyres to keep the racing as even as possible. The Level 5 Motorsports car of Scott Tucker / Ryan Hunter-Reay / James Gue took a comfortable class win at Sebring, finishing 10th overall and sixteen laps ahead of its nearest LMPC challenger.
GTC is exclusively for the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. The class victory went to the number 81 car driven by Juan Gonzalez / Butch Leitzinger / Leh Keen, entered by Alex Job Racing.
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