BMW AT AUTO SHANGHAI 2007

The Chinese business metropolis of Shanghai will be the setting for three Asian premieres of the German premium automobile manufacturer BMW. At Auto Shanghai 2007, the longest-standing international automobile trade fair in China, the new BMW X5, the new BMW 3 Series Convertible and the new BMW 3 Series Coupé will be presented to Asian visitors for the first time from April 22nd to 28th 2007.

BMW thus continues its model offensive in the Chinese automobile market: with an increasing variety of attractive models in a number of different vehicle segments, the company is intensifying its involvement in a market characterised by dynamic growth.

The new BMW X5 is available in China either with an 8-cylinder engine with 261 kW/355 bhp or a 200 kW/272 bhp in-line 6-cylinder engine. Both models of the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) combine a level of driving dynamics which is unique in this segment with a high degree of versatility and a luxurious ambience.

The other premieres on the continent of Asia are those of the new BMW 3 Series Convertible and the new BMW 3 Series Coupé. In the open-top four-seater model, occupants are protected from the weather for the first time by means of a lowerable hard top, while the elongated line typical of the BMW 3 Series is preserved. The design of the new BMW 3 Series Coupé has a strikingly elegant, sporty character. This model also offers space for four occupants and provides a dynamic driving experience which is unbeaten in this vehicle category.

Powerful in-line 6-cylinder engines with VALVETRONIC fully variable valve train technology and a composite magnesium-aluminium crankcase are available on the Chinese market for the 3 Series Coupé and Convertible with the model designations BMW 330i (200 kW/272 bhp) and BMW 325i (160 kW/218 bhp).

The other attractions of BMW's appearance at the Shanghai affair include the models BMW 530Li, BMW 525Li and BMW 523Li, specially developed for the Chinese market. These long wheelbase versions of the BMW 5 Series produced at the Chinese BMW plant Shenyang offer outstandingly sporty qualities combined with superior interior comfort and a particularly luxurious business limousine.