2016 BMW 7-series

BMW 7 Series '40 Jahre' heads to SA in limited numbers

BMW has taken the wraps off the limited-run 7 Series Edition 40 Jahre ahead of its world debut at the 2017 Frankfurt International Motor Show.

The Munich-based automaker says it will build just 200 units of the special edition model, with each example tailored to individual customer specifications at the BMW Dingolfing plant. South Africa will receive five units in the fourth quarter of 2017, all in M760Li xDrive form. The price? Some R3 085 900 (or about R366 000 more than the, er, “standard” M760Li).

Elsewhere, the anniversary edition model (which follows a similar theme to the M3 30 Jahre Special Edition released last year) will be offered in either standard or long wheelbase form, in conjunction with any of the six-, eight- and twelve-cylinder engines currently available for the BMW 7 Series. A plug-in hybrid version will also be on offer.

The 40 Jahre can be specified in either Frozen Silver metallic or Petrol Mica metallic. The M Aerodynamics Package, high-gloss Shadow Line and 20-inch light alloy wheels will be standard fitment, while an edition signet has been added to the B-pillar and door-sills.

Full Merino fine-grain leather trim will be offered in various colour combinations. All 40 Jahre models will be fitted with comfort seats at the front and rear, while another edition signet is sited on the facia ahead of the front passenger.

Of course, all options from the range of special equipment for the BMW 7 Series will also be available should the customer wish to upgrade the configuration even further…

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/bmw-7-series-40-jahre-heads-to-sa-in-limited-numbers/
 
When a regular 7 series is too cheap for you, then you get yourself the "jirre" edition, nice starting price of 3bar!
 
Elegance

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ALPINA B7 BI-TURBO REVISED TO HIT A WHOPPING 330 KM/H

Alpina, one of the front-runners when it comes to aftermarket BMW tuning, has made some revisions to its 750Li-based B7 Bi-Turbo‘s 4,4-litre V8 engine. While the engine has been upgraded, there are no additional visual alterations to be seen.

The aforementioned V8 has been pushed to deliver 447 kW and 800 N.m of torque, which gives the B7 a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 3,7 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h, just about edged it into supercar territory. Comparatively, this makes it just 1 kW less powerful than BMW’s own bi-turbo 6,0-litre V12 currently found in the 760Li.

The B7 also retains the xDrive system that delivers power to all four wheels. It’s fitted with an in-house exhaust system to give it a more purposeful sound.

As mentioned before, the Alpina B7 retains its body kit, badging, custom interior upholstery and customised digital gauge. The 20-inch alloy wheels are also untouched, with 21-inch version still optional.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/alpina-b7-biturbo-revised-to-hit-330-kmh/

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Arty BMW 7 Series by Esther Mahlangu comes 'home' to SA

Back in 1991 Esther Mahlangu, a South African Ndebele artist, was the first woman to create artwork on a BMW 525i sedan (below), turning it into a unique and colourful BMW Art Car.

Last year Esther was again commissioned by the BMW Group to put her unique artistic touch on a BMW 7 Series, and the vehicle was displayed at the Frieze Art Fair in London. Simultaneously, the original BMW 525i Art Car was part of the exhibition "South Africa: the art of a nation" at the British Museum, highlighting Esher’s key role in South African art.

BWW South Africa has now become the owner of Esther's specially commissioned BMW panels painted in Ndebele art which have been installed into a new BMW 750Li Individual (below). The vehicle will form part of BMW Group South Africa's Heritage Collection and will displayed at various Arts and Cultural events.

"I am so glad that BMW brought my art back to South Africa, it is a beautiful car to be shared with the people of South Africa for many years to come," says Mahlangu.

"The patterns I have used on the BMW panels marry tradition to the essence of BMW. When BMW sent me the panels to paint, I could see the design in my head and I just wanted to get started! I started by painting the small ones first to get the feel of the surface and then it was easy as the design follows the lines of the panels," she adds.

Esther was born a member of the Ndebele tribe in 1935 in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, and started painting at the age of ten under the guidance of her mother and grandmother.

Traditionally, Ndebele women decorate the exterior walls of houses with elaborately painted patterns and graphic elements, symbolising important events such as weddings or other celebrations. Esther has separated these decorations and patterns from her people's traditional art of painting. In the form of pictures, vessels or carpets, she has constantly brought it into new contexts, combining her artwork with items used in everyday life.

Says Tim Abbott, CEO of BMW Group South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa: "We are delighted to share Esther's legacy with the people of South Africa. Esther embraces her traditional heritage passionately and has dedicated her entire life to the development and promotion of Ndebele art".

The BMW Individual 7 Series by Esther Mahlangu is a right-hand drive vehicle, boasting an array of equipment from the BMW Individual and Individual Manufaktur personalisation lines including 20” light alloy wheels in w-spoke styling and exterior bodywork painted in BMW Individual Aventurine Red Metallic.

The interior features BMW Individual full fine-grain Merino leather in Smoke White/Black, the highest quality leather available for a BMW, including seats with weave-look stitching and hand-woven piping. A BMW Individual leather steering wheel with applications in Piano finish Black and an Alcantara headliner in Smoke White complete the interior's exclusive ambience.

The car is powered by a 4.4-litre V8 turbopetrol with outputs of 330kW and 650Nm for a claimed 100 km/h sprint in just 4.7 seconds.

The BMW Art Car Project goes back to 1975 when French racing driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain commissioned American artist and friend Alexander Calder to paint a BMW 3.0 CS for Poulain to race in the Le Mans 24-Hour race.

Since Calder's work of art, many other renowned international artists have created BMW Art Cars, including Mahlangu, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol. To date 17 BMW Art Cars, based on both racing and regular production vehicles, have been created.

Personal style with BMW Individual

Products from the BMW Individual Collection offer unique equipment options including exclusive paint finishes (such as silky matt BMW Individual Frozen paint finishes), high quality leather, and special interior trims. BMW Individual Manufaktur takes it a step further to create personalised one-of-a-kind vehicles from a palette of more than 100 special paint finishes and an expanded range of interior bling-bling.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/arty-bmw-7-series-by-esther-mahlangu-comes-home-to-sa-10817173
 
BMW thinking of killing off the car key completely

BMW offers a so-called smartkey with some of its products, but even this appears to be under threat.

A high-ranking executive at BMW has revealed that the German brand is considering killing off the traditional car key.

Ian Robertson, who is the member of the board responsible for sales at the BMW Group, told Reuters that the traditional car key was no longer useful for many customers.

“Honestly, how many people really need it?” Robertson asked, adding that the majority of BMW’s new vehicles didn’t even require a key to be inserted into the ignition to start them.

“They never take it out of their pocket, so why do I need to carry it around?” he said.

An increasing number of vehicles in the BMW line-up can be unlocked via the owner’s smartphone using a BMW app, leading the Munich-based brand to consider dropping the old-fashioned, physical key altogether.

“We are looking at whether it is feasible, and whether we can do it. Whether we do it right now or at some point in the future, remains to be seen,” Robertson said.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/bmw-thinking-of-killing-off-the-car-key-completely/
 
Angry owner burns 7 Series in front of BMW HQ

Remember that guy who bashed his BMW M6 with a sledgehammer outside the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2013, only to repair it and beat it up again outside the Geneva show the following year?

Well, clearly not convinced that BMW has learned any lessons in the interim, the car basher is back, this time setting fire to a newly acquired E65 7 Series right in front of BMW’s headquarters in Munich.

The latest protest has nothing to do with the 7 Series however, as according to the YouTube description the owner, Dr Pourmohseni Hadi, is still harping on about the M6 that he acquired in Italy back in 2008.

Dr Hadi said that his M6 had transmission problems, as well as a range of annoying vibrations and rattles.

After a string of allegedly unsuccessful repairs at dealer level, after which BMW insisted the car was in fact repaired, Hadi halted the lease payments, after which BMW Leasing Italia had him and his company blacklisted.

In the end BMW offered to buy the car back at a price that reflected five years worth of depreciation, but without any admission of fault, and that simply wasn’t good enough for Hadi and the bad blood continues to flow.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/angry-owner-burns-7-series-in-front-of-bmw-hq-11316965

[video=youtube_share;ULVfW1uOW6E]https://youtu.be/ULVfW1uOW6E[/video]
 
Increased hybridisation expected with 2018 BMW 7 Series facelift

Minor updates and technology boosts will likely be crowned by a growing hybrid line-up; new Chinese legislature a big factor

More hybrid variants of the BMW 7 Series luxury saloon are expected to be launched when the model is facelifted next year.

The Audi A8 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival is currently offered with just one hybrid drivetrain, as the 740e, but ever-tightening global legislation has encouraged BMW to expand its electrified line-up.

China is BMW’s biggest market and the 7 Series is particularly well suited to the high demand for luxury vehicles there. But new legislation will require 8% of each car brand’s Chinese sales to be for ‘new energy vehicles’, which includes hybrids and electric vehicles, from 2019.

Sources therefore predict the addition of another hybrid variant, as well as improvements in the existing 740e model, to boost 7 Series demand in what is the world’s biggest car market.

A less significant change is expected with the car’s autonomous technology. BMW’s next major improvements in driverless systems won’t come until the launch of the iNext in 2021, so the 7 Series' adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, autonomous emergency braking and collision avoidance systems are expected to be enhanced rather than overhauled.

No arrival date for the facelifted 7 Series has yet been revealed, but the model’s relevance to China suggests the Beijing motor show in April 2018 is a probable venue for its public debut.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/...idisation-expected-2018-bmw-7-series-facelift

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Review: BMW 740e is electric luxury in motion

The BMW 7 Series is one of the finest cars yet. There are few things wrong with it and remains the automaker's flagship. In BMW’s arsenal it is the epitome of luxury and automotive advancements and the features it has is indicative of what buyers in the lower Series’ can expect in a few years when the technologies become cheaper and more mainstream.

But in 740e guise this 7 Series is not just your ordinary, run-off-the-mill Beemer with a big engine. Nope, this one has an electric engine that supports a 2.0-litre petrol engine - a combination of future meets present.

A 2.0-litre engine?

For this model BMW decided to equip the 7 Series with a 2.0-litre engine. A 7 Series with a small(ish) engine is a bit unheard of, but given that this 740e’s purpose is to be a fuel efficient lounge, it does start to make sense. With both the petrol engine and electric motor running in tandem, total output is a punchy 240kW and a mammoth 500Nm. The real kicker in all of this? BMW claims that fuel consumption is a measly 2.1 litres/100km. 2.1!

To achieve that claim, the 740e can run on pure electric power for short distances. And when cruising in peak traffic, drivers can simply engage all-electric mode and go about life in pure fuel-saving silence. As is to be expected, the eight-speed gearbox is smooth as silk regardless the driving mode.

Insanely comfortable

What sets BMWs apart from other vehicles is that its rear-wheel drive setup gives the car a near 50/50 weight distribution over both the front and rear axles. And it is no different in the 740e. The car lost none of the trademark driving traits the 7 Series is known for, despite the purpose it has to fulfil in the range. But in the 7 Series you’d much rather want to be a passenger in the rear seat than the driver. The 740e is akin to a limousine; an amazing experience for passengers.

To their exposure, drivers are treated to a number of driving aids to make the experience behind the wheel memorable. At speeds up to 50km/h, the car will steer through both the front and the rear wheels. This not only makes the 740e more manageable, but it helps to get around tight turns and manoeuvre into parking bays. To better the experience drivers are treated to adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and headlights that turn with the direction of the steering wheel.

Being seated in the rear is of course where you’d much rather want to be. Not only are passengers treated to the massage functions, but the seats can recline for that extra bit of comfort. The rear windows and the big rear mirror have sun visors for extra protection against a glaring sun. To further aid the experience, the rear axle features air suspension; and it does have a profound impact on how the car gobbles up the hobbles. It’s as if the vehicle retains its ride height over speedbumps and other undulations, with only the axles lifting and dropping.

Other tricks up its sleeve include a boot than opens with motion sensors, the steering wheel that drops and lifts when you start or shut the car down, voice and gesture control, as well as night vision that detects objects in the dead of night.

The meaning of this car

The world is moving, at a very fast pace, towards an all-green future. The leaps and bounds made towards that reality can be seen at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. But though that reality is possible in first-world countries, others like South Africa are somewhat behind in terms of infrastructure to support such a lifestyle. Why? Because there are too few fast charging stations, and electricity supply at home are both too slow and too expensive (unless of course you make use of alternative energies and have a fast charging station at home). But then a car like the 740e comes along to help South Africans make sense of the changing world.

The car relies primarily on its petrol engine and does the electric motor only serve as backup. The purpose of the latter is not to enhance performance, but rather to reduce consumption and emission gasses. And that, to South Africans, is what we need. Because we are lagging in terms of infrastructure, a traditional engine is still our way of living for the foreseeable future. BMW implemented hybrid technology in the 740e and made this 7 Series a car that can’t be overlooked.

Diesel and petrol derivatives are the default options, but in the 7 Series range the 740e manages to blend present and future in a contemporary package.

http://www.wheels24.co.za/NewModels/review-bmw-740e-is-electric-luxury-in-motion-20171009
 
BMW 7 Series stars in new spy thriller

The latest BMW 7 Series has joined an elite group of cars chosen to star in big-budget Hollywood movies, alongside icons such as James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, the Transporter’s Audi A8 and a Mustang GT500 named Eleanor.

In the new spy thriller Red Sparrow, Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence plays against type as Russian prima ballerina Dominika Egorova, who suffers a career-ending injury and is manipulated into joining a secret intelligence project called the Sparrow School, where exceptional young people are trained to use their minds and bodies as weapons.

Given that ballerinas are the fittest and most disciplined athletes on the planet (Lawrence admits that she had to work hard for several months just to get fit enough to pretend to be a ballerina) it’s unsurprising that Egorova becomes most dangerous Sparrow the program has produced.

Agent of change

The understated black long-wheelbase Seven becomes an agent of change in the development of the plot, as Egorova is driven through the wintry Russian landscape to the secret Sparrow School location - literally moving from one life to another - and later in the storyline it’s used to ferry the Sparrow School’s deadliest graduate to her shadowy assignments.

In addition to Lawrence and the 7 Series, the film stars Joel Edgerton as a CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust, Oscar winner Jeremy Irons as a two-faced Russian general, Charlotte Rampling as the chief instructor of the Sparrow School, Matthias Schoenaert as head of the NKVD (the Russian Secret Service) and Mary-Louise Parker as a US informant.

Red Sparrow opens in cinemas on 2 March.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/bmw-7-series-stars-in-new-spy-thriller-13366683

[video=youtube_share;iF6KDcrDOsU]https://youtu.be/iF6KDcrDOsU[/video]
 
New 2019 BMW 7 Series images showing X7 influence leak

Images from online configurator show high-tech saloon's styling in full, complete with taller kidney grille

Output for the 740e peaks at 322bhp and 369lb ft of torque, but the use of a more advanced motor powered by batteries of a higher energy density is expected to provide more power to the turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, edging combined output towards 400bhp.

The new electrified technology will also provide the 745e with a greater electric-only range. The 740e is good for 29 miles, so it’s likely that the new hybrid will push that into the low 30s.

Alongside the enhanced plug-in variant, the rest of the 7 Series range will also receive improvements. Expect more power and improved fuel economy for the engines, which include six-cylinder petrols and a four-cylinder diesel, as well the V8 750i and V12 M760Li xDrive.

The X7, a rival to the Range Rover that launched late last year, will rub shoulders with the 7 Series at the top of BMW’s range. The design link is likely a tactic to create familiarity between the two flagship models.

Both cars are pitched directly at high-flying luxury car buyers, of whom a large number come from China. Customers there typically prefer more aggressive car design, so this new look is possibly also evidence of a design shift to cater to tastes in the world’s biggest new car market.

Aside from the altered front end, the rest of the spotted test car appears to feature more discreet alterations, including a new front bumper design and slimmer lights at the rear.

Inside, the existing architecture will be updated with BMW’s latest infotainment technology. Major changes aren't expected, although a digital instrument display is likely and should significantly enhance the user experience while also helping the 7 Series keep up with technology offered by rivals such as Audi.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-2019-bmw-7-series-images-showing-x7-influence-leak

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