http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/bmw/ en-us Tue, 3 Nov 2009 11:05:42 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377241/posts BMW profit skids 74% By Polya Lesova, MarketWatch FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- BMW Tuesday reported a 74% decline in third-quarter net profit, as the recession deterred buyers of luxury cars. Third-quarter net profit dropped 74% to 78 million euros ($115 million) from the same period a year ago. Revenue fell by 6.6% to 11.76 billion euros. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected a profit of 39 million euros on sales of 11.97 billion euros. Market Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377241/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 11:05:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2303632/posts BMW confirmed this morning that they are to leave Formula One at the end of the season stating that the resources ‘freed up’ from its exit from the sport will be deployed in other areas. The German car maker took over the Sauber team in 2006 and has since gone on to record one victory. “Of course, we, the employees in Hinwil and Munich, would all have liked to continue this ambitious campaign and show that this season was just a hiccup following three successful years,” said BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. “But I can understand why this decision was... F1 Live http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2303632/posts#comment Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:17:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2214654/posts BMW's profits tumble nearly 90% BMW makes the Mini car in Oxford BMW's net profits tumbled nearly 90% to 330m euros ($423m; £306m) last year, as the global economy weakened and reduced demand for cars. Earnings were hit by 2.4bn euros of exceptional costs linked to bad debts, personnel costs and provisions to cover risks on used car markets. Separately, the European Investment Bank made a 400m euros loan to BMW as part of a wider industry package. The EIB approved 3bn euros in loans to the European auto industry. The money will go to German, Italian, French and Swedish... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2214654/posts#comment Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:22:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2202473/posts Swiss con man Helg Sgarbi has been sentenced to six years in jail after admitting sleeping with and blackmailing a succession of rich women out of millions of pounds including BMW heiress Susanne Klatten. The 44-year-old wined and dined a string of rich wives and widows, including Germany's wealthiest woman Mrs Klatten, winning their confidence and then asking for money. Telegraph UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2202473/posts#comment Mon, 9 Mar 2009 14:34:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2202313/posts The case of a Swiss playboy who allegedly seduced Germany's richest woman, defrauded her of millions of euros and tried to blackmail her out of millions more by revealing details of their sexual encounters, is to be laid bare today in a Munich courtroom where he is due to go on trial. In a case that has become known as "the gigolo versus the billionaire", Helg Sgarbi, 44, could face up to 15 years in jail if he is convicted of the crimes against Susanne Klatten, the heir of BMW and the 55th richest person in the world, and five... The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2202313/posts#comment Mon, 9 Mar 2009 09:24:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2196475/posts Luxury cars targets of meltdown rage 1 Mar 2009 When Berlin resident Simone Klostermann returned from vacation and couldn’t find her Mercedes SLK, she thought it had been towed. Police told her the $45,000 car had been torched. “They’d squirted something flammable into the car’s engine block in the gap between the windshield and the hood,” said Klostermann. The 34-year-old’s experience isn’t unique in the German capital. At least 29 vehicles were destroyed in arson attacks this year, most of them luxury cars, according to police. The number is already about 30% of the total for 2008. The latest to... Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2196475/posts#comment Sun, 1 Mar 2009 02:25:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2188616/posts Warning to 223,000 Mini drivers after cars suffer sudden failure in power steering By Daily Mail Reporter 18th February 2009 Angry drivers are urging Mini to recall almost a quarter of a million cars following a spate of sudden power steering failures. Many motorists have had frightening experiences and near-miss crashes after the system abruptly cut out, making controlling their vehicles extremely difficult. The fault is believed to be a problem in 223,000 Minis bought between 2001 and 2007. At risk: Models of Minis bought between 2001 and 2007 can display the fault Following an investigation by the BBC's Watchdog... DailyMail(U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2188616/posts#comment Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:08:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186847/posts February 16, 2009 BMW to cut 850 jobs at Oxford Mini plant Marcus Leroux and Jenny Booth BMW, the German vehicle maker, today announced plans to lay off 850 weekend agency staff at its Mini factory in Cowley, near Oxford, as the slowdown in demand for cars worsens. Agency workers leaving Cowley this morning expressed their anger at being given just one hour’s notice of losing their job. The company made the announcements just as the staff affected were finishing their shift. "It’s a disgrace. I feel as though I’ve been used. We should have been given one month’s notice,... London Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186847/posts#comment Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:07:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2148037/posts Jim DeMint should be cloned! BMW in SC is in the process of a $750 million dollar expansion. “This is a business problem, and it cannot be solved with a political solution.”-Sen. Jim DeMint http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2148037/posts#comment Sat, 13 Dec 2008 04:50:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133606/posts Toyota, BMW, Hyundai Workers' Senators Oppose Rescue http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133606/posts#comment Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:26:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011291/posts ot News: BMW's Electric Car BMW is poised to give the go-ahead to a tiny Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) that will help to revolutionise city-centre driving. The rear-engined city car could be called Isetta and will first arrive in American showrooms in 2012. The project was created because of new Californian regulations (soon to be copied by 12 other US states) which require big car makers to sell between a few hundred and a few thousand ZEVs every year from 2012. autospies http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011291/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 03:32:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008017/posts Back in the mid 1970's, BMW exploded into the Midship Engine realm with a sexy little car called the M1. It has since been laid to rest and been reflected upon with sadness and envy. Jump to 2008, and BMW has released a concept design that they are dubbing the "M1 Homage." First off, BMW has made it very clear that this is a "concept design" and there are no "official" plans for production. However, keep in mind that there have also been rumors circulating that BMW was going to make a return to the Midship engine genre of... inventorspot.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008017/posts#comment Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:25:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996471/posts Readers of London's Sunday Times kept telling the auto reporters that the official mileage numbers for the Prius were overstated by about 15 imperial mpg. Intrigued, the Times decided to test things out by running a Prius against a BMW 520d with regenerative braking from London to Geneva, a 460-mile trip. Then they added 100 miles of urban running to give the Prius a chance to recover ground on its proper turf. The verdict: the conventional diesel with Efficient Dynamics beat the full hybrid by 2.2 imperial mpg, or 1.8 US mpg. This means that an executive sedan with all... Autoblog.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996471/posts#comment Fri, 4 Apr 2008 02:31:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987547/posts The Toyota hybrid is hailed as an eco-paragon, so how does it fare against a big BMW? To find out our correspondents go on a run to Geneva. The Prius, like the iPod, is more than a piece of clever technology. It symbolises something bigger – a responsible attitude, a healthier way of living. Toyota has sold more than a million examples of the car since launching it in 1997 and it has attracted a worldwide following led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and much of the rest of Hollywood. It’s classified by the American government as the “most fuel-efficient... TimesOnline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987547/posts#comment Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:59:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1983122/posts COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- On one side of the Atlantic Ocean, BMW says it will cut 7.5 percent of its work force over two years. On this side of the water, the company says it plans to increase production by more than 50 percent by 2012. "This is completely driven by the plunge in the dollar," said Greg Gardner with Oliver Wyman, publisher of the Harbour Report on automotive manufacturing activity. "It is untenable to produce at a much higher cost in Germany." The euro climbed to record heights Friday, reaching $1.5463 before falling back to $1.5335 in late trading... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1983122/posts#comment Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:21:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1980502/posts What you are looking at is the physical representation of Hyundai's will to succeed in the U.S., also known as the 2009 Hyundai Genesis. The Korean automaker's first attempt at a rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan will debut in Detroit next week and arrive on our shores later this year (we think) with a price tag that starts below $30,000. As is Hyundai's way, it will feature power, performance and amenities that belie its little price tag. First, the design. The Genesis sedan has clean lines and uncluttered surfaces that look detailed and, frankly, expensive. Yes, it's derivative. There's a bit of... AutoBlog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1980502/posts#comment Wed, 5 Mar 2008 01:53:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1960214/posts (CNN) -- Five young men died Saturday when the car they were in drove off the end of a private airstrip near Ocala, Florida, became airborne for 200 feet and slammed into an oak tree, authorities said. "This had to be the worst vehicle crash that I have ever seen during my career," said Randy Robinson, a spokesman for the Emergency Medical Services Alliance with 27 years on the job. The 2008 BMW was split in two in the wreck, which happened at 3:45 a.m., said Lt. Mike Burroughs, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol Troop B. He told... CNN.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1960214/posts#comment Sun, 27 Jan 2008 06:13:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1941039/posts KENSINGTON - A Vallejo man tried to kill himself and a female companion by driving their car into a fountain at a Kensington cemetery, police said today. David Duane Lewis, 45, intentionally crashed the BMW into the fountain at the Sunset View Cemetery and Mortuary about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Kensington Police Chief Greg Harman said. El Cerrito police officers were then called to a nearby disturbance involving Lewis and his companion, Harman said. The officers concluded it was related to the crash at the cemetery, where the BMW was found submerged in the water, the police chief said. Lewis was... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1941039/posts#comment Tue, 18 Dec 2007 04:33:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1919349/posts October 31, 2007 - A fourth person is dead because of a grinding crash Monday night in Newark. Delaware State Police investigators report the driver of the Honda, Matthew Wilson, 23, died Tuesday night because of his injuries. The sole survivor of the BMW, Hector Villa Gran-Merida, 18, is out of a coma, but still in critical condition. The driver of the BMW, Israel Palmero Merida, 17, did not have a drivers license. Police believe drunk driving and speeding led to the horrific crash that killed four people and critically injured one other in Newark, Delaware Monday night. Around 9:45... 6ABC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1919349/posts#comment Thu, 1 Nov 2007 06:30:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1911496/posts DANA POINT, Calif. A San Juan Capistrano woman whose blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when her BMW veered off a Dana Point road early Monday and fatally struck a man on a bicycle was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, authorities said. Michelle Stearns, 26, was arrested at the scene of the roughly 1:55 a.m. accident along Del Obispo Street near Quail Run, Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department said. Stearns was driving north on Del Obispo when she lost control of the car, went over the curb, hit a traffic sign and struck... (CBS) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1911496/posts#comment Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:27:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1910680/posts By Germany's wealthy and reclusive Quandt family, a major BMW shareholder, has gone on the defensive. For decades the family repressed its Nazi past, but a new documentary film provides new photos of old revelations that have prompted the Quandts to confront their own history of using slave laborers in factories during World War II.It is difficult to ignore the stories of former forced laborers during the Nazi era. Their memories are painful to listen to, even when they are presented calmly and without any finger-pointing. One former forced laborer telling his story today is Carl-Adolf Soerensen, a former Danish... Spiegel Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1910680/posts#comment Sat, 13 Oct 2007 09:35:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1892595/posts BERLIN (Reuters) - Nearly two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall a German company plans to give the Trabant, a stinky two-cylinder car that became the symbol of communist East Germany, a new lease of life. The new Trabants will no longer have tiny engines, noxious fumes and plastic bodies but will retain the iconic design of the original -- like Volkswagen's new Beetle or the new Mini. The Trabant was the most common vehicle in the former East Germany and was produced without major changes for nearly 30 years. Known in the West as a "spark plug... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1892595/posts#comment Fri, 7 Sep 2007 15:00:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1887840/posts BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer is not happy. In a case which proves that nothing is immune to the sleight of hand of Chinese manufacturers and their ability and willingness to clone any product on earth, BMW has been forced to threaten legal action over a cheap knock-off version of their popular X5 SUV. The Chinese-made SUV which ironically enough is called CEO is almost identical in appearance to BMW’s X5…especially from the rear. “We have already taken steps against the marketing of the CEO (SUV) in Europe. Should this car be presented at the IAA, we will look into taking... CEOSMACK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1887840/posts#comment Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:27:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1841416/posts STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Loss-making Ford Motor Co. is planning to sell Swedish car maker Volvo and German carmaker BMW could be a possible buyer, a Swedish newspaper said on Monday. The Goteborgs Posten daily reported on its website that a source within Ford said BMW has been studying a possible purchase of Volvo. The Financial Times also reported last Friday BMW was in informal talks to buy Volvo. "We cannot comment on speculation, this is a question for our owner," said a spokeswoman for Volvo cars. Ford bought Volvo in 1999 and it is now part of the U.S. company's... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1841416/posts#comment Tue, 29 May 2007 15:18:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1831383/posts German carmaker BMW wants to buy Gothenburg-based Volvo Cars from Ford, it has been reported. British car magazine Autocar, quoting sources in the car industry, wrote that BMW had hired a European investment bank to analyse Volvo. The magazine added that BMW had also looked at Italian company Alfa Romeo, currently owned by Fiat. Car industry analysts told Autocar that BMW wants to broaden its brand portfolio to strengthen future growth. It was also suggested that Volvo would improve BMW's environmental and safety profiles. But car industry analysts who spoke to Swedish news agency TT dismissed the idea of Volvo... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1831383/posts#comment Thu, 10 May 2007 16:42:25 GMT