F10 BMW 5 Series: An elegant, safe, dynamic, efficient and globally successful model

The new BMW 5 Series: An elegant, safe, dynamic, efficient and globally successful model.

* 23.02.2011
* Press Release

Munich. At the proving ground it immediately left the competition standing and is also right up front when it comes to public popularity. During its first year, the new BMW 5 Series got off to a perfect start and is continuing unabatedly with its success story in 2011. Commanding victories in comparison tests carried out by well-known specialised media, best marks in the analyses performed by independent experts with regard to design, safety and value stability as well as an unparalleled flood of accolades in the latest reader surveys at home and abroad characterise the impressive start-up phase, which began with the market launch of the BMW 5 Series Sedan in March 2010.

The outstanding desirability and popularity of the BMW 5 Series is also reflected in the sales figures. Demand was additionally boosted with the launch of the new BMW 5 Series Touring. Since October 2010, the BMW 5 Series has been global market leader in the premium segment of the upper midrange class. During the course of 2010, a total of 211,968 vehicles of the BMW 5 Series were sold worldwide, this representing an increase of 22.6 percent over the previous year. In the spring of 2011, diversity of the BMW 5 Series model range will be extended yet again. Intelligent four-wheel drive technology BMW xDrive can now be combined with three engine variants featured in the BMW 5 Series Sedan and it will shortly be introduced in the BMW 5 Series Touring. The new models BMW 535i xDrive, BMW 530d xDrive and BMW 530d xDrive Touring are fitted as standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission including Auto Start Stop function.

The BMW 5 Series is “Germany’s Favourite Car”, has gained “Car of the Year” awards from the UK, Bulgaria, Mexico, Thailand and New Zealand, completed both the US NCAP and the Euro NCAP crash test as the safest vehicle in its class and received, among other awards, numerous prizes for design. No other model caused such a sensation on international automotive markets in 2010 as the new BMW 5 Series. On the basis of the car’s qualities and enormous popularity, market observers are already predicting that it will retain a high level of value stability, for which reason the new BMW 5 Series is listed as “Value Champion 2011” in the rankings published by the trade magazine “Auto Bild”.

Recently, the USA’s “2010 GOOD DESIGN Award” was added to the list of accolades. The jury consisting of international design experts presented the award for the authentic transfer of vehicle characteristics to the design of the BMW 5 Series Sedan. In the BMW brand’s homeland, the BMW 5 Series’ captivating aesthetics had already been honoured with the “red dot award”, the “iF Product Design Award” and the “Design Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany”. Furthermore, the BMW 5 Series Sedan received the ”Design Award” from the “Auto Bild” and the “Design Trophy” from the “Auto Zeitung” magazine.

With its sporty and elegant styling, brand-typical driving pleasure and a myriad of technological innovations, the new BMW 5 Series has secured top positions in numerous international rankings established by independent institutes, trade associations and based either on a decision made by a jury of experts or a public survey. For example, the BMW 5 Series was chosen as “Germany’s Favourite Car” across all classes in the “Gelber Engel” competition held by the German Automobile Association ADAC. Readers of the trade magazine “auto, motor und sport” voted it the winner in its vehicle category in the search for the “best cars of 2011”. The BMW 5 Series also proved to be the public favourite in the readers’ voting conducted by the “Autorevue” in Austria and successfully competed for the “Grand Austrian Automobile Prize”, after being voted winner as the result of the jury’s decision and a readers’ survey. In the Netherlands, the new BMW 5 Series was chosen as the “Most wanted business car” and as winner of the “Autoweek Satisfaction Award”. In France, it was voted “Premium Car of the Year” by the “Argus Magazine”.

Immediately following the market launch, numerous honours were bestowed on the new BMW 5 Series in other European countries as well. In the UK, the new BMW 5 Series received, inter alia, the “Business Car Award” and was voted “Business Car of the Year”. The BMW 530d Touring was presented with the “Car of the Year Award” by the renowned magazine “What Car?” and the Association of Scottish Motoring Journalists nominated the BMW 530d “Scottish Diesel Car of the Year”. Furthermore, the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo was voted “Executive Car of the Year” within the framework of the “Professional Driver COTY Awards”. The magazines “Fleet World” and “Auto Express” both voted the BMW 5 Series “Best Executive Car”. The BMW 5 Series Sedan also won the title “Car of the Year” in Portugal, where the magazine “AutoSport” evaluated the decision made by journalists from different media. Moreover, readers of the Portuguese magazine “AutoHoje” nominated the sedan class winner in the competition “Best Cars 2010”.

The new BMW 5 Series gained further titles at the nomination of the “Top Player 2010” by the Polish “Fleet Magazine”, in the competition “Company Car 2010” in the Czech Republic, at the presentation of the “Innovation Award” by the Hungarian magazine “autopult” and at the “Auto Bild” readers’ nomination for the “Golden Lenkrad” in Bulgaria and Romania. Bulgarian motoring journalists also voted the BMW 5 Series Sedan “Car of the Year” and the BMW 5 Series Touring has meanwhile been chosen as “Family Car of the Year” both by the Bulgarian and the Romanian edition of the “Top Gear” magazine. The BMW 5 Series Touring was also successful in the readers’ vote held by the Slovak “Auto Magazine” in this category. In addition, the Slovak lifestyle magazine “Zivot” nominated the BMW 5 Series “Best looking car of the year”. With the “Golden Klaxon Award” and the title “Best Business Car”, the new BMW 5 Series was also able to win two significant accolades in Russia.

A multitude of further awards on different continents is proof of the BMW brand’s international reputation and the global popularity of the new BMW 5 Series. For example, on its way to worldwide success, the BMW 5 Series was awarded the title “Best Saloon Car of 2011” by the “Auto Magazine” in Israel and presented with the “Superbrands Award” in Nigeria. The BMW Series was voted “Premium Car of the Year” both at the “Car India Award 2011” and at the “Business Standard Motoring Award”. Furthermore, in India the title ”Premium Automobile of the Year” was awarded by the TV magazine “CNBC Overdrive” and the prize for “Best Design and Styling” within the framework of the “Bloomberg-UTV Autocar Award” was also bestowed on the new BMW 5 Series. The “NDTV Car Award 2011” was given to the BMW 5 Series as the “Premium Sedan of the Year”, at the “Economic Times Zigwheels Award 2011” it was voted “Luxury Prestige Sedan of the Year” and “Best Executive Car of the Year” at the “Top Gear Award 2011” in India. In Mexico, the BMW 5 Series Sedan was honoured as “Best Luxury Sedan” by the station “Autoshow TV” and in Brazil, the BMW 5 Series was presented with the “Best Car Award” by the magazine “Carro” as well as the title “Best Imported Car” by the “Car Magazine”. The Australian magazine “Drive” voted the BMW 535i “Car of the Year”, in New Zealand the same title was given to the entire BMW 5 Series.

The new BMW 5 Series was able to win a particularly large number of awards on the East Asian automotive markets. These include for example double victory at the “Car of the Year Award” and the “Automotive Quality Award” in Thailand, first place in the automobile ranking in the competition “Hit Products” of the “Herald Business Newspaper” in Korea and the “Autocar ASEAN Award” in Malaysia. In Indonesia, the BMW 5 Series was up front both at the “Auto Bild Indonesia Award” and the “Top Gear Indonesia Award”. In Singapore, the car won the award given by the newspaper “The Straits Times” in the class “Executive Sedan”. Furthermore, the online magazine “OneShift.com” voted the BMW 535i “Car of the Year”. A further “Car of the Year Award” was presented in Taiwan to the BMW 5 Series Sedan. In Hong Kong, the BMW 5 Series seized six significant awards at once. It was voted “Executive Sedan of the Year” by the magazine “Top Gear”, “Best Executive Sedan” by “Automobile Magazine” and “Best of European Executive Sedan” by “Car Plus Magazine”. In addition, the “JessiCar Award 2010”, the “COTY Gran Prize” and the title “Editor’s Choice – The Best of Executive Sedan 2010” went to the new BMW 5 Series.

The series of internationally most significant awards is completed by outstanding results in a multitude of discerning and renowned safety tests. The new BMW 5 Series completed the Euro NCAP, the US NCAP and the Australian NCAP crash tests with the best mark of 5 stars. In fact, the BMW 5 Series Sedan is the very first car to achieve a 100 percent rating in the category safety features in the Euro NCAP crash test. Moreover, it is one of the first vehicles to receive a special award given by Euro NCAP experts for the enhanced emergency call with automatic positioning and information on the severity of the accident.

The new BMW 5 Series Sedan also coped with the US NCAP crash test in a special way. It is the first car to receive at first go the highest rating of 5 stars in the further significantly tightened test procedure of the US-American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Furthermore, the new BMW 5 Series was honoured in the USA with another accolade for outstanding occupant protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) voted the car “Top Safety Pick” based on best ratings in all test categories.

The new BMW 5 Series was also successful in setting the benchmark for safety on the Australian and Asian automotive markets. In the Australasian NCAP crash test, the BMW 5 Series Sedan obtained the best result ever achieved in this vehicle class. In New Zealand as well, independent experts honoured the excellent level of occupant protection. At the “AA Motoring Excellence Awards”, the New Zealand automobile club AA (Automobile Association) nominated the new BMW 5 Series safest vehicle of the year.

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The LA Auto Show, the largest on the US west coast, is typically the venue worldwide automakers showcase their latest green technologies. This year's exhibition is no different, with a slew of automakers touting environmentally-conscious vehicles powered by everything from turbines to batteries. But LA is also the stage for some relevant design exercises, including the Nissan Ellure concept, Cadillac's Urban Luxury concept, Hyundai Elantra, the Dodge Charger and Durango, Nissan's Quest minivan, the Ford Explorer, Subaru's Impreza concept and the new Saab 9-4XNissan Quest	Dodge Charger

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The biggest, most pertinent question is whether the global 'One Ford' strategy this car has been designed under can work in practice. Ford has been here before with the first generation Focus and Mondeo (Contour) but later abandoned it. It's a strategy completely at odds with that of VW, which recently unveiled a version of the Passat specifically designed for the North American market. So we grabbed one of the first cars to land in the UK to see how well the Focus stands up in one of its core European markets

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The Focus presents an extrovert, expressive langauge, which is a useful point of differentiation in a class of me-too cars. Its competition is indistinct, particularly given the new–found design sobriety of the latest Citroen C4 and Renault Megane. It also answers a key criticism of the old car's design, which many viewed as being overly simple, to the point of being dull.

The latest incarnation has grown physically in order to accommodate its broader brief, yet the packaging feels more compromised for a small family car. Trunk space is now slightly smaller than in the previous model and rear legroom is only average for the class. This is in part born from a strategy to place the core Focus as the more sporty, driver-orientated product, within a five-variant model line-up. A small family in a current generation Focus may be pointed in the direction of the C-Max come new car time according to Ford.

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