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It’s not often South Africans can simply drive to the international launch of a new car - Europe’s the usual place - but, for the global launch of BMW’s latest 6 Series convertible, the whole world came to Cape Town.
The roads through the winelands, over the mountains and along the scenic coastal routes of the Western Cape have been “home” to a rotating team of German auto PR people and technical specialists for the past month – and the exercise has earned Cape Town millions.
The real pay-off, however, is still to come. Several hundred motoring and lifestyle journalists have also rolled through Cape Town as guests of BMW for the launch here of the latest 6 Series convertible, leaving behind lots of euros, dollars, yen, pounds, baht, dinars and rupees but taking away a king’s ransom in positive publicity for the province.
Their magazine, newspaper and TV reports, in almost every country around the world, will carry shots of Cape Town and its hinterland and the tourists will come. Unless that self-opinionated Clarkson chappie was here again and went home to whinge like a good Pommy about our wines – but then who cares...? Does anybody take him seriously except the Mexicans?
BMW used Cape Town’s Waterfront as the backdrop for its international event and the Sun King - Sol Kerzner’s - 100-star One and Only hotel as home base. But the centrepiece of the whole effort stood under lights outside the hotel. The stunning 6 Series.
The previous model was launched to the South African market back in April 2004; a great car but without the sophisticated high-tech, advanced suspension, safety equipment and infotainment systems that have been developed since then.
A facelift model arrived in January, 2008 – the basic coupe was priced then at R850 000 and the convertible at R933 500 unless you wanted the Steptronic gearbox; that added R16 800. Powering both cars was a 4.8-litre V8 capable of 270kW at 6300rpm and 490Nm at 3400rpm.
It came standard with lane departure warning, active head restraints and cruise control that included active braking – the total self-drive commuting car, if you like.
The 2011 cars, surprisingly, are not that much more expensive – especially when the much higher specification levels and turbocharging are taken into account.
The standard three-litre BMW 640i convertible with its exclusive variant of the straight six TwinPower turbo engine will cost R914 557 in South Africa (including R5 557 CO2 tax for its 185g/km output) and is capable of 235kW from 5800-6000rpm and 450Nm from 1300-4500rpm.
The standard 4.4-litre BMW 650i convertible costs R1 178 530 (including R11 029 CO2 tax for its 249g/km output) and its TwinPower, 4395cc TwinPower turbo V8 produces 300kW from 5500-6400rpm and 600Nm from 1750-4500rpm.
Only the 650i was available for test drives under the brilliant South African sunshine; the power delivery is instantaneous, the torque surge addictive and the handling, despite the car’s bulk, super-reassuring.
The cars will be available in most world markets in March and in South Africa in May. The four-door coupe version is expected in South Africa in 2012.
BMW set up a whole pavilion the size of a large house on the quay of yacht basin behind the Waterfront’s Aquarium for the launch’s media presentations and it was there that Frank Strebe from BMW Germany’s product communications division explained:
“We chose Cape Town because of its weather. We had to launch the cars ahead of the European summer so it had to be the southern hemisphere – nobody wants to see media images of a convertible in the rain!”
He was supported by Bodo Donauer, MD of BMW SA (the first country outside Germany to set up a BMW production plant – it was back in 1973) who said: “The 6 Series is one of the most attractive convertibles around. Here in the Cape the European journalists can appreciate not only the car, but also the venue.
“We showed the world what SA could achieve with the soccer World Cup – this is the World Cup for BMW. Back in 1973 our plant in Rosslyn (Pretoria) sold 2100 cars; in 2010 the SA sales figure was 10 times that number and the plant built 46 000 cars, about 20 percent of them for local sale.
“There will always be people who want a car to express their outlook on life. While their main focus might be on appearance the tech underneath must deliver what the design promises. This convertible is the perfect combination of innovative design and technology.”
Lookswise, I was told by Christian Bauer from BMW Automobiles Design, the latest 6 convertible has flow lines drawn from the world of sailing. While its sister the 7 Series has tall trademark “kidney” grilles, those on the 6 have been flattened to emphasise the width of the car; the L-shaped lights are there to do the same.
At 4894mm, the new 6 is 74mm longer than the previous model; it’s also 39mm wider but nine millimetres less tall – with a concomitant increase in seat height adjustment. BMW also says (coyly, perhaps?) that the longer car gives the rear passengers more legroom. Yeah, right.
Flow lines and creases in the body sides “stretch” the car which, Bauer added, is 50 percent stiffer than its predecessor – good news for potential buyers afraid of the dreaded “scuttle shake” inherent in other soft-tops. It certainly wasn’t present in the 650i I drove, top down and up, which by the way takes 19 seconds to go up and 24 to refold itself into the boot and either direction can be done at up to 40km/h.
The upright glass rear window around which the soft top rises can be dropped separately from the roof; there’s also plenty of headroom with the top in place.
BMW claims the car is a 2+2 but, frankly, it’s no more of a four-seater than is (the much more expensive at R1.6 to nearly R2.5-million) Mercedes’ CL coupe that was launched in South Africa a week earlier. Two very young children, perhaps, but not adults – which seems to be a huge waste of two very expensive seats.
The front seats, however, are magnificent, the fascia layout excellent and the display comes standard with the latest version of BMW’s head-up info and satnav display – though don’t try to focus on it while wearing polarising sunglasses... it ain’t possible.
Otherwise, it is brilliant: no more just orange lettering and graphics, but full colour – including road signs – and the satnav is much better than those of other brands with precise graphic images of, for instance, freeway splits which are shown with accurate lane divisions.
Other standard items on the cars include sports auto gearbox, adaptive drive (choose from four settings), adaptive headlights, internet connection, six-disc CD, voice commands, parking radar, lane departure warning, rear-view camera Bluetooth, full audio, parking assistant, “surround view” cameras and heatable seats.
This list of options if also comprehensive (and expensive – you can spend another R100 000 if you go for the full house of massage front seats (R9600), seat ventilation (R8400), leather fascia trim (R16 800), soft-closing automatic doors (R8300), heatable steering-wheel (R3350), infra-red night vision with pedestrian recognition display (R27 400) and active steering (R21 800).
There’s also a selection of rim/tyre combinations.
BMW’s iDrive information/infotainment control on the centre console is also standard and, subjectively, seems to be a lot easier to fathom. Certainly it covers a multitude of functions.
Check out more about the BMW 6 Series on the BMW SA website.
The roads through the winelands, over the mountains and along the scenic coastal routes of the Western Cape have been “home” to a rotating team of German auto PR people and technical specialists for the past month – and the exercise has earned Cape Town millions.
The real pay-off, however, is still to come. Several hundred motoring and lifestyle journalists have also rolled through Cape Town as guests of BMW for the launch here of the latest 6 Series convertible, leaving behind lots of euros, dollars, yen, pounds, baht, dinars and rupees but taking away a king’s ransom in positive publicity for the province.
Their magazine, newspaper and TV reports, in almost every country around the world, will carry shots of Cape Town and its hinterland and the tourists will come. Unless that self-opinionated Clarkson chappie was here again and went home to whinge like a good Pommy about our wines – but then who cares...? Does anybody take him seriously except the Mexicans?
BEFORE AND NOW: The top picture is of the new 2011 BMW 6 Series convertible; the bottom one how it looked back in 2008.
BMW used Cape Town’s Waterfront as the backdrop for its international event and the Sun King - Sol Kerzner’s - 100-star One and Only hotel as home base. But the centrepiece of the whole effort stood under lights outside the hotel. The stunning 6 Series.
The previous model was launched to the South African market back in April 2004; a great car but without the sophisticated high-tech, advanced suspension, safety equipment and infotainment systems that have been developed since then.
A facelift model arrived in January, 2008 – the basic coupe was priced then at R850 000 and the convertible at R933 500 unless you wanted the Steptronic gearbox; that added R16 800. Powering both cars was a 4.8-litre V8 capable of 270kW at 6300rpm and 490Nm at 3400rpm.
It came standard with lane departure warning, active head restraints and cruise control that included active braking – the total self-drive commuting car, if you like.
The 2011 cars, surprisingly, are not that much more expensive – especially when the much higher specification levels and turbocharging are taken into account.
The standard three-litre BMW 640i convertible with its exclusive variant of the straight six TwinPower turbo engine will cost R914 557 in South Africa (including R5 557 CO2 tax for its 185g/km output) and is capable of 235kW from 5800-6000rpm and 450Nm from 1300-4500rpm.
REVS RULE THE ROOST: The twin tail pipes on the BMW 6 Series 650i play their own music according to which of the eight gears is driving the car.
Only the 650i was available for test drives under the brilliant South African sunshine; the power delivery is instantaneous, the torque surge addictive and the handling, despite the car’s bulk, super-reassuring.
The cars will be available in most world markets in March and in South Africa in May. The four-door coupe version is expected in South Africa in 2012.
BMW set up a whole pavilion the size of a large house on the quay of yacht basin behind the Waterfront’s Aquarium for the launch’s media presentations and it was there that Frank Strebe from BMW Germany’s product communications division explained:
“We chose Cape Town because of its weather. We had to launch the cars ahead of the European summer so it had to be the southern hemisphere – nobody wants to see media images of a convertible in the rain!”
SPACE PROBLEM: "It's a four-seater, captain, but not as we know it." The rear passngers will have to be close friends of Snow White to pack themselves into the 6 Series' back seat.
“We showed the world what SA could achieve with the soccer World Cup – this is the World Cup for BMW. Back in 1973 our plant in Rosslyn (Pretoria) sold 2100 cars; in 2010 the SA sales figure was 10 times that number and the plant built 46 000 cars, about 20 percent of them for local sale.
“There will always be people who want a car to express their outlook on life. While their main focus might be on appearance the tech underneath must deliver what the design promises. This convertible is the perfect combination of innovative design and technology.”
Lookswise, I was told by Christian Bauer from BMW Automobiles Design, the latest 6 convertible has flow lines drawn from the world of sailing. While its sister the 7 Series has tall trademark “kidney” grilles, those on the 6 have been flattened to emphasise the width of the car; the L-shaped lights are there to do the same.
At 4894mm, the new 6 is 74mm longer than the previous model; it’s also 39mm wider but nine millimetres less tall – with a concomitant increase in seat height adjustment. BMW also says (coyly, perhaps?) that the longer car gives the rear passengers more legroom. Yeah, right.
SEEING IS BELIEVING: The big full-colour panel trebles-up as an info screen, as a satnav and as a TV screen. The leather fascia on the 6 Series convertible is an expensive extra.
Flow lines and creases in the body sides “stretch” the car which, Bauer added, is 50 percent stiffer than its predecessor – good news for potential buyers afraid of the dreaded “scuttle shake” inherent in other soft-tops. It certainly wasn’t present in the 650i I drove, top down and up, which by the way takes 19 seconds to go up and 24 to refold itself into the boot and either direction can be done at up to 40km/h.
The upright glass rear window around which the soft top rises can be dropped separately from the roof; there’s also plenty of headroom with the top in place.
BMW claims the car is a 2+2 but, frankly, it’s no more of a four-seater than is (the much more expensive at R1.6 to nearly R2.5-million) Mercedes’ CL coupe that was launched in South Africa a week earlier. Two very young children, perhaps, but not adults – which seems to be a huge waste of two very expensive seats.
The front seats, however, are magnificent, the fascia layout excellent and the display comes standard with the latest version of BMW’s head-up info and satnav display – though don’t try to focus on it while wearing polarising sunglasses... it ain’t possible.
Otherwise, it is brilliant: no more just orange lettering and graphics, but full colour – including road signs – and the satnav is much better than those of other brands with precise graphic images of, for instance, freeway splits which are shown with accurate lane divisions.
FISHY STYLING: BMW calls the 6 Series convertible's top a 'fin' roof - presumably because of the way the two tail bits stand out like, well, fins. The rear window can be would down with the roof up.
Other standard items on the cars include sports auto gearbox, adaptive drive (choose from four settings), adaptive headlights, internet connection, six-disc CD, voice commands, parking radar, lane departure warning, rear-view camera Bluetooth, full audio, parking assistant, “surround view” cameras and heatable seats.
This list of options if also comprehensive (and expensive – you can spend another R100 000 if you go for the full house of massage front seats (R9600), seat ventilation (R8400), leather fascia trim (R16 800), soft-closing automatic doors (R8300), heatable steering-wheel (R3350), infra-red night vision with pedestrian recognition display (R27 400) and active steering (R21 800).
There’s also a selection of rim/tyre combinations.
BMW’s iDrive information/infotainment control on the centre console is also standard and, subjectively, seems to be a lot easier to fathom. Certainly it covers a multitude of functions.
Check out more about the BMW 6 Series on the BMW SA website.
