The BMW Group is taking an active role in the “national platform for electromobility” launched by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Monday. The BMW Group will contribute its many years of experience in the area of electromobility to the project, plus the extensive scientific results from field tests currently being carried out with the MINI E. The “basic conditions” working group will be chaired jointly by Dr Klaus Draeger, Member of the BMW AG Board of Management responsible for development, and Prof. Lars-Hendrik Röller from the European School of Management and Technology.

The aim of this joint initiative – which brings together the worlds of politics, science and industry – is to further strengthen the pioneering role of Germany in the area of electromobility. “Germany … CONTINUED

Good Times! BMW USA is reporting a 9% increase in overal vehicle sales (BMW + MINI) as compared to the April of 2009. No doubt those were difficult times, but it seems the mild-moderate sales rebound BMW predicted are in fact coming true. The month to month sales increase of 9% is a big part of a much more important 7.9% increase in sales when comparing Year-to-date sales.

BMW has announced that its all-electric “Megacity Vehicle” line will launc in 2013. This line of vehicles was designed from the ground up to be fully electric vehicles and will be significantly lighter than conventional cars with heavy use of carbon fiber. It will be a zero-emission urban car for the world’s metropolitan regions. It is currently being developed as part of project i and will be available from 2013 under a sub-brand of BMW.

NEW YORK – BMW AG is cutting production at its assembly plant in Spartanburg, S.C., because the volcanic eruption in Iceland has disrupted delivery of key parts for two SUVs.

BMW spokesman Jan Ehlen says volcanic ash is grounding planes that bring leather seat covers from South Africa and transmissions from Europe. He says the plant will not stop production, but employees will work shorter shifts until the supply of parts returns to normal.

The Spartanburg plant builds the X5 and X6 SUVs for the German automaker. Spartanburg is BMW’s only assembly plant in the U.S.

Ash from the Icelandic volcano has brought trans-Atlantic flights to a near standstill for five days, stranding travelers and disrupting businesses.

The BMW 1-series has achieved 1 million units produced after five years of production. The 1 millionth 1-series produced was delivered to its proud owner today at the Leipzig Motor Show, the Auto Mobil International (AMI). The car, a three-door BMW 118d built at BMW Plant Leipzig, was handed over jointly by Frank-Peter Arndt, Member of the Board of BMW AG for Production, and Stanislaw Tillich, the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, to a customer from Leipzig.

BMW maintained its place as the world’s #1 premium brand as it outsold #2 Audi by 1,709 units globally in the first quarter of 2010. In the first quarter, BMW Group reported sales of 315,614 cars, a 13.8 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

Since announcing its arrival in South Carolina in 1992, BMW Manufacturing announced today that it has surpassed the export of over one million vehicles, 85% of which have gone through the Port of Charleston. Currently, over 70% of the vehicles produced in Spartanburg are exported to over 120 worldwide markets.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – April 1, 2010 – BMW of North America, LLC today announced that the launch of the 2011 BMW 5 Series Sedan marks the first time BMW’s entire product line is equipped with standard digital HD Radio Technology entertainment systems. Most of the 2011 BMW model lineup featuring the upgraded technology started production this month and will be available at dealerships by June 2010.

HD Radio Technology enables exclusive HD2/HD3 channels – added sub-channels spun off the main radio frequency – which broadcast unique, new content for avid radio listeners in local markets. These channels are found directly adjacent to the main (HD1) station on the dial. Today, there are over 2,000 radio stations in the U.S. broadcasting with HD Radio Technology, more than … CONTINUED

New trademarks registered by BMW gives some insight into new model lineups that will eventually be added to BMW’s offerings. The new names include: i1, i2, i3, i4, i5, i6, i7, i8, i9, E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7, E8, E9, M50d, Urbanic, Gran Coupe, Compactive, and Compactive Tourer.

The “i” lineup of cars could very well be used to designate the sub-compact electric megacity vehicle we’ve been hearing about for a while. The “E” lineup of cars could possibly be used to designate electric versions of current BMW models. “M50d” is speculated to refer to a tri-turbo diesel. “Urbanic” could be a new trim level associated with the megacity vehicles. And “Compactive and “Compactive Tourer” could be applied to wagons based on the 1- and … CONTINUED