New Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo Based on 2011 5-Series Coming to Goodwood

Independent BMW customizer Alpina has published the first official sketch of its upcoming B5 Bi-Turbo ahead of the sports saloon world premiere at next month's 'Goodwood Festival of Speed' event in the UK.

As the car's name suggests, the B5 Bi-Turbo is based on the new 2011 BMW 5-Series sedan. So far, Alpina is keeping a tight lid on details about the car, but if the company's previous and current models are anything to go by, then the B5 Bi-Turbo could be all the M5 you'll ever want.

We wouldn't be surprised if the new B5 uses the same twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine with an output of 500-horsepower and a hefty 516 lb-ft (700Nm) of torque found under the bonnet of Alpina's 7-Series B7 Bi-Turbo.

Engine aside, the sketch shows that the B5 will be mildly dressed up with a new body kit comprising of a front lip spoiler and rocker panels, as well a set of larger multispoke wheels. Interior upgrades also expected to be part of the package.

New BMW Alpina B3 S Bi-Turbo with 400 Ponies Available for Order in the UK

Following its recent world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the new BMW 335i-based Alpina B3 S Bi-Turbo is now available for order in the UK with first deliveries to start in July.

Offered in four-door saloon, Touring, Coupe and hardtop Convertible forms, the new B3 S comes with a modified 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight six upgraded to deliver a hefty 400HP at 6,000 rpm and 540Nm or 398.3 lb-ft of peak torque.

The 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint takes 4.7 seconds for both the saloon and coupe models which are also capable of achieving a top speed of 186mph or 300km/.

Alpina's take on the 335i range is identified on the outside by a redesigned front spoiler, a new rear diffuser which encloses the tailpipes and a different set of alloy wheels. The BMWs interiors are upgraded with a new steering wheel and modified instruments while Alpina also offers various lather trim options.

Prices for the Alpina B3 S Bi-Turbo start from £49,250 on-the-road for the sedan version.

Type	Price	Power	Torque	0-62mph	Top speed	Combined	CO²
Saloon	£ 49,250 OTR	400 hp	540 NM	4.7 s	186 mph	29.4 mpg	224 g/km
Touring	£ 50,250 OTR	400 hp	540 NM	4.8 s	184 mph	29.1 mpg	225 g/km
Coupé	£ 50,250 OTR	400 hp	540 NM	4.7 s	186 mph	29.4 mpg	224 g/km
Convertible	£ 55,250 OTR	400 hp	540 NM	4.9 s	185 mph	29.1 mpg	225 g/km

2011 BMW Alpina B7 with 500HP to go on Sale in the U.S. this Spring

The Alpina-prepped B7 sedan will be returning to BMW's U.S. lineup this year offering American buyers an alternative to Mercedes-Benz's S-Class AMG models. Boasting a bevy of performance and styling upgrades over the standard 7-Series sedan, the Alpina B7 is probably the closest thing you'll get to an M7, which as you already know, BMW has no plans to build.

The second Alpina B7 to be sold in the States after the first generation model that was offered as a limited edition for the 2007 and 2008 model years, will be available in both short- and long-wheelbase models.

The formal introduction of the car in the U.S. will take place at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show in February, and go on sale in Spring of 2010.

BMW's official performance partner has fitted the B7 with a modified version of the Bavarian firm's twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine with direct-injection that delivers 500-horsepower (compared to the standard 750i's 400HP V8) and a hefty 516 lb-ft (700Nm) of torque.

Linked to a six-speed sport automatic transmission with Sport and Manual modes, the V8 unit accelerates the rear-wheel drive sedan from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in just 4.5 seconds.

Alpina also recalibrated the car's Dynamic Damping Control and Active Roll Stabilization while the B7 sits 15mm lower up front and 10mm at the back thanks to the new, shorter springs. In addition, the Bavarian firm notes that the stability control now allows noticeably more slip at the driven wheels.

The B7 rides on newly styled 21-inch alloy wheels shod in MICHELIN PS2 tires size 245/35 R21 at the front and 285/30 R21 at the rear.

On the outside, the B7 is fitted with front and rear aprons, and a boot-lid spoiler which are said to reduce lift at the front by 30% and rear by15%.

As for the interior, the 7-Series-based model has been upgraded with blue illuminated door sill trims, an Alpina SWITCH-TRONIC steering wheel in hand-stitched LAVALINA leather, Black-Panel LCD screen instrument cluster branded with ALPINA and specific decorative trim. An additional ALPINA plaque indentifying the car is mounted on the inner roof panel just ahead of the sunroof

Prices for the new BMW Alpina B7 will be announced closer to the on-sale date.

Hyundai Pulls Out of 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, Alpina and Lotus the Only Foreign Brands to Participate!

Less than a month before the 41st Tokyo Motor Show opens its doors to the members of the press and the public alike, and the last major foreign automaker that was planning to take part at the car show, South Korea's Hyundai Motors, decided to drop out from the event, according to the show's organizers.

If you take a look at the list of the participating brands, you'll see that aside from eight domestic automakers - Subaru, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Daihatsu, Nissan and Suzuki, the only foreign carmakers that will have a booth at this year's Tokyo Motor Show are Germany's Alpina that builds special edition versions of BMW cars and Britain's Lotus! Not much of an International show...

Toyokazu Ishida, manager of the international exhibition for the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) told Automotive News that the South Korean maker announced its plans to cancel its participation just last Friday, September 25. "Hyundai called last week and orally confirmed their intent to cancel. It's unbelievable," Ishida was quoted as saying.

JAMA officials said that Hyundai has yet to send a written confirmation of its decision to pull out of the show. According to JAMA, the South Korean automaker has already paid 10.9 million ($122,000) in nonrefundable fees for a 4,300-square-foot exhibit at the Show.

Earlier this year, JAMA announced that due to the weakened interest in the event, the overall exhibition space will be about half the size of the previous show at 22,877 sqm (vs 44,587 sqm in 2007). The organizers also decided to shorten the even by four days and as such, the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show will be held for a period of 13 days (instead of 17) from October 23 to November 4, 2009.

Among the cars that are expected to make their debut at the 2009 Tokyo show are the production version of the Lexus LF-A V10 supercar and a new Subaru Justy.

41st Tokyo Motor Show - Participating Automakers

• Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH+Co.KG

• Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.

• Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (Subaru)

• Group Lotus plc.

• Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

• Hyundai Motor Co.

• Mazda Motor Corp.

• Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

• Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

• Suzuki Motor Corp.

• Toyota Motor Corp.

Via: JAMA and ANE (Sub. Req.)

Study Shows that Supercar and Luxury Automakers Reduced Average CO2 Emissions in 2009

It's not only volume brands that are reducing their average CO2 performance across their fleet, so are supercar and luxury vehicle makers, according to a report by auto consultancy JATO Dynamics that compares the average CO2 output of vehicles sold by selected specialty car brands in the first half (H1) of 2008 to the same period in 2009. With the exception of Maserati that recorded a 20g/km increase in CO2 output, all other makers included in the study showed a reduction in the average CO2 emissions of the cars they sold in the first half of 2009 compared to H1 2008.

"Of course, supercars are starting from a high base and have more scope to reduce emissions than mainstream cars, but the speed with which they are improving their CO2 performance should be credited," commented David Di Girolamo, Head of JATO Consult.

"Sales volumes might be on a smaller scale, but those manufacturers we studied sell close to 100,000 cars combined each year, and we know well that the days of supercar makers being excluded from the environmental debate are over," Girolamo added.

Ferrari showed the highest reduction in CO2 emissions as the Italian supercar maker recorded a 40.4 g/km improvement in CO2 output of new cars sold in H1 2009 over the same period in 2008.

JATO Dynamic claims that this is the greatest volume reduction of any brand on sale in Europe representing a 9.5% improvement matching that of the best performing volume brand of H1 2009 (in Europe) which is Chevrolet.

This also shows that Ferrari is well on its track to achieving its goal to trim down CO2 emissions from 400 g/km per vehicle to 280-300 g/km, by 2012.

Percentage-wise, the overall winner in CO2 volume reduction is Alpina, a German maker that sells modified BMW cars, with a 14.1% improvement over H1 2008 - although notably on a smaller scale than many of the other companies included in the study.

However, readers should be aware of a significant factor when it comes to CO emissions and that is none other than the annual km / miles covered by these specialty cars. Meaning a Ferrari or a Lamborghini may deliver for example 350g of C02 per km, but many of these cars are driven less than 30,000 km / 20,000 miles in a period of ten years. Do the math and that comes to a (theoretical) average of 7 tons of CO2.

A VW Golf 1.4 TSI 122HP with a manual transmission for example returns 144g of CO2 per km but will cover an average of around 20,000km or more per year which comes to 28.8 tons of CO2 in ten years of use (that is, if the car has been well serviced during that time).

Insider: BMW Alpina B7 gets 507HP Twin-Turbo V8, Debut Set for Geneva

Infiniti Future Cars's insiders have learnt that the all-new Alpina B7, a souped-up version of BMW's latest generation 7-Series sedan, will make its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Furthermore, we also managed to find out that the 2009 Alpina B7 will use a modified version of BMW's 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine delivering around 507HP, or 7HP more than the previous B7 that was fitted with a supercharged 4.4-liter V8. While Alpina has yet to release any official details or pictures, a teaser sketch of the new B7 was leaked into the internet in December 2008, giving us a first glimpse of the sport sedan.

2009 BMW Alpina B7 Teaser Sketch

A teaser sketch of Alpina's forthcoming B7 model based on the latest generation BMW 7-Series sedan, has appeared on the net. There's no information whatsoever on the car, but the drawing reveals that the new B7 will feature a subtle bodykit that includes Alpina's characteristic front lip spoiler, rocker panels and a discreet rear spoiler complemented by the German firm's multispoke alloy wheels.

If the previous B7 model with its supercharged 4.4-liter V8 engine that produced 500HP and 516 pound-feet of torque for a 4.8-second sprint to 60 mph (96 km/h) is anything to go by, then Alpina's take on the new 7-Series should be an exciting toy for those that feel the need to stand out from the crowd.

Via: BMW Blog