BMW Makes Clean Sweep in 1998 Automobile Magazine 'All-Stars' Awards
8 April 1998
BMW Makes Clean Sweep in 1998 Automobile Magazine 'All-Stars' Awards
NEW YORK, April 8 -- At a press conference today at the New
York Auto Show, it was announced that the editors and readers of Automobile
Magazine bestowed seven All-Star awards on BMW. No car company received more
All-Star awards than BMW. With virtually the entire model-line as well as the
company honored, awards BMW received were:
-- 3 Series - All-Star for "Best Sports Coupe" in Readers' Choice survey
-- 328i - All-Star for "Best Luxury Sedan (mid-size)" by editorial staff
-- 540i 6-Speed - All-Star for "Best Sports Sedan" by editorial staff and
in Readers' Choice survey
-- 7 Series - All-Star for "Best Luxury Sedan (large)" in Readers' Choice
survey
-- BMW - All-Star for "Best Car Company" by editorial staff and in
Readers' Choice survey
The full All-Star awards program will be detailed in the magazine's May
issue.
"Ours is a company full of car enthusiasts dedicated to creating the
ultimate driving machine," said Victor Doolan, president, BMW of North
America, Inc. "For all of these products and the BMW brand to receive such an
honor is a testament to our long-standing tradition of building cars that
people love to drive. We couldn't be happier."
In choosing the BMW 3 Series as an All-Star for the sixth consecutive
year, the editors of Automobile Magazine commented that "six-and-a-half years
after its release, carmakers still regard the 3 Series as an icon...it is an
unmitigated break-through in ride tuning, handling sharpness, and drivetrain
refinement."
BMW's most affordable Series, the 3 Series, has become the standard for
automobiles that combine performance, handling and quality in a compact, agile
package. The BMW 3 Series continues to evolve in 1998 with the addition of
the 323i six-cylinder coupe and convertible and the M3 convertible.
"Long one of our favorite performance sedans, the 540i is as exciting as
ever and still the apogee of deluxe value for semi-deluxe money," wrote
Automobile Magazine editors on the review of the 5 Series.
For 1998, the 5 Series continues in two models, the 2.8-liter, inline
6-cylinder 528i and the 4.4-liter V-8 540i. In keeping with BMW's performance
lineage, both models are available with a manual transmission. Both cars
include BMW's new Head Protection System (HPS), further enhancing the level of
protection for front-seat occupants in serious side impacts. Rear-seat
side-impact airbags are available as an option. The 1998 540i includes the
latest generation of BMW's stability control system (DSCIII), which increases
active safety. New option packages are added for 1998, and evolutionary
refinements further enhance the capabilities and appeal of these
state-of-the-art BMWs.
BMW of North America, Inc. was established in 1975, at which point the
company assumed marketing and distribution responsibilities of BMW automobiles
in the U.S. from the previous private distributor. Motorcycle marketing and
distribution was added in 1980. Since then the company's North American
operations have grown to include marketing, sales and financial services
organizations in the United States and Canada; a South Carolina manufacturing
operation; a design firm in California; and various other operations
throughout the U.S. and Canada. BMW is represented in North America through a
network of more than 375 automobile and 190 motorcycle retailers in the United
States and Canada. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the brand's North American
headquarters, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW products is available to consumers via the World
Wide Web on the BMW homepage. The address is: http://www.bmwusa.com.
SOURCE BMW of North America, Inc.
