BMW 7 Series Awarded Title of `Best Engineered Car for 2002

DETROIT, March 5 -- Based on a survey of readers opinions, the editors of Automotive Engineering International have selected the BMW 7 Series as the ``Best Engineered Car of 2002.'' The announcement coincided with the opening of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) 2002 World Congress, March 4 - 7, in Detroit, Michigan.

The 7 Series was selected because it points the way for not only luxury/performance sedans, but also other vehicle segments. Company product developers integrated many new technologies into the fourth-generation BMW flagship in an effort to set new standards in performance and efficiency, as well as luxury, design, and safety.

Engineering advances include a powertrain featuring a revolutionary throttle-less family of engines and the world's first six-speed automatic transmission. Other engineering firsts include: engine intake manifold with continuously variable intake-tube length; aluminum brake calipers and brake booster; electromechanical parking brake; and MOST-based navigation and multimedia systems.

To enable improved ride comfort and handling, the 7 Series combines an all-aluminum suspension with Active Roll Stabilization to reduce body roll during cornering. A lateral-acceleration sensor detects when the vehicle enters a corner or curve, which generates automatic adjustments.

One of the most significant advancements is called iDrive, which enables a drastic reduction in and reorientation of controls with an innovative human/machine interface. Engineers divided the vehicle's control environment into two areas; all primary driver controls are clustered around the steering wheel, while functions such as basic climate and audio controls are in their customary places.

The SAE 2002 World Congress, a showplace of automotive engineering technology, continues through Thursday, March 7th, at Cobo Center in Detroit. For more information, log onto the World Congress web site at www.sae.org/congress