Top Award For BMW 1 Series Coupé

MULGRAVE, AUSTRALIA – November 11, 2008: The BMW 1 Series Coupé has come first in its category in the 2008 Golden Steering Wheel Awards.

Dr. Norbert Reithofer, the Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, received the Award, sponsored by Europe’s largest Sunday newspaper “Bild am Sonntag”, in Berlin.

The result is based on a readers’ poll in which BMW’s trendsetting two-door received no less than 26.4 per cent of a total of more than 220,000 votes cast.

Australian buyers have also been enamoured with the new two-door BMW coupé since it went on sale in May, with over 500 customer deliveries.

Together with the new 1 Series Convertible, BMW last month commanded a leading 27.8 per cent share of the sports car market below $80,000.

A BMW TV commercial likewise won first prize in the 2008 Golden Steering Wheel. The public showed their great admiration of a TV commercial presenting the fortes of BMW Night Vision in both humorous and striking style.

The Golden Steering Wheel marks the latest highlight in a year particularly successful for the entire BMW 1 Series.

Earlier this year the BMW 118d was awarded the title of World Green Car of the Year 2008, the international jury honouring the outstanding efficiency of the BMW 118d powered by a 105 kW four-cylinder diesel and making do with average fuel consumption of 4.5 litres/100 kilometres in the EU test cycle and reducing CO2 emissions to a mere 119 grams per kilometre. This outstanding result is attributable to the BMW EfficientDynamics development strategy with its wide range of features coming as standard also in all other models in the BMW 1 Series.