BMW Remains A Class-Leader Across The Board

BRACKNELL, UNITED KINGDOM – June 28, 2012:

Auto Express New Car Honours 2012
The new BMW 3 Series Saloon scooped the award for Best Compact Executive Car, for the fourth consecutive year at the Auto Express New Car Honours 2012. Praised for its dynamic prowess, efficient engines and high quality interior the BMW 3 Series Saloon remains the car of choice in the compact executive sector.

The BMW 520d EfficientDynamics Saloon has stolen back the accolade of Best Executive Car at the Auto Express New Car Honours 2012. With CO2 emissions critical in this class it was a clear win for the 5 Series with its all-round appeal.

Topping off the night, the BMW 1 Series 5-door Sports Hatch was crowned Best Compact Family Car, beating off strong competition from the Volkswagen Golf and the Kia cee’d. With the 116d EfficientDynamics model in tow, the BMW 1 Series range was commended for offering generous kit, tax efficient engines and the all-important kerbside appeal.

Auto Express’ Editor In Chief, Steve Fowler, said of the wins: “What a combination! It sounds too good to be true but the amalgamation of great looks, a brilliant drive and affordable running costs makes the BMW 1 Series, 3 Series and 5 Series all worthy winners.”

BMW named Fleet Manufacturer of the Year and collects a host of other accolades
BMW has been crowned Fleet Manufacturer of the Year by influential corporate title Fleet World. This is the third year in a row that BMW has garnered the top prize at Fleet World Honours, an awards ceremony that celebrates the highest possible level of excellence in the corporate sector.

Chair of the judges and Editor of Fleet World, Steve Moody, said: “When we asked major fleet and leasing companies who they thought was the number one fleet manufacturer, the answer was unequivocal: BMW. Great products including the brilliant new 3 Series, low CO2 and strong residuals are some of the reasons for the award.

“But it is about people too: fleets feel BMW reacts quickly, listens to their concerns and works with them better than any other manufacturer, making the complete package.”

News of the headline award came on the same night as the BMW 1 Series won the overall award for ‘Best Lower Medium Car’, for its class-leading engine line-up and the perceived leap forward in interior design and ride comfort by corporate customers. Also honoured by Fleet World was the BMW 5 Series Saloon which scooped ‘Best Executive Car’ following the decision by a panel of judges using residual value, maintenance, reliability and market value data across a cross section of independent sources.

The new BMW 3 Series Saloon received a double win, being named ‘Best New Car’ for 2012 courtesy of it raising the bar in all areas. It also received ‘Best Upper Medium Car’ because the outgoing vehicle was still a class-leader which makes the latest one with its improvements ‘still the benchmark to which all others aspire’.

BMW 3 Series Saloon voted ‘Best Executive Car’
BMW’s all new 3 Series Saloon has been crowned ‘Best Executive Car’ by influential car buyers’ bible Diesel Car Magazine. The annual award is hotly contested but the Three’s biggest rival turned out to be the BMW 5 Series Saloon.

Ian Robertson, Diesel Car editor, said: “Its high class cabin cossets with boardroom comfort and the calibre of the engineering is evident in every detail. There’s a certain wow factor in the way it makes you feel behind the wheel.”

The BMW 3 Series Saloon went on sale in March and since then over 12,000 have already been sold. The BMW X3 was also commended in the awards for being ‘Best SUV’.

The UK’s largest online expert advice portal honours BMW 3 Series
www.honestjohn.co.uk, home of the butcher’s hat wearing industry guru, has bestowed the new BMW 3 Series Saloon with the honour of ‘Most Popular Compact Executive Car’ in its annual awards. ‘Honest’ and his fellow judges said of the Three: “It's well known that the BMW 3 Series sets the standard for premium saloons when it comes to handling. But there's more to this 3 Series than just driver enjoyment. It comes with decent levels of standard equipment and some of the most efficient engines available.”

Honest John has more than 1.2 million unique users a month who log on for advice and to brush up on motoring knowledge.

Fleet News readers name BMW Fleet Manufacturer of the Year
The biggest selling fleet magazine has named BMW as its Fleet Manufacturer of the Year – a feat the marque has pulled off for the second year in a row. BMW fought off strong competition to take home the top accolade, trumping its industry rivals on operating costs, fleet support and product support as voted by the magazine’s readers.

The BMW 5 Series Saloon also retained its title of ‘Best Boardroom Car’ with readers saying they valued the mix of high performance but low CO2 courtesy of EfficientDynamics.

Steve Chater, Corporate Operations Manager for BMW Group, said: “To take home these prestigious awards for the second year in a row is a real honour. It’s great to see BMW’s consistent approach to sustainable mobility, through the use of EfficientDynamics technologies, being recognised by the experts in the UK fleet market.”