BMW is set to unveil the new 6-Series Convertible at next month's Detroit Auto Show.
BMW officials better brush up on their speed-reading because the teleprompter will be moving fast during their 25-minute news conference at the Detroit Auto Show, next month.
The Bavarian maker will launch the new year with some significant news – starting with the premiere of the next-generation 6-Series Convertible, as well as the updated 1-Series line-up and the all-new 1-Series M-Coupe, the latest offering from BMW’s celebrated sports division M GmbH. (Click Here for more on the 1-Series M…or Here for the full story on the new BMW 1-Series Coupe and Convertible.)
As if that won’t be getting things going at a rapid pace, the maker will preview the new X3 with the M Sports package, as well as the 5 Series new xDrive versions. And, if you haven’t run out of breath, there’ll be the new BMW Individual colours and wheels.
The world premiere of the 6-Series Convertible will be one of the highlights of the 2011 North American International Auto Show. The topless variant precedes the new Coupe that is expected to roll out over the summer – even though you might think it would be the other way around: a Coupe for snowy Detroit and a Convertible for New York in spring.
BMW also will reveal the updated 1-Series.
The Convertible will make its North American debut in the form of the 2012 BMW650i, which features the direct-injected V8 TwinPower Turbo engine that delivers 407 hp with a choice of a six-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic sports transmission.
The pictures of the 1-Series M Coupe, that were released earlier this month, already show the new design for the face lifted 1-Series Coupe and Convertible.
The latest M variant is the first in the compact class and is aimed at young buyers who are interested in the M models, but who thought though could not (yet) afford one. With a base price in Germany of 50,500 euros the 1-Series M Coupe offers 340 hp.
The new X3 gets the M Sport Package.
Visitors to Detroit’s Cobo Hall will be able to also see the new X3 with M Sport package, a variant of the new X3 model with standard xDrive all-wheel-drive that now adds sports suspension calibration, M aerodynamics and M components, such as Performance Control and 18-inch alloy wheels.
It will be a very busy year for BMW. Consider that:
- In 2011, the 2 Series gets new versions and new options.
- The maker launches the 535i XDrive Sedan with 8-speed automatic transmission with Steptronic and auto Start/stop function.
- BMW Individual, the Bavarians’ customization line, debuts new colors and Merino leather trim and 19-inch V-spoke alloy wheels with absolutely massive new tires.
- Another first for the 5 Series is the introduction of the optional full-colour HUD (head-up display).
Partially disguised, we get our first drive of the 2012 BMW 1-Series Coupe...which will be shown, without camouflage, in Detroit.
While products like the new X3 are likely to be big draws, the maker is also lifting the covers on some significant technical innovations, one of them the new BMW Connected Drive Services. This network system links the driver to the outside world, offering various possibilities for increased safety and comfort with some significant new infotainment features available at a touch of a button or a twist of the iDrive knob.
The 1 Series Coupe and Convertible models will begin the roll-out of the new technology, with the ability to actually access iPhone apps through the Connected Drive system, making it possible to show Facebook and Twitter on the display and access it with the iDrive controller.
While many of the features will only be accessible when the car is stopped, drivers will be able to tune into web radio as another alternative source of mobile entertainment.