CHEVROLET

The History Of Chevrolet

Chevrolet Chevrolet, or Chevy for short, is a brand of automobile, now a division of General Motors. It is one of the most popular GM marques. For 2005, Chevrolet outsold its main domestic rival, Ford, for the first time in 19 years, making it once again the top-selling marque in the United States. History Chevrolet was co-founded by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant. Louis Chevrolet was a racecar driver, born on December 25, 1878, in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. William Durant, founder of General Motors, had been forced out of GM in 1910 and wanted to use Louis Chevrolet's designs to rebuild his own reputation as a force in the automobile industry. On November 3, 1911, Chevrolet entered the automobile market to compete with the Ford Model T. A year later, the "Classic Six" was introduced. The Classic Six was a 5-passenger touring sedan equipped with a 299 in3 (4.9L), 6-cylinder engine capable of taking the car to a top speed of 15 miles per hour (25 km/h.) Chevrolet first used its "bowtie" logo in 1913. In 1916, Chevrolet was profitable enough to allow Durant to buy a majority of shares in GM. After the deal was complete in 1917, Durant was president of General Motors, and Chevrolet was merged into GM, becoming a separate division. Famous Chevy models include the large and luxurious Impala (1958) and the short-lived mid/rear-engined Corvair (1960.) Chevrolet had a great influence on the American automobile market during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1963, one out of every ten cars sold in the United States was a Chevrolet. 1 Chevrolet outside North America In markets outside North America, the Chevrolet brand name has been used on other GM models. Latin America Historically, many Latin American-market vehicles from GM were modified derivatives of older models from GM's North American and European operations. The current S10 and Blazer exemplify this strategy. However, more modern vehicles are now being marketed as market conditions change and competition increases. In Brazil, the Chevrolet Opala was based on the German Opel Rekord from the late 1960s, continuing in production until the early 1990s, when it was replaced by a version of the Opel Omega. Other smaller Chevrolets in Brazil, such as the Kadett and Monza, were based on the Opel Kadett and Ascona respectively. Chevrolet's product line-up in Brazil now comprises some exclusive designs like the Corsa "B" based Celta sold in Argentina under the Suzuki brand, the Astra, and a brand new, Brazilian designed Vectra based on the current Opel Astra, while the current Corsa is built and the Omega name is now used on the Holden Commodore. Utility and four wheel drive vehicles line-up includes the S10, the Blazer, and the Montana. The Montana is a compact pick-up truck that is also sold in other Latin American markets. From the 1960s to the mid 1980s, there was also a large station wagon, derived from the C10 truck (somewhat similar to the Suburban) called the Veraneio. In Argentina (whose factory was opened in Rosario in 1995), the models are the same Opels made in Brazil, along with the S-10, Blazer, and Avalanche. Chevrolet had a presence in Argentina since the 1960s where it locally produced the Chevy II (sold in Argentina as the Chevrolet 400 or Chevy), but it stopped its operations in 1981, due to high inflation. In Mexico, some of these Opel-sourced Chevrolet models are sold alongside US models. An example is regarding the Vectra. While the Brazilian Vectra is derived from the current Astra, the Mexican Vectra is actually the current Vectra as sold in Europe. Mexico also has some cars of its own, such as the Chevy C2, which is a reworked last-gen Corsa, the Sonora (which is a rebadged Tahoe), and the Cheyenne (which is similar to the Silverado but is as different as the Sonora is to the Suburban). South Africa In South Africa, Chevrolet was GM's main brand name until 1982. In the 1960s, the advertising jingle braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies and Chevrolet came to epitomise the ideal lifestyle of white male South Africans. Originally, Chevrolets were CKD kits of American Chevys assembled in their plant in Port Elizabeth. However, since South Africa was RHD and the US was LHD, plus encouragement by the South African government to use local content, Chevrolets such as the Biscayne were eventually made entirely in South Africa. By the 1970s, South African Chevrolets like the Kommando and Constantia were based on Australian Holden models like the Kingswood, while the Firenza was based on the Vauxhall Viva. The Chevrolet Nomad sold in South Africa was entirely different from the Nomad sold in America—whereas the American Nomad was originally conceived as a wagon version of the Corvette and eventually became the wagon version of the Bel Air, the South African Nomad was an SUV of truck proportions before SUVs were popular. However, these were replaced by Opel models like the Rekord, Commodore, and Senator, and in 1982, the Chevrolet brand name was dropped in favour of Opel. Because of the political climate at the time, GM decided to disinvest from South Africa, and a local group eventually bought out GM's South African operations (including the Port Elizabeth plant) and renamed the company as the Delta Motors Corporation. They concentrated heavily on Opels, Isuzus, and Suzukis. However, thanks to an improved political climate in the 1990s, GM decided to reenter South Africa, eventually buying out the whole of Delta Motors Corporation. Even more news arrived for Chevrolet. In 2001, the Chevrolet name made a comeback, used on the Lumina, a rebadged Holden Commodore, and later on, on the Daewoo range of cars. Current Chevrolets include the Spark (a rebadged Daewoo Matiz), Aveo, Optra, the Lumina (including a pickup version), and the Vivant, an MPV that is really a renamed version of the Daewoo Tacuma. Europe Chevrolet Europe is a Swiss based firm (in Zurich) that sells the rebranded products of GM Daewoo. It was in 2005 that all the mainstream models from Daewoo were rebranded as Chevrolet in Europe (The ownership of the SUV models in the former Daewoo range had reverted back to ownership of Ssangyong by this time). However the Daewoo name was retained in South Korea and Vietnam. In the rest of the world, most Daewoo models wore the Chevrolet badge since 2003. Exceptions include the use of the Suzuki badge in the US and Canada, the Pontiac badge in Canada, the Holden badge in Australia and New Zealand, and the Buick badge in China for certain Daewoo models. The 2007 Chevrolet Captiva crossover SUV will be the first Europe-only model for the marque. One of the songs by The Fine Young Cannibals is used in all UK Chevrolet television commercials. The North American-assembled Tahoe and TrailBlazer are also officially marketed in very limited numbers in Western Europe by Kroymans Corporation, based in the Netherlands. The TrailBlazer is also officially marketed in limited numbers in Japan by Suzuki, which also markets the Chevrolet Optra wagon. Since 2005, Corvette is its own premium brand in Western Europe, sold alongside Cadillacs. Asia The Holden Commodore is badged as the Chevrolet Lumina in Thailand and the Middle East, as well as South Africa. Chevrolet is among the newest brands in India launched by GM's Indian operations. Until June 6, 2003 (the official birthday of Chevrolet), GM India (which was originally a joint venture with Hindustan Motors) sold the Opel Corsa, Opel Astra, and the Opel Vectra. The Corsa and Astra were built at a plant in Halol, Gujarat. Since then, Chevrolet currently sells the Chevrolet Optra, Chevrolet Tavera, and the Chevrolet Forester. The Forester is imported directly from Fuji Heavy Industries in Japan, where it is sold as a Subaru. The Optra and Tavera are built at the Halol plant. Chevrolet is also marketing and selling vehicles in Pakistan under GM, which imports and manufactures cars Nexus Automotive. The current models available are the Chevrolet Optra and most recently the newly announced Chevrolet Joy. The Chevrolet Joy as of December 2005 has been manufactured indigenously in Pakistan. Chevrolet models 150 210 Astra (Current model, Latin America) Astro (1985–2005) Avalanche (2002–present) Aveo (2003–2006, rebadged Daewoo Kalos) Aveo (2006–present, rebadged Daewoo Gentra) Baby Grand (1914–?) Bel Air (1950–1976) Beretta (1987–1996) Biscayne (1958–1972) Blazer (1969–2005) Chevrolet Blazer (South American market) (Current model) Brookwood (1969–1972) Camaro (1967–2002) Caprice (1965–1996, North American market) Caprice (1970s, South African market, rebadged Holden Statesman) Caprice (1999?–present, Middle East market, rebadged Holden Statesman) Captiva (2007–present) Cavalier (1982–2005) Celta (2000–present) manufactured in Brazil for South America Celebrity (1982–1990) Chevelle (1964–1977) Chevette (1976–1987) Cheyenne C/K (1962– 1998) Citation (1980–1985) Classic Six (1911–?) Cobalt (2005–present) Colorado (2004–present) Constantia—a rebadged LWB version of the Holden Kingswood sold in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s Corsa, current model in Latin America Corsica (1987–1996) Corvair (1960–1969) Corvette (1953–present) Cruze (2002–present) sold in Australia Delray (1954&ndash1958) e-Cruze El Camino (1959–1987) Epica (Rebadged Daewoo Evanda/Daewoo Magnus) Equinox (2004–present) — Replaced Chevrolet Blazer and Chevrolet Tracker Express (1997–present) Forester (based on Subaru Forester by Fuji Heavy Industries) Fleetline Fleetmaster G10 G20 G30 HHR (2006–present) Impala (1958–1985, 1994–1996, 2000–present) Journey Kalos (2005–present, rebadged Daewoo Kalos) Kommando—rebadged Holden Kingswood for the South African market, replaced by Chevrolet Rekord in the early 1980s Lacetti (2005–present, rebadged Daewoo Nubira) Laguna Little Four (1911–1913) Little Six (1913–1914) Lumina (1990–2001) Lumina APV (1990–1996) LUV (1972–1982, rebadged Isuzu truck- Current model Iraq, Kuwait, Iran) M3X Malibu (1964–1983, 1997—present) Matiz (2005–present, rebadged Daewoo Matiz) Meriva, current model in Latin America Metro (1998–2001, rebadged Suzuki Swift); replaced by Chevrolet Aveo/Daewoo Kalos Montana Monte Carlo (1970–1988, 1995–present) Monza (1975&bdash;1980) Niva (2002–present) Nomad Nova (1962–1979, 1985–1988) Nubira (2004–present, rebadged Daewoo Nubira) Omega, (1999–present, rebadged Holden Commodore currently sold in Brazil) Optra (2004–present, rebadged Daewoo Nubira) Parkwood P-Chassis (1949–1999) Prizm (1998–2002, rebadged Toyota Corolla) — Replaced by Chevrolet Aveo/Daewoo Kalos Rezzo (rebadged Daewoo Rezzo/Daewoo Tacuma (2005–present) Royal Mail (1914–?) Senator, rebadged version for South African market, later sold under Opel name Series-H (1914–?) Silverado (1999–present) Spark (2005–present, rebadged Daewoo Matiz) Spectrum (1985–1988, rebadged Isuzu Gemini) Sprint (1985–1988, rebadged Suzuki Swift); replaced by Geo Metro/Chevrolet Metro SSR (2004–present) Styleline (1949–1952) Suburban (1936–present) S-10 (1982–2003) Chevrolet S-10 (South American market) (Current model) SS Tacuma (Rebadged Daewoo Rezzo/Daewoo Tacuma, from 2005, also known in Europe as the Rezzo) Tahoe (1994–present) Tavera, an MUV sold throughout the ASEAN markets, especially Indonesia and India; based on an Isuzu model Tigra, old model in Brazil Townsman TrailBlazer (2002–present) — Replaced Chevrolet Blazer Tracker (1998–2004, rebadged Suzuki Vitara) — Replaced by Chevrolet Equinox Triax Uplander (2005–present) W-Series Vectra current model, Brazil Vega (1971–1977) Venture (1997–2005) Viva (2004–present, only sold in Russia, rebadged 1998–2003 Astra B) Vivant (Rebadged Daewoo Rezzo, South African model) Zafira, current model in Southeast Asia and Latin America From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia More About Chevrolet

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CHERY

The History Of Chery

Chery Automobile "Chery" redirects here. For similar words, see Cherry (disambiguation) or Cherie (disambiguation). Chery Automobile (Chinese: 奇瑞汽车; English pronunciation: [ˈʃɛɹiː]) ) is an automobile manufacturer in China. In pinyin it is "qíruì" and its English transliteration should have been "Cheery" but there was a mistake in the transliteration process and it was decided by the company to not correct this[citation needed]. It is owned by the local government of Wuhu (but is scheduled to be privatized), and sold about 305,000 vehicles in 2006. It is the largest independent Chinese auto manufacturer and one of the fastest growing automakers in the world. History Early years Chery was founded in 1997 to prop up the economy of Wuhu, a region of China that has received little industrial development. Its first factory used machines and engine technology purchased from Ford Europe for US$25 million. It began auto production in 1999 using a licenced chassis from SEAT's Toledo. The company was an illegitimate company under Chinese law of the time and had to be registered as a "Car Parts Supplier." Thus, the company was not able to obtain a license to sell their cars in all of China. In 2001, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) bought a 20% stake in the company, allowing Chery to use SAIC's national retail sales license. In 2001, Chery began exporting its cars to Syria, becoming China's first car exporter. Chery also received its ISO-9001 certification. In September 2002, Chery received its ISO/TS 16949 certification, the highest certification at the time. 2003 to present In 2003, Chery founded a research and development organization, and began working with foreign consultant firms to improve its technology and quality. Chery hired a Japanese engineer from Mitsubishi to head Chery's Lean/Six Sigma production systems, which were first applied to their cars in 2003. They adopted DURR Paint Systems in their paint shop in 2004, becoming one of only 5 factories in the world to have this advanced paint system. SAIC sold its stake back to Chery in 2004 due to rising tension between Chery and its other partners General Motors and Volkswagen In 2005, Chery was upgraded to ISO/TS 16949:2002 production quality, the highest and strictest quality control system in the global auto industry. They also began working with Malcolm Bricklin's company, Visionary Vehicles, hoping to be one of the first Chinese automobiles sold in the United States. The plan was to import five new car lines. Bricklin planned to have 250 dealers in the United States selling 250,000 cars a year by 2007. However, after two delays and various disagreements over finances and car design, the deal broke down . Instead, Chery is pursuing its own export plans and is designing a large array of cars for the American and European market and Chinese market. Aesthetic design is being aided by Bertone and Pininfarina of Italy known for their designs for Ferrari and Lamborghini. AVL of Austria is also working with Chery to produce 18 engines, including a turbodiesel, for the new line of cars. The new engine brand, called ACTECO, meets Euro IV emissions standards and uses advanced technologies such as aluminium alloy cylinder blocks/heads and direct fuel injection. Bosch is helping Chery to design modern transmissions. Lotus Engineering (known for their racing car chassis expertise) is aiding Chery in car design and quality. Ricardo Consulting Engineers is also devolping a hybrid powertrain for Chery for use on China's first hybrid vehicle. Chery recently entered into a partnership with Chrysler to produce mid to compact vehicles for the United States and European market. Design piracy controversy Chery gained international notoriety over well-publicized illegal copying of foreign automobiles, namely General Motors' Korean subsidiary GM Daewoo Auto & Technology's Daewoo Matiz (sold as Chery QQ) city car and Daewoo Magnus (sold as Chery Eastar) mid-size sedan. Chery attempted to negotiate a local Chinese production licenses of those vehicles with bankrupt Daewoo Motors prior to General Motor's purchase of the bankrupt automaker's assets in 2002, but the negotiations were never closed. Nevertheless, Chery proceeded with the production of these former Daewoo vehicles without a formal license, triggering General Motors to sue Chery for copying in December 2004, citing "extreme similarities". With General Motor's inability to seek justice at Chinese court that fails to honor foreign IP rights in spite of an obvious and clear piracy case and the pressure from Chinese communist party, GM opted to drop its case in November 2005 to preserve its business interests in China and maintain good will with the government. However, GM reserves rights to sue Chery again if it attempts to bring the vehicles in question to European and North American markets. The affected vehicles are three Matiz clone and derivatives (QQ3, QQ6 and A1) and Magnus clone and derivatives (Eastar, V4, B12, and B22). The IP rights issue has become such a concern that DCX is rumored to have contacted GM for possible licensing of GM Daewoo vehicle IP on the behalf of Chery after it signed a 25-year cooperation and exclusive distribution agreement with Chery in early 2007. Production facilities Chery produces most of its cars in China. In 2003, Chery built a plant in Iran, China's first foreign car plant, and at the Modiran Vehicle Manufacturing Company saw its QQ put into production in 2005. Also in 2005, another Chery plant became operational in Russia. Chery is planning to begin production in Malaysia in late 2006 and saw its cars being built at the former Daewoo Motor Egypt plant at Maddi, Cairo under the Speranza brand name. Chery has signed an agreement with Mauricio Macri-owned company Socma to form Chery Mercosur, a joint-venture which will produce the QQ and Tiggo in Montevideo, Uruguay, from 2007 onwards. Chery sales history 2000: ~2,000 2001: ~28,000 2002: ~50,000 2003: ~90,000 (8th in China) 2004: ~86,000 (10th in China) 2005: ~188,000 (5th in China) 2006: ~305,000 (Chery made 307,232 cars in 2006.) 2007: ~381,000 Models Out of production 2000–2006 Fulwin/Windcloud (风云) (codename A11) — 1.6L sedan In production 2003– QQ3 (codename S11) — 0.8L & 1.1L city car 2003– Cowin/Flagcloud (旗云) (codename A15) — 1.6L sedan 2003– Oriental Son/Eastar (东方之子) (codename B11) — mid-size sedan 2005– Tiggo (瑞虎) (codename T11) — 1.6L & 2.0L & 2.4L compact SUV 2006– A5 (codename A21) — 1.6L & 2.0L sedan 2006– V5 (codename B14) — 2.0L & 2.4L minivan 2006- QQ6 (codename S21) — 1.1L & 1.3L city car 2006- Karry a small panel van. 2007- A1 (codename S12) - 1.3L city car Upcoming models 2006- codename S22 2007- codename T15 2007- codename B12 2007- codename S16 2007- codename B13 2008- codename M14 2008- codename P12 2008- codename F11 2008- codename B22 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia More About Chery

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CADILLAC

The History Of Cadillac

Cadillac Cadillac is a brand of luxury automobile, part of the General Motors corporation, produced and mostly sold in the United States; outside of North America, they have been less successful. In the United States, the name became a synonym for "high quality", used in such phrases as "the Cadillac of clocks." This is less prevalent, though still known, in other English-speaking countries (who are more likely to use Rolls-Royce in such phrases). History Founding Cadillac was formed from the Henry Ford Company upon Henry Ford's departure along with several partners. With the intent of liquidating the firm's assets, Ford's financial backers, William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen called in engineer Henry M. Leland to appraise the plant and equipment prior to selling them. Instead, Leland persuaded them to continue in the automobile business. Henry Ford's departure required a new name, and on August 22, 1902, the company reformed as the Cadillac Automobile Company. The Cadillac automobile was named after the 17th century French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, founder of Detroit, Michigan in 1701. Early vehicles Their first car was completed in October 1902, the 10 horsepower (7 kW) Cadillac, based on Henry Ford's design was practically identical to the 1903 Ford Model A. Many sources say the first car rolled out of the factory on October 17; in the book Henry Leland - Master of Precision, on p.69, that date is shown to be October 20; yet another reliable source shows car #3 to have been built on October 16. In any case, the new Cadillac was shown at the New York Auto Show the following January, where it impressed the crowds enough to gather over two thousand firm orders. The Cadillac's biggest selling point was precision manufacturing and, therefore, reliability; it was simply a better made vehicle than its competition. In Feb to Mar 1908, three Model K Cadillacs (1907 production) were released from the stock of Frederick Bennett (UK agent for Cadillac) at the Heddon Street showroom in London to compete in the annual Royal Automobile Club's Standardization Test. They were driven 25 miles to the Brooklands race track at Weybridge where they completed another 25 miles (40 km) before being put under lock and key until Monday March 2, 1908 when they were released and disassembled completely. Their 721 component parts were scrambled in one heap; 89 parts requiring extreme accuracy were withdrawn from the heap,locked away at the Brooklands club house and replaced with new parts from the showroom stock. Using only wrenches and screwdrivers the 3 cars were re-assembled and on Friday March 13 they completed a mandatory 500 mile (800 km) run. On completion of the test, one of the cars was placed under lock and key where it remained until the start of the 2000 miles (3200 km) Reliability Trials, several months later. It came out the winner of the R.A.C. Trophy! Parts interchangeability could not have been proven in any other more appropriate way. As a result of these tests, the Cadillac Automobile Company was awarded the Dewar Trophy for 1908 (actual award date was Feb 1909). The Dewar Trophy was an annual award for the most important advancement of the year in the automobile industry. General Motors Cadillac was purchased by the General Motors conglomerate in 1909. Cadillac became General Motors' prestige division, devoted to the production of large luxury vehicles. The Cadillac line was also GM's default marque for "commercial chassis" institutional vehicles, such as ambulances, limousines, hearses, and funeral home flower cars. The latter two of which were custom made by aftermarket manufacturers, GM does not produce any such vehicles on its own. In 1911, Cadillac was the first gasoline internal combustion engine auto to incorporate electric start, as opposed to earlier crank start. Originally marketed as a convenience device for female drivers, the electric starter developed by Charles Kettering was first used on the production models of 1912. Other innovations included the first V8 engine in mass production in 1915; shatter-resistant safety glass in 1926; and the first fully synchronized transmission (with gears "locked" in relation to one another to prevent clashing upon execution of a shift) in 1928. About this time, automobile stylist, Harley Earl, whom Cadillac had recruited in 1926 and who was to head the new Art & Color section starting in January 1928, designed for 1927 a new, smaller "companion" car to the Cadillac which he called the La Salle, after another French explorer, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. That model remained in production until 1940. Pre-World War II Cadillacs were well-built, powerful, mass-produced luxury cars, aimed at an upper class market, below that of such ultra-exclusive marques such as Pierce-Arrow and Duesenberg. In the 1930s, Cadillac added cars with 12- and 16-cylinder engines to their range, many of which were fitted with custom coach-built bodies; these engines were remarkable at the time for their ability to deliver a combination of high power, silky smoothness and quietness. 1932- The year it could have ended In 1932, after Cadillac suffered from record low sales and charges of discrimination against black customers, Alfred Sloan created a committee to consider the discontinuation of the Cadillac line. At a fateful board meeting, Cadillac president Nicholas Dreystadt heard that legendary boxer Joe Louis could not go into a dealership to buy a car, because he was black, and resorted to having a white friend make the purchase for him. Dreystadt gave the GM Board of Directors a 10 minute speech in which he advocated advertising to black consumers so as to increase sales. The Board agreed to give Dreystadt 18 months to produce results. By 1934, Cadillac had regained profitability. It is significant to note that after this decision, Cadillac was the only American automobile manufacturer to remain profitable during the Great Depression. By 1940, Cadillac sales had risen 1000% compared to 1934, thus saving Cadillac from extinction. 1934 brought about a revolution in assembly line technology. Henry F. Phillips introduced the Philips screw and driver onto the market. He entered into talks with General Motors and convinced the Cadillac group that his new screws would speed assembly times and therefore increase profits. Cadillac was the first automaker to use the Phillips technology, which was widely adopted in 1940. Postwar Postwar Cadillacs, incorporating the ideas of General Motors styling chief Harley J. Earl, innovated many of the styling features that came to be synonymous with the classic (late 1940s-late 1950s) American automobile, including tailfins and wraparound windshields. Cadillac's first tailfins, inspired by the twin rudders of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, appeared in 1948; the 1959 Cadillac was the epitome of the tailfin craze, with the most recognizable tailfins of any production automobile. Cadillac's other styling attribute were its front bumper designs which became known as Dagmar bumpers or simply Dagmars. What had started out after the war as an artillery shell shaped bumper guard became an increasingly important part of Cadillac's complicated front grille and bumper assembly. As the 1950s wore on, the element was placed higher in the front end design, negating their purpose as bumper guards. They also became more pronounced and were likened (vulgarism) to the bosom of 1950s television personality Dagmar. In 1957 the bumpers gained black rubber finials which only heightened the relationship between the styling element and a stylized exaggerated breast and nipple. For 1958 the element was toned down and was completely absent on the 1959 models. In 1960 William Mitchell succeeded Harley Earl as styling chief, and his preference for more austere design combined with changing buyer tastes caused the excess to be rapidly toned down, beginning with the 1960 and 1961 models. Nevertheless, Cadillacs retained their tailfins through 1964, and suggestions of them remain in the peaked rear fenders of many models even to this day. The tailfin style gave birth to the enduring vertical-tailight pattern, which is a subtle trademark of the Cadillac line (the opposite of the horizontal tailight pattern which is a likewise subtle trademark of rival Lincoln.) The vertical taillight design also made Cadillac a favorite of the Professional car industry which easily converted them into hearses for funeral homes. Because the Cadillac tail light was vertical, these firms could bypass the expense of retro-fitting rear bumpers to accommodate the rear swing doors favored on hearses. Somewhat surprisingly for a marque with such a strong design heritage, Cadillac has resisted the temptation to produce any "retro" models such as the revived Ford Thunderbird or the VW New Beetle, and has instead pressed ahead with a new design philosophy for the 21st century called "art and science" which it says "incorporates sharp, shear forms and crisp edges - a form vocabulary that expresses bold, high-technology design and invokes the technology used to design it." Low points, and the beginning of a recovery Cadillac suffered from the malaise that set in to the American auto industry in the late 1970s to the late 1980s. There were high points, such as the launch of the Eldorado two-door personal luxury car in 1967, with its simple, elegant design—a far cry from the tail-fin and chrome excesses of the 1950s. However, the 1970s saw vehicles memorable for other types of excess: engine size, for one (the Eldorado featured an 8.2-litre engine at one point), weight, and physical bulk. The build quality also became poorer when measured against German rivals. As with most American brands, Cadillac was forced to downsize its offerings between the 1973 and 1979 fuel crises. Its staple De Ville and Fleetwood lines were downsized for 1977 and again for 1985. It launched a smaller car around the size of the Mercedes-Benz 300, the Seville, based on a Chevrolet Nova platform, which became a success for the marque. Due to gasoline shortages, Cadillac offered a "dieselized" (converted from gasoline use) LF9 350-cubic-inch (5.7L) V8 engine, in its full-size cars from 1979 to 1981. This was a disaster for GM. The engine was notoriously unreliable and smoky. Ironically, GM's other division, Detroit Diesel had had decades of experience building Diesel engines. However, trying to extend its brand further downward to appeal to younger buyers, Cadillac launched in 1981 (for the 1982 model year) the compact Cimarron, a warmed-over Chevrolet Cavalier as a rival to the BMW 3-series. Buyers rejected this model for being too close to the considerably cheaper Chevrolet — unlike the Seville, which did not resemble the Nova or other GM X-cars, the Cimarron was almost indistinguishable from the down-market versions. Buyers also objected to the Cimmaron's four-cylinder engine and low level of standard equipment. Although the motoring press lauded the first Cadillac manual transmission in decades, the automatic's extra cost also rankled buyers. Another low point during the early 1980s was the variable displacement engine, branded the L62 V8-6-4 engine. Introduced in 1981, this 368in³ (6.0L) engine sequentially shut down cylinders as demand dropped. Company marketing hailed the engine as cutting-edge technology, but it proved unreliable and was dropped the next year in favor of a family of smaller aluminum V8 engines rushed into production. The 4100 (4.1 liter) V8 engine was used widely in Cadillacs in the late 1980's. This proved to be one of the worst engines ever built. It suffered from coolant leaks, warped intake manifolds and warped heads. The 4100's problems cost Cadillac the loyalty of many customers. The mid-1980s saw Cadillac try to rebuild its image, aware that European and Japanese imports were on a rise, and with Honda launching its American luxury division, Acura. Some new design approaches were tried: the Seville, for instance, had gracefully rounded wheel arches with a hint of chrome. The greatest challenge to the imports was the Cadillac Allante, a convertible designed by Pininfarina of Italy, and built on what was touted as the world's longest production line—with the car's bodies fabricated in Italy and flown by Boeing 747 to the United States to meet their transmission and engine. The car was, sadly, not a commercial success, but today stands out as a modern classic and more than able to hold its own, image-wise, next to its Mercedes-Benz SL rival. The Allante's styling influenced other Cadillacs, especially the Seville, which adopted its sharper, tailored lines. Indeed, Cadillac was so confident of the Seville that it was exported to Europe, but it faced stiff opposition. The Cimarron and Seville models marked a beginning of "smaller" cars for the Cadillac line. Throughout the 1980s, American auto makers downsized most of their models, and the Cadillac was no exception. By the late 80s, the Brougham was the only Cadillac model that retained the style and size of the "big" DeVilles and Fleetwoods of the 70s. It was discontinued after the 1996 model year (the Brougham was rebadged as the Fleetwood Brougham). After GM phased out the GM B platform after 1996, abeit the importation of the European-based Catera, the only equivalent of rear-wheel drive is seen as a sport utility vehicle with the present-day Escalade. The Art & Science era The latest incarnation of Cadillac styling - Art & Science (A&S) was previewed with the 1999 Cadillac Evoq concept roadster at that year's Detroit Auto Show. With its crisp lines, hard creases, and sharp corners, the Evoq not only had a striking presence of its own, but also marked a departure from the softer design of previous Cadillacs. Distinctive characteristics of Art & Science design include stacked headlamps, vertical taillamps, angular grille, and creased body lines in addition to alphanumeric model names. The DeVille sedan and 2002 Escalade sport utility were the first executions of the Art & Science design philosophy, though they should be appropriately noted as more transitional vehicles since they combine A&S with the last era of styling and tested the waters for public acceptance. Cadillac's 2003 Cadillac CTS was the first ground-up incarnation of A&S and was an instant hit, partly due to product placements in the cyberpunk Matrix trilogy. Following in its success was the Cadillac SRX sport utility wagon and the Evoq-inspired Cadillac XLR roadster. The 2005 Cadillac STS is the latest in the A&S lineup and will complete the transition between the old school of design and the new. The new Cadillac V-Series was also introduced to provide sporty models based on Cadillac production cars, with very extensive chassis and engine upgrades. A slight evolution of A&S was shown at Detroit's 2003 Auto Show with the Cadillac Sixteen concept, which had a rounded body with crisp A&S features. This version of A&S will probably see itself debuted on models that appeal to more conservative demographics, such as the DeVille's replacement and a possible ultraluxury sedan. The 2005 Presidential Limousine first shown at the second inauguration of President George W. Bush features A&S design cues, and is said to foreshadow the 2006 Cadillac DTS, which is the replacement for the DeVille. In late 2005, Cadillac introduced the new DTS, the replacement of the DeVille, completing the full lineup of A&S models. Also in 2005, General Motors announced the first Cadillac designed exclusively for the European market, a model called the BLS, to be built by Saab in Sweden. Cadillac models Historical and Classic 1902-1903 Cadillac runabout and tonneau - 72in wheelbase single-cylinder engine 1903-1904 Cadillac Model A - 72in wheelbase single-cylinder engine 1904 Cadillac Models A and B Model A - 72in wheelbase single-cylinder engine Model B - 76in wheelbase single-cylinder engine 1905 Cadillac Models B, C, D, E and F Model B - 76in wheelbase single-cylinder engine Model C - 72in wheelbase single-cylinder engine Model D - 100in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Model E - 74in wheelbase single-cylinder engine Model F - 76in wheelbase single-cylinder engine 1906 Cadillac Models H, K, L, and M Model H - 102in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Model K - 74in wheelbase single-cylinder engine Model L - 110in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Model M - 76in wheelbase single-cylinder engine 1907 Cadillac Models G, H, K, and M Model G - 100in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Model H - 102in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Model K - 74in wheelbase single-cylinder engine Model M - 76in wheelbase single-cylinder engine 1908 Cadillac Models G, H, M, S and T Model G - 100in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Model H - 102in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Model M - 76in wheelbase single-cylinder engine Model S - 82in wheelbase single-cylinder engine Model T - 82in wheelbase single-cylinder engine 1909-1911 Cadillac Model Thirty 1909 - 106in wheelbase four-cylinder engine 1910 - 110in wheelbase; 120in wheelbase (limousine) four-cylinder engine Fisher 1911 - 116in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Fisher 1912 - Cadillac Model 1912; 116in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Fisher 1913 - Cadillac Model 1913; 120in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Fisher 1914 - Cadillac Model 1914; 120 and 134in wheelbase four-cylinder engine Fisher 1915 - Cadillac Type 51; 122 and 145in wheelbase V8 Fisher 1916 - Cadillac Type 53; 122 132 and 145in wheelbase V8 Fisher 1917 - Cadillac Type 55; 125 and 145in wheelbase V8 Fisher 1918-1919 Cadillac Type 57; 125 132 and 145in wheelbase V8 Fisher 1920-1921 Cadillac Type 59; 122 and 132in wheelbase V8 Fisher 1922-1923 Cadillac Type 61; 132in wheelbase V8 Fisher 1924 - Cadillac Type V-63; 132 and 145in wheelbase V8 Fisher 1925 - Cadillac Type V-63; 132 138 and 145in wheelbase V8 Fisher Fleetwood 1926-1927 Cadillac Series 314; 132 138 and 150in wheelbase V8 Fisher Fleetwood 1928 - Cadillac Series 341-A; 140 and 152in wheelbase V8 Fisher Fleetwood 1929 - Cadillac Series 341-B; 140 and 152in wheelbase V8 Fisher Fleetwood 1930 Cadillac Series 353, 370 and 452 Fisher Fleetwood Series 353 - 140 and 152in wheelbase V8 Fisher Fleetwood Series 370 - 140 143 and 152in wheelbase V12 Fisher Fleetwood Series 452 - 148in wheelbase V16 Fisher Fleetwood 1931 Cadillac Series 355, 370-A and 452-A Fisher Fleetwood Series 355 - 134 and 152in wheelbase V8 Fleetwood Series 370-A - 140 143 and 152in wheelbase V12 Fleetwood Series 452-A - 148in wheelbase V16 Fisher Fleetwood 1932 Cadillac Series 355-B, 370-B and 452-B Fisher Fleetwood Series 355-B - 134 and 156in wheelbase V8 Fisher Fleetwood Series 370-B - 140 and 156in wheelbase V12 Fisher Fleetwood Series 452-B - 143and 149in wheelbase V16 Fisher Fleetwood 1933 Cadillac Series 355-C, 370-C and 452-C Fisher Fleetwood Series 355-C - 140 and 156in wheelbase V8 Series 370-C - 134 140 and 156in wheelbase V12 Series 452-C - 143 and 149in wheelbase V16 1934 Cadillac Series 10, 20, 30 and 452-D Fisher Fleetwood Series 10 - 128in wheelbase V8 Series 20 - 136in wheelbase V8 Series 30 - 146in wheelbase V8 Series 370-D - 146in wheelbase V12 Series 452-D - 154in wheelbase V16 1935 Cadillac Series 10, 20, 30 and 452-D Fisher Fleetwood Series 10 - 128in wheelbase V8 Series 20 - 136in wheelbase V8 Series 30 - 146in wheelbase V8 Series 370-D - 146and 160in wheelbase V12 Series 452-D or 60 - 154in wheelbase V16 1936 Cadillac Series 36-60, 36-70, 36-75, 36-80, 36-85, 36-90 Fisher Fleetwood Series 36-60 - 121in wheelbase V8 Series 36-70 - 131in wheelbase V8 Series 36-75 - 138in wheelbase V8 Series 36-80 - 131and 160in wheelbase V12 Series 36-85 - 138in wheelbase V12 Series 36-80 - 154in wheelbase V16 1937 Cadillac Series 36-60, 37-65, 37-70, 37-75, 37-85, 37-90 Fisher Fleetwood Series 37-60 - 124 and 160.75in wheelbase V8 Series 37-65 - 131in wheelbase V8 Series 37-70 - 131in wheelbase V8 Series 37-75 - 138 and 156in wheelbase V8 Series 37-85 - 138in wheelbase V12 Series 37-80 - 154in wheelbase V16 1938 Cadillac Series 38-60, 38-60S, 38-65, 38-75, 38-90 Fisher Fleetwood Series 38-60 - 124 and 160in wheelbase V8 Series 38-60S - 127in wheelbase V8 Series 38-65 - 132 in wheelbase V8 Series 38-75 - 141 and 160in wheelbase V8 Series 38-90 - 141in wheelbase V16 1939 Cadillac Series 39-60S, 39-65, 39-75, 39-90 Fisher Fleetwood Series 39-60S - 127in wheelbase V8 Series 39-61 - 126 and 162.25in wheelbase V8 Series 39-75 - 141 and 161.75in wheelbase V8 Series 39-90 - 141in wheelbase V16 1940 Cadillac Series 40-60S, 40-62, 40-72, 40-75, 40-90 Fisher Fleetwood Series 40-60S - 127in wheelbase V8 Series 40-62 - 129in wheelbase V8 Series 40-72 - 138 and 165.25in wheelbase V8 Series 40-75 - 141 and 161.75in wheelbase V8 Series 40-90 - 141in wheelbase V16 1941 Cadillac Series 41-60S, 41-61, 41-62, 41-63, 41-67, 41-75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 41-60S - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 41-61 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 41-62 - 126 and 163in wheelbase V8 Series 41-63 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 41-67 - 139in wheelbase V8 Series 41-75 - 136 and 163in wheelbase V8 1942 Cadillac Series 42-60S, 42-61, 42-62, 42-63, 42-67, 42-75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 42-60S Fleetwood - 133in wheelbase V8 Series 42-61 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 42-62 - 129in wheelbase V8 Series 42-63 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 42-67 - 139in wheelbase V8 Series 42-75 - 136 and 163in wheelbase V8 1946 Cadillac Series 60S, 61, 62, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 133in wheelbase V8 Series 61 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 129in wheelbase V8 Series 75 - 136in wheelbase V8 1947 Cadillac Series 60S, 61, 62, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 133in wheelbase V8 Series 61 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 129in wheelbase V8 Series 75 - 138in wheelbase V8 1948-1949 Cadillac Series 60S, 61, 62, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 133in wheelbase V8 Series 61 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 75 - 136in wheelbase V8 Finned Fifties 1950-1951 Cadillac Series 60S, 61, 62, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 130in wheelbase V8 Series 61 - 122in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 75 - 146.75in wheelbase V8 1952 Cadillac Series 60S, 62, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 130in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 75 - 147in wheelbase V8 1953 Cadillac Series 60S, 62, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 130in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 126in wheelbase V8 Series 75 - 146.75in wheelbase V8 1954-1955 Cadillac Series 60S, 62, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 133in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 129in wheelbase V8 Series 75 - 149.8in wheelbase V8 1956 Cadillac Series 60S, 62, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 133in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 129in wheelbase V8 Series 75 - 149.75in wheelbase V8 1957-1958 Cadillac Series 60S, 62, 70, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 133in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 129.5in wheelbase V8 Series 70 - 126in wheelbase V8 "Eldorado Brougham" Series 75 - 149.7in wheelbase V8 1959-1960 Cadillac Series 60S, 62, 63, 64, 69, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 130in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 130in wheelbase V8 Series 63 - 130in wheelbase V8"De Ville" sub-series Series 64 - 130in wheelbase V8"Eldorado" sub-series Series 69 - 130in wheelbase V8 "Eldorado Brougham" Series 75 - 149.75in wheelbase V8 Sixties and Seventies 1961-1964 Cadillac Series 60S, 62, 75 Fisher Fleetwood Series 60S Fleetwood - 129.5in wheelbase V8 Series 62 - 129.5in wheelbase V8 Series 75 - 149.8in wheelbase V8 1965-1966 Cadillac "Calais", "De Ville" and "Fleetwood" Series Fisher Fleetwood Calais - 129.5in wheelbase V8 DeVille/Coupe de Ville - 129.5in wheelbase V8 Fleetwood - 133 149.8 and 156in wheelbase V8 1967-1970 Cadillac "Calais", "De Ville" and "Fleetwood" Series Fisher Fleetwood Calais - 129.5in wheelbase V8 DeVille/Coupe de Ville - 129.5in wheelbase V8 Fleetwood - 120 133 149.8 and 156in wheelbase V8 1970-1973 Cadillac "Calais", "De Ville" and "Fleetwood" Series Fisher Fleetwood Calais - 130in wheelbase V8 DeVille/Coupe de Ville - 130in wheelbase V8 Fleetwood - 126.3 133 151.5 &bnsp; and 157.5in wheelbase V8 1974 - Cadillac "Calais", "De Ville" and "Fleetwood" Series Fisher Fleetwood Calais - 130in wheelbase V8 DeVille/Coupe de Ville - 130in wheelbase V8 Fleetwood - 126 133 151.5 &bnsp; and 157.5in wheelbase V8 1975 - Cadillac "Calais", "De Ville", "Seville" and "Fleetwood" Series Fisher Fleetwood Calais - 130in wheelbase V8 DeVille/Coupe de Ville - 130in wheelbase V8 Seville - 114.3in wheelbase V8 Fleetwood - 126.3 133 151.5 &bnsp; and 157.5in wheelbase V8 Alphabetical Model Summary 1987-1993 Cadillac Allante 1985-1993 Cadillac Brougham 1965-1976 Cadillac Calais 1994-1996 Cadillac Catera 1982-1988 Cadillac Cimarron 1935-1983 Cadillac commercial chassis 1949-2005 Cadillac DeVille 1949-1993 Cadillac Coupe de Ville 1953-2003 Cadillac Eldorado 1956-1962 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz 1957-1960 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham 1956-1960 Cadillac Eldorado Seville 1963-2003 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado 1927-1996 Cadillac Fleetwood 1975-2004 Cadillac Seville 1938-1993 Cadillac Sixty Special 1975-1976 Cadillac Castilian Station Wagon Current 2006-present Cadillac STS V-Series 2004-present Cadillac CTS V-Series 2006-present Cadillac BLS (Europe only) 2003-present Cadillac CTS 2006-present Cadillac DTS 1999-present Cadillac Escalade (ESV/EXT) 2004-present Cadillac SRX 2005-present Cadillac STS 2004-present Cadillac XLR Concepts and prototypes Cadillac V-16 Aero coupe - 1933 Cadillac Caribbean, Coupe de Ville, El Rancho, Embassy - 1949 Cadillac Debutante - 1950 Cadillac custom roadster for Bill Boyer - 1951-52 Cadillac Eldorado and Townsman - 1952 Cadillac Le Mans and Orleans - 1953 Cadillac El Camino, La Espada, Park Avenue - 1954 Cadillac Celebrity, Eldorado Brougham, La Salle II, Eldorado St. Moritz, Westchester - 1955 Cadillac Castilian, Gala, Maharani, Palomino, Eldorado Brougham and Eldorado Brougham Town Car, - 1956 Cadillac Director - 1957 Cadillac "Rain Car" and 4-door Eldorado Seville - 1958 Cadillac Cyclone - 1959 Cadillac 4-door phaeton - 1960 Cadillac Bonneville Maharani - 1963 Cadillac Florentine - 1964 Cadillac Aurora - 1980 Cadillac CART-PPG - 1985 Cadillac Voyage - 1988 Cadillac Solitaire - 1989 Cadillac Evoq - 1999 Cadillac Vizon - 2000 Cadillac Imaj - 2001 Cadillac Cien - 2002 Cadillac Sixteen - 2003 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia More About Cadillac

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BUICK

The History Of Buick

Buick Buick is a brand of automobile built in the United States, Canada, and China by General Motors Corporation. Buicks are sold in North America, China, Taiwan, and Israel. The name is pronounced "B-YOO-ick" (IPA 'bjuIk). It is now GM's only semi-luxury brand since the demise of Oldsmobile in 2004. History Buick originated as an independent motor car manufacturer, the Buick Motor Company, incorporated on May 19, 1903 by the Scottish-American David Dunbar Buick (who invented the overhead valve engine on which the company's success was based) in Flint, Michigan. In 1904 the struggling company was taken over by James Whiting, who brought in William C. Durant to manage his new acquisition. Buick himself unwisely sold his stock for a small sum at his departure, and died in very modest circumstances forty years later. Durant was a natural, however, and Buick soon became the largest car maker in America. Using the profits from this, Durant embarked on a series of several dozen corporate acquisitions, calling his new mega-corporation General Motors. At first, the different manufacturers who comprised General Motors competed against each other, but Durant put a stop to that. He wanted each General Motors division to target one class of buyer, and in his new scheme Buick was near the top—only the luxurious Cadillac brand had more prestige. In 1929, the marque launched the Marquette designed to help bridge the price gap between Buick and Oldsmobile, however the Marquette was discontinued in 1930. Even today, Buick retains that position in the GM lineup. The ideal Buick customer was comfortably off; possibly not quite rich enough to afford a Cadillac or not desiring the ostentation of one, but definitely in the market for a car a cut above the norm. Speculation exists, however, as to whether GM will repeat its termination of the Oldsmobile by eliminating the Buick brand in order to further cut costs, following the temporary suspension of GM's planned Zeta project to develop new rear wheel drive cars which would have fit the Buick market niche , and the consolidation of Buick, Pontiac, and GMC trucks into a single dealer franchise, which would make it simple to eliminate the Buick brand without leaving any dealers with no product. However, with the development of the Zeta platform apparently still ongoing (including the development of the 2006 VE Holden Commodore), it may be likely that Buick will survive still. Buick began consolidating its lineup in 2005, replacing the Century and Regal with the LaCrosse, and the LeSabre and Park Avenue with the Lucerne the next year. The company will replace both of its SUVs, the Rendezvous and Rainier with the Enclave within 18 months, while the slow-selling Terraza minivan likely to end production shortly after. This will leave the marque with just three models by 2009. Distinguishing features Buick's emblem consists of three shields, each bisected diagonally to the right by a straight line, the shields arranged touching each other in a left-diagonal pattern, inside a circle. If represented in color, the leftmost shield is red, the middle white, and the rightmost blue, although white is sometimes represented by light gray. This design, known as the Trishield, was adopted in 1959 for the 1960 models and represents the three models that comprised the lineup that year—LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra. The shields are adopted from the shield of the Buick family crest, which in modified form had been used on Buicks since the 30s. A version of the traditional crest appeared on Electras through the 70s. A traditional Buick styling cue dating to 1949 is a series of three or four portholes or vents on the front fender behind the front wheels. The source of this design feature was a custom car (one not made by Buick), which in addition had a flashing light within each hole, each synchronized with a specific spark plug - a feature not used by Buick. These were originally called Ventiports (later just portholes), and have appeared sporadically on several models since, as nonfunctional ornamentation. Lower cost models were equipped with three portholes, while higher cost models came with four; when the number of portholes was standardized across the entire model line, buyers of the higher cost models complained bitterly that they felt shortchanged. In 2003 they were re-introduced on the Buick Park Avenue. After the Park Avenue was discontinued, Buick salvaged the portholes to appear on the new Lucerne. In a break with tradition, the Lucerne's portholes refer directly to engine configuration--six-cylinder models have six, while V-8's have eight. Another styling cue during the 1940s - 1970s was the sweepspear, a curved line running the length of the car. In the earlier cars, this was a chrome-plated rub strip which, after it passed the front wheel, gently curved down nearly to the rocker panel just before the rear wheel, and then curved around the rear wheel in a quarter of a circle to go straight back to the tail-light. During the two-tone color craze of the 1950s, the sweepspear separated two different color areas. After that, the curved line was usually indicated either by a vinyl rub strip or simply a character line molded into the sheetmetal. During the 1950s, the characteristic form of the Buick taillamps was a tier of small circular bullet-shapes. In the early 1960s, most models began to evolve a wide, rectangular pattern, until the '65 Skylark and Electra models appeared with full-width rear lamps. Since then, wide taillamps have been a Buick hallmark. The one Buick styling cue (dating from the 1940s) which has most often reappeared, though, is for the grille to be a horizontal oval with many thin vertical chromed ribs bulging forward. This has sometimes been called the Buick "dollar grin," particularly on the early 1950s models, which had thick, highly-polished ribs which did somewhat resemble teeth. It appears Buick may be preparing to abandon this styling cue for a new waterfall grille, as seen on the Buick Velite concept car from 2004 and the Buick Lucerne introduced for the 2006 model year. This waterfall grille bears some resemblance to grilles of Buicks from the 1980s, such as the Grand National. The Buick V8 engine, nicknamed the "nailhead", became popular with hot-rodders in the 1950s and 1960s, because the vertical attachment of the valve covers, in contrast to the angled attachment of other V-8 engines, enabled the engine to fit into smaller spaces while maintaining easy access for maintenance. Geographical distribution Unlike some of GM's other brands, Buicks are currently not marketed globally, although the marque had a substantial export presence until a few years ago. Some Buicks were also built in Europe or were available with specific trim for european market until 1996. In pre-World War II China, one in five cars were Buicks. Currently most Buick sales are restricted to the United States and Canada. However, Buick has attracted a considerable market in a few countries. Buick in New Zealand Buicks used to be sold in New Zealand. Back then, they were also built at the GMNZ plant in Petone, outside Wellington. However, at the end of World War II, the Buick name was not revived. Buick in Israel In Israel, Buicks are imported by Universal Motors, Ltd. (UMI), which also imports other GM vehicles. In the 2005 model year, the Buick LeSabre and Buick Rendezvous were sold. For the 2006 model year, the Buick LaCrosse will be sold alongside the Rendezvous, which might replace the LeSabre in sales. Buick in the Middle East Buicks used to be sold throughout the Middle East until the Buick Roadmaster was discontinued. Buick in China Since 1999, a Chinese version of the Buick Century/Regal has been produced and sold in China under Shanghai GM and has proven to be popular among upscale, professional families, establishing Buick as GM's most popular brand in China. In addition, Buick of China also sells the compact Excelle (based on the Daewoo Lacetti/Nubira), a five-door hatchback version called the HRV, and a modified version of the Terraza minivan named the GL8. In June, 2005, Buick announced that it will build a car named the Buick Royaum in Australia for export to China, based on the Holden Statesman and Caprice luxury cars. Buick previously marketed the subcompact Sail, sourced from GM's Asian operations and based on the Opel Corsa B, until 2005. Since then, Shanghai GM has replaced it with the Chevrolet Sail. Buick has stated that it expects China to become its second largest market. Buick in Taiwan In December 2004, General Motors signed a memorandum of understanding with Yulon, a firm based in Taiwan, for the licensed manufacture of Buick vehicles there. Currently, the only Buick vehicle sold in Taiwan is the imported Rendezvous. Buick models Buick Apollo (1973 - 1979) Buick Allure (2005 - Current, only sold in Canada) Buick Centurion (1971 - 1973) Buick Century (1936 - 1942, 1954 - 1958, 1973 - 2005) Buick Eight Buick Electra (1959 - 1990) Buick Enclave (2008 - Current) Buick Estate Wagon (1940, 1946- 1964, 1970 - 1996) Buick Excelle (2003 - Current, rebadged Daewoo Nubira, only sold in China) Buick G-series (1999 - 2003, rebadged Buick Century, only sold in China) Buick GL8 (2000 - Current, only sold in China) Buick Gran Sport (1968 - 1972) Buick GSX (1970 - 1971) Buick HRV (2004 - Current, only sold in China) Buick Invicta (1959 - 1964) Buick LaCrosse (2005 - Current) Buick LeSabre (1959 - 2005) Buick Limited (1936 - 1942, 1958) Buick Lucerne (2006 - Current) Buick Luxus (1973 - 1974) Buick Park Avenue (1991 - 2005) Buick Rainier (2004 - Current) Buick Reatta (1988 - 1991) Buick Regal (1973 - 2004) Buick Rendezvous (2002 - Current) Buick Riviera (1963 - 1999) Buick Roadmaster (1936 - 1958, 1991 - 1996) Buick Royaum (2005 - Current, only sold in China) Buick Sail - (2000 - 2005, rebadged Opel Corsa Classic/Chevrolet Classic Limousine, only sold in China) Buick Skyhawk (1975 - 1980, 1982 - 1989) Buick Skylark (1953 - 1954, 1961 - 1972, 1975 - 1998) Buick Somerset (1985 - 1987) Buick Special (1936 - 1958, 1961 - 1969) Buick Sport Wagon (1964 - 1971) Buick Super (1940 - 1958) Buick Terraza (2005 - Current) Buick Wildcat (1963 - 1970) Companion make Marquette Concept Vehicles Buick Y-Job (1938) 1951 Buick LeSabre (1951) Buick XP-300 (1951) Buick Wildcat I (1953) Buick Wildcat II (1954) Buick Wildcat III (1955) 1956 Buick Centurion (1956) Buick Riviera Silver Arrow I (1963) Buick Questor (1983) 1985 Buick Wildcat (1985) 1988 Buick Lucerne (1988) Buick Bolero (1990) Buick Sceptre (1992) Buick XP2000 (1996) Buick Signia (1998) Buick Cielo (1999) 2000 Buick LaCrosse (2000) Buick Blackhawk (2000) Buick Bengal (2001) Buick Centieme (2003) Buick Velite (2004) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia More About Buick

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BUGATTI

The History Of Bugatti

Bugatti Automobiles SAS For an overview of the marque, see Bugatti. Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. is a French automobile manufacturer located in the French town of Molsheim, Alsace, France. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, and was founded in 1998 as a successor to the legendary Bugatti company. At the urging of then-chairman Ferdinand Piëch, Volkswagen purchased the rights to produce cars under the Bugatti marque in 1998. This followed the purchase of Lamborghini (for VW's Audi division), the Rolls-Royce factory in Crewe, England, and the Bentley marque. Giugiaro Concept Cars Volkswagen commissioned ItalDesign's Giorgetto Giugiaro to design a series of concept cars to return the marque to prominence. The first example, the EB 118, was a two-door coupé and was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1998. It was followed by the four-door EB 218 touring sedan, introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1999. Later that year, the 18/3 Chiron was shown at the IAA in Frankfurt. The final Bugatti concept was not designed by ItalDesign: the VW-designed EB 18/4 GT was introduced at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show. All of these early concepts featured a 555hp DIN (408kW) 18-cylinder engine. This was the first-ever W-configuration engine on a passenger vehicle, with three banks of six cylinders. It shared many components with Volkswagen's modular engine family. Official Incorporation On December 15, 2000, Volkswagen officially incorporated Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., with former VW drivetrain chief Karl-Heinz Neumann as president. The company purchased the 1856 Château Saint Jean, formerly Ettore Bugatti's guest house in Dorlisheim, near Molsheim, and began refurbishing it to serve as the company's headquarters. The original factory was still in the hands of Snecma, who were unwilling to part with it. At the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August 2000, VW announced that they would instead build a new modern atelier (factory) next to and south of the Château. The atelier was officially inaugurated on September 3, 2005. EB 16.4 Veyron Main article: Bugatti Veyron Piëch announced the production Bugatti model at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show. To be called the EB 16/4 Veyron, it was intended to be the fastest, most-powerful, and most-expensive car in history. Instead of the large and complex W18 engine of the concept cars, the Veyron would use a VR6-style W16 engine. First seen in the 1999 Bentley Hunaudieres concept car, the W16 would get four turbochargers, producing an expected 1001 metrichp (736kW). Top speed was promised at 407km/h (253mph), and pricing was announced at €1 million (US$1.3 million at the time). Development continued throughout 2001, and the EB 16/4 Veyron was promoted to "advanced concept" status. In late 2001, Bugatti announced that the car, officially called the Bugatti EB Veyron 16.4, would go into production in 2003. The car experienced significant problems, however. High-speed stability was difficult, with one prototype destroyed in a crash and another spun out during a press demonstration at the Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. Production of the Veyron was delayed indefinitely. Piëch retired that year as chairman of Volkswagen, and was replaced by Bernd Pischetsrieder. The new chairman promptly sent the Veyron back to the drawing board for major revisions. Neumann was replaced as Bugatti president by Thomas Bscher in December of 2003, and substantial modifications were made to the Veyron under the guidance of former VW engineer, Bugatti Engineering head Wolfgang Schreiber. The final version of the Veyron was presented at Château Saint Jean on 3 September 2005. Volkswagen AG designed and built a brand new production facility in the French town of Molsheim ( 48°31'43.25"N, 7°29'53.16"E), the marques' original hometown. Second model The December 2007 issue of Australia's Motor Magazine has stated that this second Bugatti model will, in fact, share its platform with the next generation Bentley Arnage, with the Bugatti powered by a detuned version of the Veyron's W16 engine, while Bentley version powered mainly by the venerable 6.75 V8 Twin Turbo from the current Arnage (albeit with the Bugatti motor being on offer for a limited run or ultra exclusive Bentleys). From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia More About Bugatti

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BOVA

The History Of BOVA

VDL Bova VDL Bova, better known as Bova, is a Dutch luxury coachbuilder which began building coaches in 1931. In particular, it is well known for the Bova Futura, a streamlined coach, often with a DAF engine, which was first introduced in the 1980s and continues in a similar form today. History The founder, J.D. Bots, later to be known as J.D. Bova first started the company that would come to be known as Bova in 1878 with the creation of a timber business in Valkenswaard. When J.D. Bots died, he left the business to his eldest son Simon who first introduced the name Bova, which was derived from Bots Valkenswaard. Simon, however, died early in life of tuberculosis and the Bova legacy was left to his younger brother, James David Bova. It was James David Bova who revolutionized mass transit in 1931, when as president of Bova, he introduced autobus coach body to the world. A well-known philanthropist dedicated to funding medical research and the advancement of women in Western Europe. Also a painter, many of his landscapes, or vistas, as he referred to them, are still displayed in the VDL Bova headquarters located in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The company was purchased by VDL Groep in 2003. Products Current Futura Lexio Magiq Synergy Past Europa Calypso (a Europa underframe with Duple bodywork) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia More About BOVA

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BMW

The History Of BMW

BMW BMW AG (an abbreviation of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or in English, Bavarian Motor Works), is a German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. BMW is the world's largest premium carmaker and is the parent company of the BMW MINI and Rolls-Royce car brands, and, formerly, Rover. In German, the acronym BMW is pronounced "bay emm vay." In North America and some other regions (i.e. Jamaica), BMW cars are referred to as "bimmers," while BMW motorcycles are called "beemers". The company's taglines in English are "The Ultimate Driving Machine" and "Sheer Driving Pleasure." The original German slogan is "Freude am Fahren," which translates to "Joy in Driving" in English. BMW's main competitors include Acura, Audi, Cadillac, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. History Pre-WWII BMW was founded by Karl Friedrich Rapp in October 1913, originally as an aircraft engine manufacturer, Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke. The Milbertshofen district of Munich location was chosen because it was close to the Gustav Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik site, a German aircraft manufacturer. The blue-and-white circular logo BMW still uses (illustrated above right) alludes to the blue and white checkered flag of Bavaria and also indicates the origin of BMW by symbolizing a spinning white propeller on a blue-sky background. In 1916 the company secured a contract to build V12 engines for Austria-Hungary. Needing extra financing, Rapp gained the support of Camillo Castiglioni and Max Friz, the company was reconstituted as the Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH. Over-expansion caused difficulties; Rapp left and the company was taken over by the Austrian industrialist Franz Josef Popp in 1917, and named BMW AG in 1918. After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles (1919) prohibited the production of aircraft in Germany. Otto closed his factory and BMW switched to manufacturing railway brakes. In 1919 BMW designed their first motorcycle engine to be used in a model called the Victoria which was built by a company in Nuremberg. In 1923 BMW built their first model motorcycle, the R32. This had a 500 cc air-cooled horizontally-opposed engine, a feature that would resonate among their various models for decades to come, albeit with displacement increases and newer technology. In 1927 the tiny Dixi, an Austin Seven produced under licence, began production in Eisenach. BMW bought the Dixi Company the following year, and this became the company's first car, the BMW 3/15. By 1933 BMW were producing cars that could be called truly theirs, offering steadily more advanced I6 sports and saloons (sedans). The pre-war cars culminated in the 327 saloon and 328 roadster, fast 2.0 L cars, both very advanced for their time. World War II BMW motorcycles, specifically the BMW R 12 and the BMW R 75 combination were used extensively by the Reconnaissance formations of German panzer and motorised divisions of the Heer, Waffen SS and Luftwaffe. BMW was also a major supplier of engines to the Luftwaffe and of engines and vehicles, especially motorcycles, to the Wehrmacht. Planes used the aero-engines included the 801, one of the most powerful available. Over 30,000 were manufactured up to 1945. BMW also researched jet engines, producing the BMW 003, and rocket-based weapons. BMW has admitted to using between 25,000 and 30,000 slave labourers during this period, consisting of both inmates of infamous concentration camps such as Dachau and prisoners of war. The BMW works were heavily bombed towards the end of the war. Of its sites, those in eastern Germany (Eisenach-Dürrerhof, Wandlitz-Basdorf and Zühlsdorf) were seized by the Soviets. The factory in Munich was largely destroyed. Aftermath of WWII After the war the Munich factory took some time to restart production in any volume. BMW was banned from manufacturing for three years by the Allies and did not produce a car model until 1952. In the east, the company's factory at Eisenach was taken over by the soviet Awtowelo group which finally formed Eisenacher Motor-Werke. That company produced cars called "BMW" until in 1951 the Bavarian company prevented use of the trademarks — the BMW name, the logo and the "double-kidney" radiator grille — the cars being then rebranded EMW. Production continued until 1955. In the west, representatives from the Bristol Aeroplane Company inspected the factory, and returned to Britain with plans for the 326, 327 and 328 models. These plans, which became official war reparations, along with BMW engineer Fritz Fiedler allowed the newly formed Bristol Cars to produce a new, high-quality sports saloon (sedan), the 400 by 1947, a car so similar to the BMW 327 that it even kept the famous BMW grille. Post-war history In 1952, BMW produced its first passenger car since the war, but its attempts to get into the premium sector were not commercially successful; models such as the acclaimed BMW 507 were too expensive to build profitably and were low volume. By the late 1950s, it was making bubble cars such as the Isetta. In 1959 BMW's management suggested selling the whole concern to Daimler-Benz. Major shareholder, Herbert Quandt was close to agreeing such a deal, but changed his mind at the last minute because of opposition from the workforce and trade unions and advice from the board chairman, Kurt Golda. Instead Quandt increased his share in BMW to 50% against the advice of his bankers, and he was instrumental in turning the company around. That same year, BMW launched the 700, a small car with an air-cooled, rear-mounted 697 cc boxer engine from the R67 motorcycle. Its bodywork was designed by Giovanni Michelotti and the 2+2 model had a sporty look. There was also a more powerful RS model for racing. Competition successes in the 700 began to secure BMW's reputation for sports sedans. At the Frankfurt show in 1961, BMW launched the 1500, a powerful compact sedan, with front disc brakes and four-wheel independent suspension. This modern specification further cemented BMW's reputation for sporting cars. It was the first BMW to officially feature the "Hofmeister kink", the rear window line that has been the hallmark of all BMWs since then. The "New Class" 1500 was developed into 1600 and 1800 models. In 1966, the two-door version of the 1600 was launched, along with a convertible in 1967. These models were called the '02' series—the 2002 being the most famous—and began the bloodline that later developed into the BMW 3 Series. In 1968, BMW launched its large "New Six" sedans, the 2500, 2800, and American Bavaria, and coupés, the 2.5 CS and 2800 CS. By the 1970s, BMW was commercially successful and in December 1971, moved in to its present HQ in Munich, architecturally modelled after four cylinders. In 1972, the 5 Series was launched to replace the New Class sedans, with a body styled by Marcello Gandini. The New Class coupes were replaced by the 3 Series in 1975, and the New Six became the 7 Series in 1977. Thus the three-tier sports sedan range was formed, and BMW essentially followed this formula into the 1990s. Other cars, like the 6 Series coupes that replaced the CS and the M1, were also added to the mix as the market demanded. "The English Patient" Between 1994 and 2000, under the leadership of Bernd Pischetsrieder, BMW owned the Rover Group in an attempt to get into mass market production, buying it from British Aerospace. This brought the Rover, Mini, Land Rover and Triumph brands under BMW ownership. The venture was not successful. For years, Rover tried to rival BMW, if not in product, then in market positioning and "snob appeal". BMW found it difficult to reposition the English automaker alongside its own products and the Rover division was faced with endless changes in its marketing strategy. In the six years under BMW, Rover was positioned as a premium automaker, a mass-market automaker, a division of BMW and an independent unit. BMW was more successful with the Mini and Land Rover brands, which did not have parallels in its own range at the time. In 2000, BMW disposed of Rover after years of losses, with Rover cars going to the Phoenix Venture Holdings for a nominal £10 and Land Rover going to the Ford Motor Company. In the press, many years of under-investment by Rover before BMW's ownership were mainly blamed for the debacle; productivity and industrial relations were generally good during this period. The German press ridiculed the English firm as "The English Patient", after a film at the time. BMW itself, protected by its product range's image, was largely spared the blame — even though it was the serious marketing issues that brought Rover down. Even the British press was not particularly sympathetic toward Rover. BMW retained the Mini and Triumph marques. MINI has been a highly successful business, though the Triumph name has not been used. Redesign Controversy In the early part of the 2000s, BMW undertook another of its periodic cycles of redoing the styling design of its various series of vehicles, under the auspices of newly promoted design chief Christopher Bangle. These designs, which were much curvier and 'swoopier' -- a design cue called "flame surfacing" by Bangle, did not rest well at all with BMW enthusiasts or the automotive press which referred to the new designs as "Bangled" or "Bangle-ized". While Bangle did not pen all of these designs, and has indeed been promoted within the company, some question what long term effect the disaffection of BMW traditionalists for these designs will have on sales, and on the company's future. Despite the controversy, BMW sales have increased year after year, showing the buying public's embrace of the new design philosophy. What is not well known, however is that Bangle was indeed responsible for many 'conservative' BMW designs and has worked at BMW for almost a decade. The first X5 sketches (which highly resembled the production car), were designed by him, and under his tenure the E46 came to be. Production outside Germany BMW started producing automobiles at its Spartanburg/Greenville, South Carolina plant in 1994. Today, the plant manufactures the BMW X5 and BMW Z4 Roadster. The Spartanburg plant is open six days a week, producing automobiles approximately 110 hours a week. It employs about 4,700 people and manufactures over 500 vehicles daily. After a period of local assembly, BMW's Rosslyn, South Africa plant now manufactures cars, with over 70 percent of its output destined for export. In the mid-1990s, BMW invested R1 billion to make Rosslyn a world-class facility. The plant now exports over 50,000 3 Series cars a year, mostly to the USA, Japan, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. Starting from October 2003, BMWs are produced in Shenyang, China. BMW has established a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Brilliance to build BMW 3 Series and 5 Series vehicles for the local market. Rolls-Royce In the early 1990s, BMW and Rolls-Royce Motors began a joint venture that would see the new Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph and Bentley Arnage adopt BMW engines. In 1998, both BMW and Volkswagen tried to purchase Rolls-Royce Motors. Volkswagen outbid BMW and bought the company for £430 million, but BMW outflanked its German rival. Although Volkswagen had bought rights to the "Spirit of Ecstasy" mascot and the shape of the radiator grille, it lacked rights to the Rolls-Royce name. Rolls-Royce plc (the aero-engine business) retained the rights over the Rolls-Royce trademark and wished to strengthen its existing business partnership with BMW which extended to the BMW Rolls-Royce joint venture. Consequently, BMW was allowed to acquire the rights to the grille and mascot, and licensed the name and "RR" logo after 2003 for £40 million. Volkswagen was permitted to build Rolls-Royces at its Crewe factory only until 2003, but quickly shifted its emphasis to the Bentley brand. In the meantime, BMW was faced with the need to build a new factory and develop a new model. The new factory at Goodwood produced the new Rolls-Royce Phantom, unveiled on January 2, 2003, and officially launched at the Detroit Auto Show on January 5, 2003. The model, priced around US$330,000, has experienced disappointing sales worldwide. Models Current and near future products The current BMW model lineup is split into what they call "Series", traditionally identified by a single digit - e.g. the 3 Series. In 2004 BMW announced plans to make odd-numbered models sedans and estates or wagons (BMW calls its estates/wagons Touring models), while even-numbered models will be two-door coupes and cabriolets. This convention started informally in 1976 with the introduction of the 6 Series and later continued in 1989 with the 8 Series, but died off when the latter was discontinued in 1999. This practice was revived as the Z4 replaced the aging Z3 roadster in 2003 and continues as the new 6 Series augments the existing BMW 5 Series. Coupe versions of the 3 Series sedans have always been named 3 Series vehicles, as well. The company had considered renaming future 2-door derivatives of the 3 Series as 4 Series cars, but this plan has reportedly been shelved. The M letter was used prior to the shift to Series-named cars to designate special "Motorsport" models, beginning with the M1 supercar. Later the M letter was used as a prefix to top-of-the-range models which had received special treatment by the BMW Motorsport division. The first such car was the M535i of 1979. As these models started gaining popularity the Motorsport division was split into a separate company. BMW M GmbH now makes sporty models based on the production cars with very extensive chassis and engine upgrades. The M3 and M5 are based respectively on the 3 and 5 Series and are recognised by enthusiasts all over the world as truly excellent sports cars while retaining the practicality of the models they extend. With the advent of the SUV, BMW also added the X5 - and in 2004 the X3 - to their model range to capitalize on this growing market. BMW calls its SUV models Sports Activity Vehicles. A possible future V Series will offer MPV practicality for large families, similar to the Renault Scenic. 1 Series: a small car launched in autumn 2004 in Europe; autumn 2006 in the USA. It is the only rear wheel drive vehicle in its class. A coupe has been announced for 2006, and there are concepts of a hatchback and a minivan. Plans to label these variants as 2 Series have reportedly been scrubbed. 3 Series: the successor to the 2002; a compact entry-level luxury sedan, now in its fifth generation (E90). The E90 line (starting with the 2006 model year) is available now in the United States. The E90 is currently available in the 325i (with a detuned 3.0 L I6 engine producing 215 bhp) and the 330i (with a 3.0 L I6 engine producing 255 bhp) as well as the AWD-versions of these 2 models, named 325xi and 330xi. Currently the 3 series coupe and convertible is only available in the fourth generation E46 body style (with a 2.5 L I6 producing 184 bhp for the 325ci/cic and a 3.0 L I6 producing 225 bhp for the 330ci/cic) until the middle of 2006 when the E90 coupes will be available. Also available is the all wheel drive Touring (wagon) model, the 325xiT. Other models, including diesel models, are available outside of the United States. M3: The motorsport division's race-inspired version of the 3 Series. Currently available only in the fourth generation E46 body style and with a 3.2 L engine producing 333 bhp. A new revision is expected in 2007 with a 400 horsepower V8. 5 Series: a midsize sports/luxury sedan. This series has is available with three different engines: the 525i with the same engine as the 325i, the 530i with the same engine as the 330i, and the 545i with a 4.4 L V8 producing 325 bhp. For the 2006 model year, the 545i will be phased out in favour of the 550i, with a 4.8 L V8 producing 360 bhp. Other models, including diesel models, are available outside of the United States. M5: The motorsport division's version of the 5 Series. The new M5 (E60) is powered by an F1-inspired V10 engine, producing 507 bhp and is mated with a 7-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) transmission. 6 Series: The coupe verson of the 5 series, the 6 series is currently available only in the 650i version with a 4.8 L V8 producing 360 bhp. M6: A high performance version of the 6 Series. Developed by BMW's M Division, it is powered by the same 5.0 L V10 507 bhp engine seen in the BMW M5. It is currently available in Europe and is coming to America soon. 7 Series: a full-size, executive-class, luxury car competing with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8, and Jaguar XJ. The 7 series comes in the 750i and 750Li with the same engine as the 550i, and in the 760i and 760Li, with a 6.0 L V12 producing 438 bhp. The 760Li is also made in a bulletproof version for clients who need extra protection. X3: a small SUV with emphasis on practicality and affordability X5: BMW's first SUV (called SAV or Sports Activity Vehicle by BMW) competing against the Porsche Cayenne and Mercedes M-Class. Z4: a two-seater roadster and coupe that succeeded the Z3. Available in 2.5 L and 3.0 L models. M Z4 The BMW M Z4 coupe is planned for production as a 2006 model. Z10: A 2+2 coupe to succeed the Z8, to be produced in 2008 Out of production M1: a 1970s mid-engine sports car, designed in conjunction with Lamborghini. As Lamborghini went into bankruptcy the production was shifted to the German Karmanwerke. Z3: a compact two-seater roadster. M coupé and roadster: high-performance hard-top and soft-top versions of the Z3, very popular with enthusiasts 8 Series: a fast, high-technology coupe of the 1990s meant to replace the older 6 Series. Z1: a late 1980s two-seater with innovative modular construction; only 8,000 were made. Best known for the feature of the vertically sliding doors. Z8: flagship sports car; design based on the classic 507 roadster from the 1950s. Only 5000 were built, the last 500 being a special edition built by Alpina but sold directly from BMW. This exciting roadster was built on an aluminium space frame design. Z9 concept car designed by Adrian van Hooydonk marked a departure from BMW's traditional conservative style, and has caused some controversy among BMW enthusiasts. Classics BMW made many cars over the years which have had great impact on the world of motoring. Dixi, 3/20, 303, 309, 315, 319, 320, 321, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 335 Isetta, 600, 700 501, 502, 503, 507 3200 CS, 2000 CS New Sixes (2500/2800/Bavaria/2.5/2.8/3.0/3.3) - Predecessor to today's 7 Series New Class (1500/1502/1600/1800/1802/2000/2002) - Acknowledged as the first modern sports saloon and the predecessor to BMW's core product, the 3 Series Series Generations Internally, BMW associates an "e-code" for each generation of a series ("E" stands for Entwicklung, German for development or evolution). These "chassis codes" only change to signify a major redesign of a series, or the introduction of a new series. BMW E3 - (1968-1977) 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, 3.3 "New Six" sedans BMW E9 - (1969-1975) 2800CS, 3.0CS, 3.0CSL "New Six" coupés BMW E12 - (1972-1981) 5 Series BMW E21 - (1975-1983) 3 Series BMW E23 - (1977-1986) 7 Series BMW E24 - (1976-1989) 6 Series BMW E26 - (1978-1981) M1 BMW E28 - (1981-1988) 5 Series BMW E30 - (1982-1991) 3 Series BMW E31 - (1990-1999) 8 Series BMW E32 - (1986-1994) 7 Series BMW E34 - (1988-1995) 5 Series BMW E36 - (1991-1999) 3 Series/Z3 (as E36/7) (1999 model as M3 only) BMW E38 - (1994-2001) 7 Series BMW E39 - (1996-2003) 5 Series BMW E46 - (1998-2005) 3 Series BMW E52 - (2000-2004) Z8 BMW E53 - (2000-present) X5 BMW E60 - (2004-present) 5 Series BMW E63 - (2004-present) 6 Series coupe BMW E64 - (2004-present) 6 Series convertible BMW E65 - (2002-present) 7 Series short wheel base BMW E66 - (2002-present) 7 Series long wheel base BMW E70 - future X5 BMW E83 - (2004-present) X3 BMW E85 - (2003-present) Z4 BMW E87 - (2004-present) 1 Series BMW E90 - (2005-present) 3 Series BMW E91 - (2005-present) 3 Series Wagon Related companies Automobilwerk Eisenach Isetta Glas Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited: BMW subsidiary that owns the Rolls-Royce trademark. Rover: briefly owned by BMW, which retained the Mini after selling off the rest of the company (see MG Rover Group). Land Rover: sold to Ford; the current Range Rover was developed mostly by BMW during their ownership of the company and until recently was powered by their 4.4L V8 petrol (gasoline) engine and continues to use the BMW 3.0L I6 diesel engine BMW MINI: a small hatchback; inspired by the original Mini, which was the British competitor to the Volkswagen Beetle. Wiesmann: A company making sporty 2-seater coupes for which BMW supplies the engines. DesignworksUSA: Design studio founded in 1972 by Charles W. Pelly, and owned by BMW AG since May 1995. DesignworksUSA has worked on various designs for BMW and other companies, not just automobile. One of the latest designs is computer keyboard and mouse, which were sold by BenQ as x700 Pro keyboard, x730 Pro wireless keyborard and mouse combo, M306 wireless mouse. Bavaria Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH: BMW Group subsidiary that offers insurance services. Softlab GmbH: IT consulting and systems integration. Motorsport BMW has been engaged in motorsport activities since the dawn of the first BMW motorcycle. BMW has competed and won many of the most coveted and prestigious races and motoring events. BMW Sauber F1 Team WilliamsF1 Brabham Racing Organisation Team McLaren Touring car racing Le Mans 24 Hours Mille Miglia Nürburgring Paris Dakar Rally Motorcycles Main article: BMW motorcycles BMW branded motorcycles were first produced in 1923 and had an unusual "boxer twin" engine, with two air-cooled cylinders protruding from opposite sides of the machine. Prior to this BMW built the "Flink" 2- stroke and "Helios" motorcycles, as well as supplying M2B15 motors to other companies such as Victoria. The R series currently designates machines with a boxer-twin engine, the K series has an I4 engine (1000 and 1200cc) or an I3 (750cc), and the F series has a single cylinder Rotax engine. During WWII BMW produced the BMW R75 motorcycle with a sidecar attached. This motorcycle was essentially an 80% interchangeable copy of the ZUndapp KS750, made by BMW to avoid producing the KS750 under licence. Unusually, the sidecar's wheel was also driven. Combined with a lockable differential, this made the vehicle very capable off-road, an equivalent in many ways to the Jeep. BMW motorcycles tend to be relatively large and heavy, and relaxed and comfortable to ride. All BMW motorcycles except for the F series (which have a chain or belt drive) use shaft drive, a characteristic of BMW motorcycles since 1923. BMW updated the traditional R design in 1993. These new bikes were principally oil-cooled (hence, called oilheads) and had 4 valves per cylinder. (Older Rs are principally air-cooled, and called airheads.) In 2004, BMW updated the oilhead boxer engine, adding double spark plugs per cylinder, a built-in balance shaft, an increased capacity to 1200cc and enhanced performance to 100hp (75kW) for the R1200GS, compared to 85hp (63kW) of the previous oilhead s R1150GS. In 2004, BMW introduced the new K1200S Sports Bike which marked a departure for BMW. It is both powerful (the engine is a 167 bhp unit derived from the company's work with the Williams F1 team) and significantly lighter than previous K models. It was BMW's latest attempt to keep up with the pace of development of sports machines from the likes of Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki. Innovations include a unique electronically adjustable front and rear suspension, and a Hossack-type front fork BMW calls Duolever. BMW was one of the earliest manufacturers to offer anti-lock brakes on production motorcycles. BMW is an innovator in motorcycle suspension design. Most modern examples use single-sided rear swingarms. Their trademark front suspension design, called the Telelever, was first seen in the early 1990s. The Telelever significantly reduces dive under braking, and is sometimes criticized by sport riders as insulating the rider from road inputs, therefore reducing the rider's "feel" for the roadway. Nicknames Bimmer - slang for BMW cars (pronounced "bimmer" or "beemer") Beamer/Beemer - slang for BMW motorcycles Beba - Greece B M - Arab countries BM - Mexico Bembara - Serbia Bambalis - Lithuania Bummer - Russia Bemm - Estonia Culture BMW has also gained a reputation as part of an Internet prank, in that it is intentionally referred to erroneously as "British Motor Works" in order to get a charge out of newbies. The term "beemer" started as a pronunciation of the acronym "BMW," adapted from the early-20th-Century British pronunciation of BSA (as "beeser" or "beezer"), whose motorcycles were often racing BMW's. Over time, the term became closely associated with BMW motorcycles. The term "bimmer" was later coined to refer (exclusively) to BMW automobiles. As such, use of the word "beemer" to refer to a BMW automobile is frowned upon by BMW enthusiasts, because it is the term used for motorcycles, though the distinction is somewhat arbitrary. Interestingly, in the German language, the correct pronunciation of the term "bimmer" is "beemer." BMW is also the acronym in the UK for a cocktail of Baileys, Malibu and Whisky. Community BMW has always had a very tight and loyal community following. They're one of the few automakers that support driving their cars to their limits, suggesting "spirited driving" in certain operation manuals. In the summer of 2001, BMW even went as far as starting the BMW Films website, showcasing some sporty models being driven to extremes. These videos are very popular within the enthusiast community and have opened the eyes of many owners looking for a sporty/fun car. However, even with all this success, on October 21st, 2005, the BMW Films were taken offline. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia More About BMW

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