from unitedBMWonline.com

Proving once again that the BMW M3 knows the way to victory lane at Road America, the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team won the ultra-competitive American Le Mans Series GT class for the second consecutive year at the classic Road America circuit.

No. 90 BMW M3 GT drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Müller completed 66 laps of the 4.0-mile circuit in today’s two-hour-and-forty-five-minute American Le Mans Series race, winning by 2.6 seconds. The outstanding result gives BMW a six point lead in the all-important Manufacturer point standings. Hand and Müller move up to a tie for second in Driver points before the last two races of the season. Read more

BMW remains steadfast in its commitment to including Maintenance on every new BMW sold or leased in the US. Beginning with the 2003 model year every new BMW includes maintenance for 4 years or 50,000 miles.

“Our customers tell us they find real value in the program, so our commitment to it has never wavered. As a customer, you are essentially responsible for fuel, tires and insurance. We take care of the rest.” said Jim O’Donnell, President and CEO of BMW of North America, LLC. “It has also been instrumental in helping us to build the most successful Certified Pre-Owned business in the US by ensuring that our dealers have a consistent source of high-quality pre-owned BMWs to offer.” Read more

Starting in the autumn of 2010, the product range of the BMW M GmbH will offer even greater diversity. From September 2010, the M Performance range will comprise a choice of newly developed accessory products for targeted individualisation and a further increase in the BMW M3’s dynamic handling potential, including hand-crafted carbon components and a lightweight sports silencer. At the same time, the experience of driving a BMW X5 M and a BMW X6 M will be optimised thanks to new equipment options and additional innovative BMW ConnectedDrive services.

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The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported July sales of 23,390 vehicles, an increase of 10.1 percent from the 21,253 vehicles sold last year. Year-to-date, the BMW Group also reported a sales volume of 144,975 vehicles, up 6.8 percent from the 135,701 units sold last year.

“We’re delighted to have the all-new 5 Series in the market, and just as we had hoped, the first full month results with this new car have been very positive,” said Jim O’Donnell, President of BMW of North America, LLC. “Current and new customers love it, our dealers would like to have even more, and what we’ve also seen is strong market demand once again for a vehicle with the size, performance and flexibility of our X5.”

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BMW Group Financial Services has once again outperformed the automotive finance industry by earning three-out-of-three top awards as recognized by the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates Awards for excellence in dealer financing satisfaction. With a total of 21 J.D. Power and Associates Awards earned since 1997, BMW Group Financial Services has received more J.D. Power Awards for dealer and consumer financing satisfaction than any luxury automaker. In addition to earning the highest ranking position for Retail Leasing for the 7th consecutive year, the company also ranked highest in the Floor Planning category, as well as earned the highest ranking for Prime Retail Credit through its Alphera division, the company’s non-captive organization which provides financial services to dealers beyond the BMW Group franchised network.

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BMW of North America today announced that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) declared the 2011 BMW 5 Series Sedan a 2010 Top Safety Pick. The new 5 Series earned the top rating of “Good” based on its performance in each of the Institute’s crash tests.

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BMW Group announced today it will be the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) from now through 2016. BMW Group will also be the Official Mobility Partner of four National Governing Bodies (NGBs): USA Bobsled & Skeleton, US Speedskating, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field.

Jack Pitney, Vice President of Marketing for BMW of North America, USOC Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Baird and short track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno, the most decorated U.S. winter Olympian of all time, were all in New York City to make the partnership announcement.

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The BMW M3 GT2 Art Car was one of the main attractions at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours (FR). Images of the work of art, designed by American artist Jeff Koons, were seen around the world. BMW announced a photo contest for all accredited photographers who captured pictures of the car at the “Circuit de la Sarthe”. Six weeks later the winner has been chosen: Rick Dole from St. Augustine, Florida (US), made the biggest impression on the jury, which included BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen and the three drivers of the BMW Art Car, Dirk Werner (DE), Dirk Müller (DE) and Andy Priaulx (GB). As a reward for his photo of the no. 79 BMW M3 GT2, the winner receives a cheque for 1,000 Euros.

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Exclusive insights into the design philosophy and development strategy of BMW are the central focus of an unusual media event at the home of the brand in Munich. At the BMW Design Night on July 21st 2010, selected media representatives will have the opportunity to take an intensive look at the fundamental principles and pioneering concepts of future automobile design. The speakers and dialogue partners presenting the event at BMW Welt in Munich are Dr. Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of BMW AG, Development and Adrian van Hooydonk, Director BMW Group Design.

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The first full restoration of the new BMW Classic Center is handed back to its delighted owner.

Wednesday, 7 July 2010 was a red-letter day. The 1972 BMW 3.0 CSi which had been completely restored by the BMW Classic Center’s new Customer Workshop was handed back to its owner at BMW Welt. There was twofold cause for celebration: the BMW Classic Center was pleased at having successfully completed its first full restoration since the opening of the BMW Classic Customer Workshop, while BMW Welt marked the first occasion on which a classic BMW – rather than a brand-new car – was delivered to a customer. “The successful restoration of the BMW 3.0 CSi shows that we are on the right track and that, together with our partners within the BMW Group network of facilities, we are capable of restoring vehicles to the highest quality standards and to individual customer specifications,” said Ralf Vierlein, Head of Sales and Aftersales at BMW Group Classic.

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