Everything copyright m5board.com 2004.
I attended the launch of the BMW M5 E60 in Sweden this evening at Stockholm Open. The M5 that was there was the same as in Paris, so not any news on the actual car. However I got significantly more time with BMW M Manager / President Mr Ulrich Bruhnke than a month ago when I met him in Paris at the Auto Salon. Please read more about that meet by
clicking here.
In anycase, with the company of Champagne and the new M5 and Individual Brochures, a Swedish BMW executive introduced Mr Bruhnke as well as told that the market share for BMW in Sweden is at an all time high, with a 3,3% market share and a 4,3% market share for company-cars. Good times for BMW in Sweden. There is 900 M5 E39 in Sweden out of a total of 20 000 E39 M5 produced here.
Mr Bruhnke entered the stage and started to say that BMW M is not a bad situation, we know the competitors move for the next upcoming 10 years.
"BMW M5 is still the market leader, alot of competitors are trying to copy us."
Also, his speech first introduced us to BMW Individual different branches such as BMW Fahrertraining and BMW Individual.
BMW M Mr Bruhnke said is manned by "caroholics"
Below direct quotes from Brunke.
"BMW M was founded in 1972. 1978 BMW M1 launched. People told BMW was "silly" and "crazy" to put this mid-engined car into a normal sedan. But they did, but this was the founder of the high performance sedan. Then the 2nd generation M5 and the in 1992 the McLaren F1 engine, that is still today in 2004 the fastest car in the world for the road."
"In 1992 BMW Individual was founded and in 1993 the company was renamed to BMW M GmbH. In 1996 BMW Motorsport was launched. Causing some confusion, since BMW M GmbH was the BMW Motorsport 
But now BMW Motorsport is responsible for all the racing activites for BMW (F1 etc). In 1997 the first SMG gearbox and in 1998 tthe third M5 and in 2000 the third generation of the M3, and 2003 the M3 CSL which Bruhnke said "loved this car very much. You have to drive it. Faster around Nürburgring than a McLaren SLR 
"."
Then a few pics from motorsports: in 1983, Nelson Piquet wins the first F1 with a turbocharged engine. BMW have the longest and most successful history in turbocharged engines.
"M cars, This is the typical BMW. M is the most typical BMW, and this is our core competence. This is BMW DNA. BMW DNA is M. M stands for innovative Formula 1 technology but with everyday practicality."
"High revolution concept; all have more than 100 HP per liter. SMG gearbox is more than a gearbox, it is a philosophy. Hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while shifting. Compound braking system reduces weight."
Summarize the new M5: it is not either or: it is and.
Some more about BMW Individual before more info the M5 E60: Bruhnke talks about the Individual 6-series Convertible, he had it this summer and he got a lot of nice comments about it. Commenting his company car, a 7-series that is available in 20 inch. "there are sometimes discussions about the design of the 7-series but I love it".
Talked some more about the maritime equipment of the Individual, mahogny etc. and how it looked like a Riva boat.
With Individual we want to design YOURr car.
Then he told some more about BMW Fahrertraining, that is offering a snow course with M3 in Åre, north of Sweden
. Or adventure training in Namibia if you want to
. More info
here.
"We don't have close engineering offices but we have to set priorities.
Our vision: an engineering team without ideas is a poor team. We are fortunate: we have alot of ideas. We dont have to close engineering officies, but we have to set priorities. We want you to have mroe data i nthe car, so you can spend more time with work in Individual cars. In the other hand we want to design the character and sharpen the brand image, the direction of cultivated, very exclusive designs -not only performance- but also power and performance. Remain the benchmark in the areas of dynamism and exclusivity. The new M5 engine is the best high performance engine I have ever had the possibility to drive. That is our definition of superioiryt. We have to maintain leadership in dynamics, innovation exclusivity and satisfaction of individual custoemr demands. That is our vision for the future."
About the new M5
"The grandfatehr of it's class. It has now become more bigger, sporty and more aggressive but it is still an M5, which is very important. It has to be an 5-series on one hand and the expert have to recognice it is an M5. Central air intake and the secondary air inductiosn where we cant offer foglights since we need the air. We got the critisism of that but we have accept it. The front splitters are very important for the aerodynamics of the car. Very impressive is the rear diffuser, we had to have it in part for to cold the temperature from the rear axle which we have to cool thanlsk to the rear diffusser. Also additional downforce is even provided thanks to the BMW M mirrors."
Then he talked about BMW M button (the M Mode) and the M Drive setting. Also the specific M dials and instruments.
"Engine: pistonspeed over 20 m/s @8000 rpm. F1 reached at 18 000 rpm 25 m/s. F1 needs to do it over a weekend, an M5 the whole life. The engine is designed for 1,4-1,5 G in bends. Most powerful control unit installed in a normal road car. 200 million operations in one second."
Engine power diagram is a race character. One line, no corners. This is a typical race engine. 4,7 s to 100 km/h, first results of journalists in 4,4 s.
"we are sorry about that " 0-200 km/h in 14,4 s. 100-0 km/h in 2,6 s. 25% more power with a 1 kg increase in weight. Same engine plant in Landshut makes the M5 engine as makes the Formula 1 engines.
"P500 mode: very agggressive mode for dry service, Cannot drive it in an icy road. P400 is for icy roads, which makes sense. P400 in winter. You have two characters of the M5: summer and winter, comfort and sport, P400 and P500."
"Now to the sequential gearbox: this is the shift pattern of a manual gearbox would be. Highest torque in 1st and 2nd gear, that is why these two gears are at the end of the gearbox, because this is the strongest area of the gearbox."
"Head up display in the M Mode: if you go above 8000 rpm, the red light will blink to tell you that you should change. A real drive oriented concept, like in Formula 1: do it fast."
"The chassis: EDC with three different control. Comfort, Sport and Normal. All of them are electronically control. The difference is really comfort. The DSC: two different modes. One in slight oversteering also the servotronic with two control maps. Normal road for slow and fast for track. Also the M Differential that cna change from 0-100% lock that give you the grip for the acceleration. Brakes that can brake less than 36 m."
"Nordschleife: where the car was developed. Do tests in Nairobi, Sweden, Germany etc but it is at Nordschleife we have our facilities. If you know how fast you are on Nordshleife that is the perfect total overview for hwo the chassis and the engine is working."
"This is what Swedish magazines said: "Gränslös kraft" sounds German" which means: Limitless power
Then he showed us a new M5 video, that can be seen
here.
Q & A from the session:
Launch Control: "DSC off and go into the 507 power mode and switch the gearlever in front and keep in there and then rev to 4000 rpm and keep it there. Then the cars prepares for maximum acceleration until you leave your hand fro mthe gearlever and it wil accelerate to 250 km/h. If you do it to often you have a temperature sensor to tell you to calm down."
Warranty of the gearbox: "Same warranty as the other BMW cars. Maybe if you need the third clutch we might have to teach you the system."
What about the delay in production of the car: Start it in spring 2005. Pre-production for the cirtical parts where we had a bottleneck. In the beginning of the next year we will have a modification in the standard 5-sereis, which we also wanted to incorporate in the M5. New incorporations in the regular 5-series is causing the delays. Also I want to have top qualtiy. We also had oroblems with the test riggs for the gearbox. The testrigg broke, so we had to redesign the testrigg.
Amount of E39 M5 sold in Sweden: 920 M5 E39 which is more or less the same number for M3 E46 is registered on Swedish roads.
M5 Touring: Interesting question. We are discussing the same. Question if USA wants it since 50% are sold in the USA. If we reach our target for M5 sedan we will consider it. We want to grow, but in an exclusive way.
Official target is more than the E39 M5 sold.
We are not considering turbocharged cars.
Now for YOUR bmwm5.com / m5board.com questions:
1. M6 engine, any different from M5 engine.
"IF we would do other models with a V10 it would be the same V10."
2. Why did you leave AMG?
"Needed a new challenge. My first cars before my first Mercedes was BMW. A 02-series, a 5-series and a good old 2500, the predessor of the 7-series. Cheap but powerful"
"At AMG I drove company cars: S55 AMG, E55 AMG, CL65 AMG and SL65 AMG. Left the company, the employees got a gift for me: a CL65 AMG for at least two weeks was written into my contract. Does not have it now, and it was only a company car."
3. Launch control?
"Depends on the temperature sensor."
4. Standard colours are not as many?
"I would like to take this question with me, hear it this question alot of times. For the introduction to reduce complexity we are reducing the number of colours but I have to check this, alot of people have been mentioning this."
5. Individual could be more marketed in the USA.?
"Interesting for me to get more info about this. He took his notebook and wrote this down."
Have posted two new polls about this. One for E60 M5 here and on for E39 M5 here.
Looked at his nice pen, a white and blue pen in special colour. He got it from a friend, sicne he works for a Bavarian company, white and blue. Here it is
and you should be able to ahve this blue as Individual panels
7. Any M Z4?
"Always the same terrible answer. We cant saym btu we have a good history about it."
8. M Supercar?
"When I began at BMW M I was given a small model car of a BMW M supercar by my fellow employees. They told me: please lets build it. And that is my dream. But first of all we have to do our homework, and if we can increase the product portfolio without increasing the employees we can be able to make it. But it is more emotions than economics."
9. Manual gearbox for the E60 M5?
"The manual could be an option for the US market, only for USA then. It is never good to say no to a market. But I want to give the customers a chance to try it out first. The really have to try the new SMGIII first, we want to give them a possibility to try to it. We have started to think about it but not started any development on it."
10. M6 Cabrio?
"What is that ? (smiling). Alot of proposals that makes sense. You are a real fan "
12. Different EDC on the M5 than on the 7-series?
"Totally different EDC from the 7-series. It is our own, BMW M EDC."
13. M3 Limousine?
"Interesting proposals. A 3-series ís not a competitir to a 5. If you want ot gow want you have to look i nthe past and see the reaction of our customers."
14. P500 no on by default?
"No, but press the M Mode and then you have it Has to do with certification process, two modes have to be two certifications."
15. LC in the USA?
"Yes, I think so."
16. US M5 vs Euro M5?
"World model is our goal."
All in all my 2nd impression of Mr Bruhnke could not be better and I'm very happy for BMW M having such a director. He is friedlier than any BMW Salesman I ever met and is very knowledgable and takes his time, even though the top-level position he have.
Swedish price:
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Linear Mode
