BMW Going Green

SEE ALSO:BMW BUYER'S GUIDE™
SEE ALSO: MINI BUYER'S GUIDE™

Washington DC March 15, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that BMW Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer highlighted his company's new generation of fuel-efficient engines and a new diesel-powered Mini that will get 53.4 mpg yesterday as evidence of BMW's commitment to combat global warming.

"The auto industry is facing a fundamental paradigm shift," Reithofer told Business Week. "It cannot be overlooked any longer that the global climate is changing."

Reithofer also touted BMW's record 2006 sales of 1.37 million cars and a 28 percent rise in net profit to $2.87 billion.

BMW aims to introduce fuel-saving technologies throughout all its models, including brake-energy regeneration, light-weight construction, and automatic stop-start functions.

But BMW's biggest bet is on a future of high-performance cars fueled by hydrogen. Hydrogen cars produce no emissions, but to keep the carbon balance positive, the source for liquid hydrogen has to be renewable—and not derived from fossil fuels.

This year, Reithofer said, BMW will sell more than 1.4 million vehicles and will surpass its 2006 profit, excluding the one-time gain from Rolls-Royce.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We Agree...H2 is the future!