Filed under: BMW, Earnings/Financials

In the latest release of its BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, market researchers Milward Brown have given BMW the highest ranking of any carmaker, according to Automotive News. Toyota – last year’s winner – finished second, followed by Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Nissan, according to the report.

BMW had last finished atop the rankings in 2010, according to the report, with Toyota taking the crown from 2006-2009. The highest-ranked American brand was Ford at seventh, trailing sixth-place Volkswagen. The top ten was filled out by Audi, Hyundai and Lexus. Toyota’s drop was attributed to its production interruptions due to the natural disasters that affected all of the Japanese automakers last year, according to AN.

BMW’s win among auto manufacturers was only enough to place it 23rd in the overall brand ranking, with an estimated brand value of $24.6 billion. Apple, the overall winner, according to the report, had a $182.9 billion valuation, ahead of IBM ($116 billion) and Google ($107.9 billion). Toyota’s valuation was $21.8 billion, with Mercedes-Benz and Honda far behind at $16.1 billion and $12.7 billion respectively. No other carmaker had a valuation over $10 billion.

BMW named most valuable car brand originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 May 2012 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW named most valuable car brand

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Etc., Technology, BMW, Chevrolet, Honda, Mini, Subaru, Humor

It’s that time of year again. April Fools’ came and went over the weekend, and a handful of the world’s automakers joined in on a little Spring time fun. From intelligent anti-theft devices and TSA-inspired driver aids to automated NASCAR racers and high-performance hybrids, this year’s raft of pranks were as good as any we’ve seen in past years. With April 1 falling on a Sunday, we saw fewer wise-cracking creations than before, but that didn’t spoil the fun, so we thought we’d recap them for your enjoyment.

Mini took the cake this year with the company’s Cowley Caravan and Swindon Roof Top Tent. The automaker went through the trouble of working up a full press release, complete with 20 photos and translations into a wide range of languages. We’ll admit to being a little disappointed when we discovered the add-ons were a clever rouse. We’ll just have to scrap our plans for a Mini safari. For now.

Hit the jump to see more April foolishness.

Continue reading Automotive April Fools’ joke roundup [w/video]

Automotive April Fools’ joke roundup [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Technology, BMW, Infotainment

In-car point-of-interest and Google searches are all well and good, but it’s hard to decipher what restaurants, bars and other local businesses are worth your hard-earned bucks while you’re on the go. Yelp for BMW ConnectedDrive solves that problem.

Whatever your view of Yelp is (and there are many), the crowd-sourced business rating site is still the go-to source for many looking for up-to-date, relevant rankings of what’s nearby. And with the latest update from BMW Online, drivers of most 2009 and later models can benefit from the service.

Additionally, you can email business listings to yourself or a friend, and BMW’s infotainment system can also read off the three latest reviews so you won’t be staring at the screen while trying to find a suitable sushi joint. Make the jump for the official details and a list of vehicles included in the update.

Continue reading Yelp comes to BMW ConnectedDrive

Yelp comes to BMW ConnectedDrive originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Technology, BMW, Infotainment

BMW owners with 2009 or later models equipped with BMW Online will begin receiving an update to the service that overhauls the UI and streamlines some of the functionality of the ConnectedDrive system.

Since its introduction, BMW Search has expanded to include everything from recent news headlines to Google Local Search and fuel prices, and this latest update enhances many of the services to both look better and be easier to access. Navigating through the various sub-menus appears to be cleaned up, as does the way information is displayed. You can see a before and after shot above and get the full details in the press blast below the fold.

Continue reading BMW Online gets updated interface for 2009 and later models

BMW Online gets updated interface for 2009 and later models originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The “Jersey Shore” house is almost as memorable as the castmates of the MTV reality show. When they were not out on the town, at the gym or working on their tans (GTL), Snooki, Pauly, Vinny, The Situation, and the rest of the crew spent most of their days and late nights at the brown-shingled beachfront home and in the hot tub

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Beach House Property : The “Jersey Shore” Realty Show House for Rent

The “Jersey Shore” house is almost as memorable as the castmates of the MTV reality show.

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Beach House Property : The “Jersey Shore” Reality Show House for Rent

Filed under: Technology, BMW, Infotainment

BMW might’ve been the first to bring iPod integration into the car and fully commit to iPhone connectivity, but like nearly every automaker on the planet, they’ve been slow to bring the same functionality to Android. However, that’s about to end with the release of the My BMW Remote app for Google’s open-source OS.

Like it’s iPhone counterpart, the app allows drivers to remotely lock and unlock their vehicle, determine its location, access climate control functions and flash the lights or honk the horn to find their ride in a crowded lot. Additionally, Google Local Search allows you to send points of interest to the car without having to enter it through the navigation system, and when the ActiveE arrives early next year, charge status will also be included. But don’t look for it in the Android Market just yet.

BMW will be releasing the app later this year, and when it rolls out for Android, it will include real-time traffic information, something that will also be available for the updated iPhone app.

So what took BMW so long to adopt Android, the world’s fastest growing mobile OS? In the release after the jump, BMW – like nearly every app developer on the planet – blames the massive amount of fragmentation of both screen sizes and Android versions out in the world, meaning testing and development took much longer than for the iPhone version.

Continue reading My BMW Remote app comes to Android

My BMW Remote app comes to Android originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is a house that has been loved and cared for by it’s owner of 18 years and it shows. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley and only a few blocks from Google headquarters in Mountain View.

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Homes in Strong Employment Areas : 975 San Pierre Way, Mountain View, CA 94043

Filed under: Truck, Etc., BMW

There are no pickup trucks in the BMW lineup, save for one very special M3. But, dare we ask, what would a real Bimmer truck look like? Automotive manipulator Theophilus Chin was curious, so he put fired up his favorite photo editing software and created the beast you see here. Behold, the X5 GranLastwagen.

According to Google Translate, “lastwagen” is German for “truck,” and we assume the “Gran” was added simply because it’s, well, grand. That, or because it still retains the X5′s luxurious five-passenger interior. Want to take in this curious creation from other angles? You can see more of the BMW X5 pickup at Chin’s website.

What would a BMW X5 pickup look like? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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