New BMW models keep on rollin'

THE all-new X5 SUV will complete a hectic six months of new-model releases for BMW Group Australia when it goes on sale here in April – a month after its Australian public debut at the Melbourne International Motor Show next March.

The redesigned E70 X5 will make its world debut at the Los Angeles motor show on November 29 following its global launch in Greece earlier that month, and was revealed for the first time in August.

It will come for the first time with an optional third row of seats that BMW Australia predicts just 20 per cent of buyers will request.

Before then, BMW’s second-generation R56-series Mini hatch will make its global debut alongside the Hydrogen 7 production car at the Paris motor show on September 28. The all-new Mini is due on sale Down Under in March.

This year, however, BMW will release 3.0-litre and M-powered versions of the new Z4 Coupe plus 325i and twin-turbo 335i variants of its redesigned E92 3 Series Coupe in October, followed by the 323i version in December.

The same month will see BMW Australia launch its M6 Convertible, facelifted X3 compact SUV and 335i sedan. As with the E92 coupe, the twin-turbo E90 335i sedan will replace the current 330i sedan, which is priced at $98,500 in auto-only guise – so expect BMW’s flagship 3 Series sedan to break the $100,000 barrier for the first time.

Further afield, BMW’s redesigned E93 3 Series Convertible, complete with folding steel roof, is expected to appear at either the Detroit or Geneva motor shows in January and March respectively, while the 4.0-litre V8-powered E92 M3 Coupe is a likely debutante for the 2007 Frankfurt motor show next September.

What's coming from BMW:
Z4 (3.0 and M) Coupe	October
3 Series Coupe (325i and 335i)	October
3 Series Coupe (323i)	December
335i sedan	December
M6 Convertible	December
X3 SUV facelift	December
Mini hatch	March 2007
X5 SUV redesign	April 2007
3 Series Convertible	October 2007
M3 Coupe	March 2008