The Jury is back. The Verdict is in. The BMW M3 Coupe is guilty of stealing more hearts than any other BMW M car before it, with almost twice as many customers opting for the new generation high-revving V8 powered car as its predecessor. The sales results speak for themselves. In its first six months of sales, the previous, and highly lauded E46 generation M3 Coupe (Voted MOTOR Magazine Performance Car of the Year on debut), powered by the 3.2-litre straight six-engine, was acquired by 132 fans.
In the same time-frame, the new E92 generation M3 Coupe has been delivered to 263 eager owners, underlining the appeal not only of the new high-revving V8 engine, but also the many technical advances offered by this ultimate yet compromise-free supercar.
The new M3 Coupe was voted overall Drive.com.au Car of the Year in December 2007, continuing an unbroken heritage of critical acclaim for the model.
“We have been blown away by the level of passion and excitement our customers have expressed for the new M3 Coupe,” said Tom Noble, BMW General Manager, Marketing.
“Naturally, we expected there would be a high degree of interest in the car with its unique advanced lightweight composite body panels, 50/50 weight distribution, track bred suspension, and an industry-leading, centre-of-gravity lowering carbon-fibre roof. There is nothing like the M3 Coupe on the market, which explains why interest levels were so high, vastly exceeding even our most optimistic expectations.
“But it seems the Australian love affair with V8 engines is also still pumping strongly.Our V8 engine is different from most, revving freely to 8,400 rpm, and delivering a smile widening rush all the way from 2,000 rpm.
“The 309 kW and 400 Nm of torque rush eye-opening acceleration of 0-100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds, but remarkably, the M3 Coupe consumes only 12.4 litres of fuel every 100km on the combined cycle.
“You can’t argue with the sales figures. They confirm undeniably the new M3 is the most popular new M car we have ever launched in Australia.
“In addition to in-dealer launches on October 11, we held special BMW M driving days across Australia late last year at race tracks in order to present the M3’s amazing dynamism at its absolute best.
“Just recently, the first few M3 Coupes have been added to the BMW Driver Training fleet, giving participants the unique opportunity to drive one of these iconic cars on a track under expert guidance.
“While we are still working on the business case for introducing the M3 Sedan into Australia, we are delighted to confirm the M3 Convertible will be available to Australians from later in the year.
“In addition, we are very excited about the imminent arrival of the first of the new BMW M Double-Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic gearboxes. A limited supply of M3 Coupes fitted with the new gearbox arrives from June,” Tom said.
The M Double-Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic is the world’s first double clutch transmission designed for high-revving engines. The secret to its swifter acceleration (0-100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds) and reduced fuel consumption (11.9 litres per 100 km) is a dual transmission structure with separate clutches, timed to overlap, leading to an uninterrupted flow of power, ideal for the sportiest drivers.
“While the six-sped manual gearbox in the M3 Coupe has been acclaimed by customers, we are sure that the new M Double-Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic will add even more appeal to the M3 offering, and attract another segment of the supercar market to our dealer network,” Tom said. [source bmw]
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