For BMW 2022 begins with a double victory. In the tradition-steeped readers’ vote conducted by the “auto, motor und sport” car magazine, two of the brand’s current model series took first place in their vehicle category. For both the new BMW 2 Series Coupé and the BMW 5 Series, the vote for the “Best Cars 2022” ended with a title win. Similar to last year, the award ceremony took place virtually due to the current pandemic regulations.
The “Best Cars” competition is one of the most prestigious and traditional competitions in the European automotive industry. In the 46th edition of the reader’s vote, there were 386 current models to choose from. More than 100 000 readers of the magazine took the opportunity to vote for their favourites in twelve vehicle categories as well as in an overall and an import ranking.
The new BMW 2 Series Coupé: Straight to the title.
Just a few weeks after its market launch in Germany, the new BMW 2 Series Coupé was awarded the “Best Cars” title in the “Compact Class”. 12.7 percent of the votes cast went to the new edition of the sporty two-door model. The new BMW 2 Series Coupé impressed the readers of “auto, motor und sport” with its consistently dynamic vehicle concept. Extroverted design, perfectly balanced driving characteristics, classic rear-wheel drive and the unique feature of an in-line 6-cylinder engine in the competitive environment guarantee maximum driving pleasure in the premium compact segment.
At the top of the model range is the BMW 240i xDrive Coupé (fuel consumption combined: 8.8 – 8.1 l/100 km; CO2 emissions: 200 – 185 g/km according to WLTP), powered by a 275 kW/374 hp 6-cylinder petrol engine. A 4-cylinder petrol and a 4-cylinder diesel engine are also available. From March 2022, with the new BMW 230i Coupé (fuel consumption combined: 7.2 – 6.5 l/100 km; CO2 emissions: 163 – 149 g/km according to WLTP), a further, particularly spirited model variant with 180 kW/245 hp will also be available.
BMW 5 Series: Successful in the “upper mid-range segment”.
With a share of 18.4 per cent of the vote, the BMW 5 Series came out on top in the “Upper Mid-Range” competition category. For the current generation of the Business Sedan and Touring model, this is already the fourth class victory in this competition. Its sporty, elegant design, dynamic performance and driving comfort in perfect harmony as well as advanced equipment in the areas of driver assistance, operation and networking characterise the outstanding position of the BMW 5 Series in its competitive environment.
The BMW 5 Series’ appeal is also enhanced by its diverse drive portfolio, which comprises a total of four petrol and three diesel engines with four, six and eight cylinders. There is also a wide range of plug-in hybrid models to choose from. Four model variants with electrified drive are offered for the BMW 5 Series Sedan and three for the BMW 5 Series Touring. The intelligent all-wheel BMW xDrive is also available as standard or as an option for almost all model variants.
BMW continues its winning streak in prestigious competitions.
The double victory for BMW in the “Best Cars 2022” competition once again shows how hallmark BMW driving pleasure generates enthusiasm across different vehicle segments. The year before, the BMW 3 Series had won the vote in the mid-size segment. This class win was the start of a series of successes for BMW in numerous renowned competitions. Among the award winners were the latest model innovations from BMW i with electrified drive, as were BMW models with highly efficient combustion engines and the latest high-performance sports cars from BMW M GmbH.
The BMW 3 Series not only won over the “auto, motor und sport” readerhip in 2021. The readers of the “Auto Bild” magazine voted it the “best company car” of the year in the “mid-size” category. Driving pleasure and lasting appeal took the BMW 540i xDrive Sedan (fuel consumption combined: 8.3 – 7.5 l/100 km; CO2 emissions: 190 – 170 g/km according to WLTP) to victory and the title of “Value Champion 2021”. This award was presented by the “Auto Bild” car magazine together with the Schwacke market observation organisation to the vehicles with the most stable value on the German automobile market.
The year 2021 also brought a host of title wins for BMW M GmbH’s high-performance sports cars. The BMW M4 Competition Coupé (fuel consumption combined: 9.8 l/100 km, combined CO2 emissions: 224 – 223 g/km according to WLTP) and the BMW M5 CS (fuel consumption combined: 11.3 l/100 km, combined CO2 emissions: 256 g/km according to WLTP) each won a class victory in the readers’ votes of the “Auto Bild Sportscars” and “sport auto” car magazines. In addition, four other titles at the “sport auto” awards went to BMW and BMW M models. The BMW M4 is also the current winner of the “Golden Steering Wheel” awarded by “Auto Bild” and “Bild am Sonntag”. And BMW M GmbH also received an award. The readers of “Auto Zeitung” voted BMW M the “Performance Brand of the Year” 2021.
The virtual design world premiere of the BMW iX was recognised with the highest award at the iF Design Awards 2021. The highlight of the innovative streaming event held at the BMW Group’s #NEXTGen 2020 received a Gold Award. In addition, six further iF Design Awards went to the BMW Group, among others for the BMW iX, the BMW i4 Concept and the BMW M4 GT3.
Internationally successful: The all-electric BMW i models
On the international automobile markets, the new all-electric models from BMW i were particularly successful in the past year, both in public surveys and in the assessment of expert juries. In Great Britain, the magazine “GQ” named the BMW iX the “Electric Vehicle of the Year” 2021. The automotive experts of the magazine “Top Gear” chose the all-electric Gran Coupé BMW i4 for the “Saloon of the Year” 2021.
On the Chinese automobile market, the BMW iX was able to distinguish itself as the most important new release of the year in two competitions at once. The popular online portals “sohu.com” and “bitauto.com” named the BMW Group’s new technology flagship “Best Debut NEV” and “National New NEV of the Year” respectively.
And the success story continues in 2022. In Norway, the country with the world’s highest market share for all-electric vehicles, the BMW i4 was voted “Car of the Year” 2022. In the opinion of the jury, which consisted of journalists and other experts, the BMW i4 ideally represents the brand’s vision for the future of electric mobility, but also of digitalisation and connectivity, without compromising on driving pleasure and equipment. “This is the new DNA of BMW, and it’s really convincing,” the jury concluded.
