Innovation day in Munich with BMW

Being committed to producing cars with the maximum driving pleasure on the highest level of all-round economy is not the simplest of tasks, especially with the kind of competition in the motor industry. So seeing what BMW have in store to upgrade their product is always of great interest.

Three novelties in different fields were presented and explained: drive train technology, energy management and material technology.

All three improvements mean that BMW are going to give a finished product that has increased comfort levels and high levels of fuel economy.

Weight is one of the issues being tackled by the BMW group. The concept behind it all, in simple terms, is: having a lighter vehicle means using less fuel to move it. Thus BMW have come up with some interesting results to make their beliefs reality and yet not compromise on the quality and constant growth in the range of features and equipment.

One of these concepts is a synthetic material that is much lighter than steel and far more flexible. BMW have replaced the steel panels on parts of the car with this new material and the result is that the car is lighter and will be more resistant to minor damage.

The front panel of the BMW 3 Series coupé is made of synthetic material that has never been used before and therefore exclusive to BMW. This material has a high level of resistance to high temperatures and is much lighter than a conventional steel panel. But most interesting is that it will sustain less damage in minor impacts.

How angry do we all get when we notice a new parking dent or when your child drops the bicycle on the side panel of the car and dents it? Well, this material will absorb the blow and bounce back to its original shape.

Another example of innovation and development, this time in the drive train technology is the Valvetronic throttle-free load management, which provides much greater benefits in fuel economy without losing out on fundamental developments in the direct gasoline injection area.

The result is a high-precision fuel injection system supplying a significant reduction in fuel economy throughout the engine speed range and under normal, everyday driving conditions. It is amazing the amounts of fuel saved through this technology.

The best part is that BMW believes that all these developments and innovations will be implemented in all BMW models when possible and not solely at the higher end of the range. I strongly believe that this way of thinking will only enhance the BMW brand.

Finally, I think that the biggest and most ingenious effort of BMW is in the hybrid concept using brake energy regeneration interacting with Intelligent Alternator Control (IAC). The generation of electrical energy can now be sifted specifically in a controlled process to the car's overrun and braking phases, converting braking energy into electric power.

This power is normally lost when braking. With this system the power is redirected and stored in the car battery, to be employed when electrical parts (like the fuel pump, lights, power steering, etc) of the car need it. Development engineers refer to this technology as "mild hybridisation" because the car is not running on electrical power only but is partly using the technology. The car would also be using conventional power; in other words, gasoline.

Now BMW were wise here, because the motoring world is not ready for full hybrids cars because they do not perform or feel like a true car, thus making it a boring drive. My personal view is that aesthetically they don't look that good either. This makes the car very difficult to position on the market, even with all its ecological benefits.

So what BMW did was, first and foremost, to work on a "standard looking BMW car", with all the sporty, elegant, refined lines the car has, while using the hybrid system integrated with the conversional system. This provides a combination of both, driving pleasure and the benefits of the hybrid system - a result that is true to the BMW creed 'Sheer driving pleasure'.

This system may sound like science fiction, but I drove a BMW 3 series with the system working and I could follow with the aid of monitors the car's performance efficiency, without any difference in the drive.

When I asked, I was told that this system is on the verge of going into production and BMW were bold enough to target all the BMW range. So, once again, the brand is to inherit a system that will enhance and improve the performance of a BMW vehicle, while having a car that is as economical and reliable as possible.

This was a truly illuminating insight into the very near future of cars. The German car manufacturer showed the path the automotive industry is heading and not so far ahead, because a number of features are already being implemented.