Munich. BMW can look back on a highly successful 2018
yielding an impressive haul of awards and accolades. Over the course
of the past year, vehicles from BMW have managed to win over not just
automotive journalists and experts from around the world, but also the
readers of motoring magazines, market researchers and IT insiders.
What’s more, the award winners distinguished themselves in areas
ranging from product quality and design to technical innovation,
intelligent connectivity and sustainability. BMW picked up two of the
world’s most coveted honours in the process, with the title of World
Performance Car going to the BMW M5 and the International Engine of
the Year award bestowed on the BMW i8 for the fourth year in
succession. The string of successes racked up by the super-sporty BMW
M models, which topped the podium on several occasions, provided
further good news. And the premium carmaker also took home a hat-trick
of wins as the most innovative brand in the premium segment.
BMW 5 Series on top once again.
Following on from the triumphs of the previous 12 months, 2018
turned out to be another highly successful year for the BMW 5 Series
models, both in Germany and internationally. The awards for the 5
Series included Best Car in the upper mid-size category from German
motoring magazine auto motor und sport. In the Auto Trophy – World’s
Best Cars awards, the 5 Series again received the most votes in the
executive category from readers of Auto Zeitung magazine. In the
awards presented by Auto Test magazine, it was the BMW 530d Touring
that made the best impression and was ultimately declared the overall
winner, while the BMW 520d Touring was judged to offer the best
price-performance ratio in the upper mid-size segment. The BMW
5 Series received wide acclaim in the UK, too, where it picked up not
one but two coveted UK Car of the Year awards – for Best Executive Car
and Best Estate Car. The Sedan and Touring variants were also named
Car of the Year by other motoring journals, including What Car?,
Company Car Today and Car Express. Meanwhile, the BMW 520d xDrive
Touring emerged as the overall winner in the Tow Car Awards presented
jointly by What Car?, Practical Caravan and The Camping and
Caravanning Club.
Podium finishes for BMW M models.
In 2018, juries far and wide again considered BMW vehicles the
sporting benchmark, with models from BMW M GmbH leading the way. The
new BMW M5 high-performance sedan proved an instant hit at the World
Car Awards, duly earning the title of World Performance Car. The BMW
M5 and other BMW M models were a dominant force on winners’ lists in
Germany, too. The BMW M5 Competition was crowned Sports Car of the
Year by Auto Bild Sportscars magazine in the Sedans/Station Wagons
category, while the BMW M2 Competition was awarded the corresponding
accolade in the Small/Compact Car category.
In the readers’ poll conducted by sport auto magazine to find the
sportiest cars of the year, the Munich-based premium carmaker’s models
were voted top in eight different categories. This meant BMW collected
more titles than any other manufacturer in this year’s survey. The
roll-call of winners were bookended by the BMW M140i (Compact Cars
category) and high-performance BMW M5 Sedan (Sedans/Station Wagons
over €100,000), with the BMW M240i Coupe (Coupes up to €50,000), BMW
M550d xDrive (Diesels), BMW M3 with Competition Package
(Sedans/Station Wagons up to €100,000) and BMW M4 Coupe with
Competition Package (Coupes up to €100,000) in between. Alongside the
M models, the BMW 230i Convertible (Convertibles/Roadsters up to
€50,000) and BMW 330i (Sedans/Station Wagons up to €50,000) were also
voted best in class.
Electrified BMW powertrains still buzzing.
BMW’s
vast well of expertise in the field of alternative drive systems once
again earned it recognition, with a variety of awards for the
all-electric BMW i3, the progressive BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car
and the BMW 330e plug-in hybrid sedan. Readers of Auto Zeitung
magazine ranked the two BMW i models among the World’s Best Cars in
the categories for electric cars up to €50,000 and electric/hybrid
performance cars. The BMW i8 additionally picked up an International
Engine of the Year award for the fourth year in a row after again
fending off its rivals in the 1.4 litre to 1.8 litre category. The
electrified BMW models are proving highly popular in the UK, too,
[PR1] magazine declaring the BMW i3 Rex to be
the Best Hybrid Car and the BMW i3 the Best Low Emissions Green Car.
Victory for the BMW 330e in the Best Plug-in Hybrid of the Year
rankings compiled by motoring journal Company Car Today rounded off a
success-soaked twelve months for BMW’s alternative drive systems.
Top accolades for BMW design.
Vehicles from BMW
also continually set new standards for their outstanding quality of
design. A string of awards presented to the Munich-based manufacturer
during 2018 in recognition of its design achievements confirmed as
much. No fewer than five cars from BMW received an iF Design Award
2018, one of the most prestigious seals of approval for design
excellence. The list of award winners comprised the BMW M5, BMW
6 Series Gran Turismo, BMW X2, BMW X3 and BMW i3s. The readers of Auto
Zeitung also delivered a resounding verdict in the Auto Trophy –
World’s Best Cars awards, picking the BMW brand as their clear
favourite in the category Best Design.
BMW Connected and co. ensure optimal connectivity both now and
in future.
BMW is forging ahead with the development of digitalised
services, the seamless integration of smartphones and the new digital
control/operating concept for its vehicles. The manufacturer’s
outstanding performance in the Car Connectivity Award – where the
readers of auto motor und sport are asked to vote for the best
connectivity technologies – provides compelling evidence of its
expertise in this area. BMW took the cherished top spot in a total of
three categories. The magazine’s readership judged BMW Connected to be
the best smartphone app, while the brand’s seamless Apple CarPlay
preparation was voted the best phone integration concept. BMW
Operating System 7.0 also left the motoring journal’s readers
thoroughly impressed, resulting in a further accolade in the
control/operating concept category. The new display and operating
system made its debut in the new BMW X5 and is geared more precisely
than ever to the driver’s needs. Content is personalised and can be
adapted by the user according to need. It is designed to provide the
driver with the right information in any situation and further improve
interaction between driver and vehicle.
Finally, the BMW brand’s capacity for innovation enjoyed multiple
endorsements from independent experts. The Center of Automotive
Management (CAM) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) bestowed the title
of Most Innovative Premium Brand on BMW, making it the overall winner
of the Automotive Innovations Award. The brand picked up further
prizes in the Vehicle Concepts/Body and Interface/Connectivity
categories in recognition of its innovative talents.
The major awards presented to BMW in 2018 at a glance:
World Car Awards.
World Performance
Car:
BMW M5
Awards presented by auto motor und sport.
Best Car:
BMW X1 (Category: Compact
SUVs)
BMW 5 Series (Category: Upper
Mid-Size)
Autonis:
BMW 2 Series Active
Tourer/BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer (Category:
MPVs)
Award presented by Engine Technology International.
International Engine of the Year:
BMW i8
(Category: 1.4 litre –1.8 litre)
Awards presented by auto motor und sport and Moove.
Car Connectivity Award 2018:
BMW Apple CarPlay
preparation (Category: Phone Integration)
BMW
Connected (Category: Smartphone Apps)
BMW Operating
System 7.0 (Category: Control Operating
Concepts/Displays)
Awards presented by Auto Bild Sportscars.
Sportscars 2018:
BMW M2 Competition (Category:
Small/Compact Cars)
BMW M5 Competition (Category:
Sedans/Station Wagons)
Awards presented by Auto Bild Allrad.
Allradautos des Jahres (AWD Cars of the Year):
BMW 3 Series (Category: AWD Cars up to €40,000)
BMW
X3 (Category: Off-roaders and SUVs from €30,000 – €50,000)
Awards presented by Auto Zeitung.
Auto Trophy – World’s Best Cars:
BMW 3 Series
(Category: Mid-size)
BMW 5 Series (Category:
Executive)
BMW X5 (Category: Luxury
SUVs)
BMW i3 (Category: Electric Cars up to
€50,000)
BMW i8 (Category: Electric/Hybrid
Performance Cars)
BMW brand (Category: Best Design)
Awards presented by sport auto.
sport auto Award:
BMW M140i (Category: Compact
Cars)
BMW M240i Coupe (Category: Coupes up to
€50,000
BMW 230i Convertible (Category:
Convertibles/Roadsters up to €50,000)
BMW 330i
(Category: Sedans/Station Wagons up to €50,000)
BMW
M550d xDrive (Category: Diesels)
BMW M3 with
Competition Package. (Cat.: Sedans/Station Wagons up
to
€100,000)
BMW M4 Coupe with
Competition Package. (Cat.: Coupes up to €100,000)
BMW M5 (Category: Sedans/Station Wagons over €100,000)
Awards presented by PwC / Center of Automotive Management.
Automotive Innovations Awards:
BMW as Most
Innovative Premium Brand
BMW as Most Innovative
Premium Brand – Vehicle concepts/body
BMW as Most
Innovative Premium Brand – Interface/connectivity
Awards presented by iF International Forum Design.
iF Design Award:
BMW M5
BMW 6
Series Gran Turismo
BMW X2
BMW
X3
BMW i3s
Awards presented by Auto Test.
Auto Test
Winner:
BMW 530d Touring (Overall
Winner)
BMW 520d Touring (Category: Price-performance Ratio)
Award presented by What Car? (GB).
Car of the Year:
BMW 5 Series (Category: Luxury Car)
Award presented by What Car?, Practical Caravan and The
Camping and Caravanning Club (GB).
Tow Car Awards:
BMW 520d xDrive Touring
(Overall Winner)
Awards presented by UK Car of the Year (GB).
UK Car of the Year:
BMW 5 Series (Best
Executive Car)
BMW 5 Series Touring (Best Estate Car)
Awards presented by Company Car Today (GB).
Company Car Today Award:
BMW 330e (Best Plug-in
Hybrid of the Year)
BMW 5 Series (Car of the
Year)
BMW 5 Series (Executive Car of the
Year)
BMW X1 (Premium Crossover of the Year)
Awards presented by Auto Express (GB).
Best Cars:
BMW i3 Rex (Best Hybrid Car)
BMW i3 (Best Low Emissions Green Car)
New Car
Awards:
BMW 5 Series (Executive Car of the
Year)
BMW X3 (Mid-size Premium SUV of the Year)
Award presented by Car and Driver (USA).
Best Trucks and SUVs:
BMW X1 (Category:
Subcompact Luxury SUV)
Awards presented by JD Power (USA).
Initial Quality Study:
BMW 4 Series (Category:
Compact Premium Car)
BMW X1 (Category: Small Premium
SUV)
BMW X6 (Category: Midsize Premium SUV)
Award presented by Car Magazine (SA).
Best Buys:
BMW 3 Series (Category: Premium
Midsize Car)