BMW secures numerous awards and distinctions in 2016

BMW had a very successful 2016 with well over 50 national and international awards and distinctions up its sleeve. The outstanding product quality, design, technical innovation, intelligent connectivity and sustainability were recognized by different expert juries around the world. Among the most prestigious ones are the “World Car Award” and the title “Best Car” for the BMW 7 Series, as well as the “Golden Steering Wheel” for the BMW i3. What is more, the BMW M2 Coupé as well as the all new BMW 5 Series Sedan went straight onto the winner’s podium even though it is a newcomer model.

BMW 7 Series and BMW i8 come out top worldwide after being named “World Luxury Car” as part of the “World Car Awards”, “Automotive Innovations Award” as “Most Innovative Model 2016”, automobile club ÖAMTC’s “Marcus” award as the safest car in the luxury performance segment, company car of the year (“Company Car”/Dekra), company vehicle of the year (“Handelsblatt”), “Top Performer” (“Autoflotte”) and “Best Car” in the luxury performance segment (“auto motor und sport”). In the “Car Connectivity Award” conferred jointly by “Motorpresse Stuttgart” and the computer magazine “CHIP”, readers voted the BMW 7 Series best-connected car. CarIT also awarded the remote control parking option in the BMW 7 Series as the foremost leading-edge technology in the “Connected Car” category.

The BMW i8 engine won the “International Engine of the Year Award” for the second time, “Times of India” named the hybrid sports car “Technology of the Year”, while in Germany the BMW i8 was once again voted all-wheel drive car of the year in the category “All-Wheel Drive Hybrid Cars” by readers of the magazine “Auto Bild Allrad”.

The readers’ vote held by the automobile magazine “Auto Bild Sportscars” provided impressive evidence of the successful concept embodied by the new BMW M2 Coupé. In the category “Compact Car Series”, the high-performance sports car featuring an in-line 6-cylinder engine with an output of 272 kW/370 hp and a capacity of 3.0 litres (combined fuel consumption: 8.5-7.9 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 199–185 g/km)* instantly secured the “Sports Car of the Year” award. And in their vote for the sportiest cars of 2016, readers of the automobile magazine “Sport Auto” likewise selected the BMW M GmbH newcomer. In addition to the BMW M2 Coupé, the BMW M3, the BMW M235i Coupé, the BMW M235i Convertible and the BMW 340i Sedan all finished first in four other categories. This meant that of all manufacturers, BMW won the most titles at this year’s “Sport Auto Award” this year. And that is not all: the new BMW M2 Coupé was voted “Car of the Year” in Japan as well as gaining three prestigious design distinctions – the “iF Design Award”, the “Good Design Award” and the “Autonis”.
Excellent home showing in Germany.

BMW achieved an impressive triple success in the “auto motor und sport” readers’ vote. The BMW 7 Series (“Luxury Performance Segment”), the BMW 5 Series (“Upper Mid-Range”) and the BMW X1 (“Compact SUVs”) were voted “BEST CARS 2016”. One particular notable feat was that, shortly before the launch of the new model generation, the BMW 5 Series finished in first place for the sixth time in succession. Even though the successor will only be launched in spring 2017, the readers of “Auto Bild” and “Computer Bild” are already fully convinced of the all new BMW 5 Series Sedan. Therefore the car has already been named “Connected Car 2016”. The readers of “Handelsblatt” voted the BMW X5 “Company Car of the Year” in the category “Off-Road Cars”. The same business magazine also called upon 250 fleet managers to carry out a practical comparative test to establish their favourites. In the top range, it was ultimately the new BMW 730d that was able to impress the majority of fleet experts.
Top rankings in the area of value retention and sustainability, too.

The strengths of BMW vehicles in the area of value retention were reflected in the award of the distinction “Value Master 2016”, conferred by the automobile magazine “Auto Bild” together with the market investigation institute Schwacke. The BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer came out top in the category “Compact Vans” while the BMW X1 won the “Small SUVs” class. Meanwhile the BMW i3 won the ranking for electric vehicles for the second time in succession. The purely electrically powered premium model was no less successful in the “Golden Steering Wheel” competition organised jointly by “Auto Bild” and “Bild am Sonntag”. Here again the winner in the “Alternative Drives” category was the BMW i3. Another distinction highlights especially impressively the BMW brand’s commitment to environment-friendly and sustainable technologies: as part of the “Auto Trophy” awards organised by the automobile magazine “Auto Zeitung”, the international editors’ prize “Premium Pioneer Electromobility” went to BMW i.