MUNICH: The 10 millionth BMW 3 Series Sedan is going to a driving school near here. The 320d in Imperial Blue rolled off the assembly line earlier this month at the BMW Group's Munich plant, marking a milestone in the success story of the 3 Series.
The new owner, Xaver Bittl from Eichstätt, 87km north-west of here, recently took possession of the vehicle at BMW Welt here, which has been the stage since 2007 for BMW to hand over new cars to their owners.
There was an extra surprise, however, as factory workers who helped make the vehicle were also there to greet the customer and his family, holding up huge numbers to let the unsuspecting new owner know that his 320d was the 10 millionth of its type.
With around 14 million vehicles sold in more than 130 countries, the 3 Series is BMW’s most successful range.
The success story began in 1975 when the 3 Series was premiered at the IAA Cars Show as the start of the line of sporty mid-range vehicles.
Since then this international bestseller has established itself as a pacesetter for the automobile industry in terms of sportiness, efficiency, comfort, connectivity and design.
Every day, between 80 and 120 handovers, and sometimes as many as 160, take place at BMW Welt. Since its opening, almost 150,000 customers have collected their cars there.
Since the 320d is a diesel car, BMW has been quick to come out saying that it does not tamper its emissions tests in the wake of a widening diesel scandal caused by Volkswagen that has rocked the car industry worldwide.
It said in a statement that “clear, binding specifications and processes are in place through all phases of development at the BMW Group in order to avoid wrongdoing.”
It said two studies carried out by the ICCT have confirmed that the X5 and 13 other BMW vehicles tested comply with the legal requirements concerning NOx emissions.
"No discrepancies were found in the X5 between laboratory-test and field-test NOx emissions."
