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BMW M5 to Debut at Los Angeles Auto Show

30 December 1998

BMW M5 to Make North American Debut at Los Angeles Auto Show; Newest M Car is Powered by 400 Horsepower, 5-Liter V-8

BMW Introduces the M5 at the Greater L.A. Auto Show

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 30 -- The most powerful M car ever built made its North American debut at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show today. Powered by a 5-liter V-8 engine, the M5 is the flagship model for BMW's M brand.

This ultra high-performance four-door sedan is the first M car to offer a V-8 engine, providing drivers with superior power and acceleration. With 400 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and a six-speed manual transmission, the M5 accelerates effortlessly at any speed.

The new M5 is easily distinguished from other 5 Series sedans due to its re-styled front air dam incorporating a large air scoop and oval fog lamps. Giving the car a distinctly aggressive look, quad tailpipes highlight the striking rear of the M5. Newly designed light alloy wheels that measure 8 x 18 inches in the front and 9.5 x 18 inches in the rear are finished in satin chrome. The M5 is fitted with ultra low-profile 245/40 ZR 18-inch tires in the front and 275/35 ZR-18 inch tires in the rear.

The newest M car combines characteristics that seem at first contradictory -- power, dynamic road performance and supreme driving pleasure on the one hand, while offering luxurious comfort, everyday efficiency and spaciousness on the other.

The M5 will be available with two interior choices -- sport or exclusive. Both interiors feature sports seats designed specifically for the M5. Additional interior highlights include the specially designed instrument package incorporating a tachometer featuring a variable rpm redline, which increases as oil temperature increases, and an integrated oil temperature display. The shift lever of the six-speed manual gearbox is illuminated from the inside, displaying the double-H shift pattern in the dark.

In addition to the M5, the full line of high performance M cars will be on display. The M3 convertible and M3 coupe offer six-cylinder power and the road capabilities that BMW's M brand is known for, and which makes them competitive with many sports cars costing far more.

The M roadster, with a 3.2-liter, 240-horsepower six-cylinder engine under its long hood, sets the standard in the two-seat roadster segment. The M coupe, an authentic GT sports car, is one of the boldest shapes on the road in 1999.

BMW's M brand continues to build an exciting marque within one of the world's most famous automobile companies. BMW M is devoted to developing special high-performance and highly individualized automobiles.

BMW of North America, Inc. was established in 1975, at which point the company assumed marketing and distribution responsibilities of BMW automobiles in the U.S. from the previous private distributor. Motorcycle marketing and distribution was added in 1980. Since then the company's North American operations have grown to include marketing, sales and financial services organizations in the United States and Canada; a South Carolina manufacturing operation; a design firm in California; and various other operations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

BMW is represented in North America through a network of more than 375 automobile and 190 motorcycle centers in the United States and Canada. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the marque's North American headquarters, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW products is available to consumers via the World Wide Web on the BMW homepage. The address is http://www.bmwusa.com.