BMW Group Wins Three International Engine of the Year Awards

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, June 5, 2003 ... The BMW Group has won three out of
a total of 12 awards at the renowned International Engine of the Year event in
Stuttgart, Germany. By winning engine Oscars number 16, 17 and 18, the BMW
Group has once again collected the industry's most significant award for
automobile engines. The 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine of the BMW M3, the
2.5-liter six-cylinder engine of the BMW Z4 roadster, and the 1.6-liter
four-cylinder engine of the MINI Cooper S have all been awarded the "Engine Of
The Year 2003" title in their respective displacement classes.

Having started in 1999, the International Engine of the Year Award program is
comprised of established motor journalists from 18 different countries.
Together, they choose the most outstanding engines of the year during the
Testing & Engine Expo in Stuttgart. As history shows, they have voted for BMW's
four-, six-, eight- and twelve-cylinder engines the most frequently. It is
largely thanks to the 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine of the BMW M3, which has
been awarded yet another prize this year, establishing BMW as the most
successful competitor by a wide margin. Having won the coveted "International
Engine of the Year" award in 2001, this year's award in its displacement class
of 3.0 to 4.0 liters makes the M3's engine the winner for the third time
running. In addition, the M3's engine won the class with nearly twice as many
scores (202 points) as the Porsche 911 GT3, which scored 109 points.

The jury states that the BMW M3's six-cylinder engine owes its landslide
victory to the wealth of technology behind it. And rightly so, as the 24-valve
engine with dual variable camshaft control uses a separate high-pressure oil
supply for its valve timing actuation. Additionally, its high-speed Formula-1
concept makes it a true high-performance gem. At 333 hp, this engine is one of
the world's most powerful naturally aspirated engines in terms of specific
output as it easily exceeds the magical 100-hp-per-liter mark. This power unit
is second to none, catapulting the BMW M3 Coupe from a standstill to 60 miles
per hour in a mere 4.8 seconds. Irish motor journalist and judge Padraic Deane
of the Irish Auto Trade Journal states, "Probably the best street-legal
performance engine around."

Tried and trued in the 3- and 5-series automobiles and new in the Z4 this year
is the 2.5-liter inline six-cylinder engine. Even though the second award
winner from Munich is older than the contest itself, it comes along as more
modern and sportier than ever in the new BMW Z4 2.5i roadster, and offers
convincing performance. Knowing the engine from the BMW 325i and 525i models,
the judges nevertheless find it most enjoyable in the Z4 roadster where "the
engine's sporty nature" can be seen at its best. With 184 hp, the 2.5-liter
engine is yet another one of the sporty engines produced by BMW. Acceleration
from 0 to 60 mph in the Z4 2.5i takes only 7.1 seconds and it boasts a top
speed of 146 mph. This two-seater is easily the sportiest open-air festival of
the year.

In the 2.0- to 2.5-liter displacement class, the Z4's engine could be found on
almost every other judge's score sheet-not least because of its exemplary
environmental results as it complies with the strictest exhaust emission
regulations currently in force in Europe (EU4) and in the US (ULEV), proving
that sheer driving pleasure under blue skies does not necessarily have to leave
dark clouds in its wake.

The MINI team can also rejoice, since the engine of the MINI Cooper S received
the third award for The BMW Group. The supercharged and intercooled 1.6-liter
engine in the MINI Cooper S has won the 1.4- to 1.8-liter category with flying
colors. This 163-horsepower, SOHC 16-valve engine propels the appealing
subcompact from 0 to 60 in a mere 6.9 seconds, and continues to propel the
Cooper S to a top speed of 135 mph. In spite of this fantastic forward pull,
the MINI's fuel consumption averages no less than 24 mpg city and 33 mpg
highway according to the EPA's testing. Even more impressive is the broad
torque curve of this compact engine, which offers 80 percent of its 155 lb.-ft.
of torque between 2,000 and 6,500 rpm. According to the judges, the MINI Cooper
S owes its go-kart-like handling to a combination of torque, engine output and
its curb weight of only about 2,678 pounds, that is optimally distributed over
the front and rear axles.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America has been present in the United States since 1975. Since
then, the BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales
and financial service organizations for the BMW and MINI brands and Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a
technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the
country. BMW Manufacturing Corp. in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's
global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all
Z4 Roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization
is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW car, 327 BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle, 148 BMW Motorcycle retailers, and 70 MINI dealers. BMW (US)
Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South
America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet
at http://www.bmwusa.com http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com and
http://www.miniusa.com

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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available
to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address -
www.press.bmwgroup.com.

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