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BMW reacquires original factory as classic center

BMW was barely two years old when it started manufacturing airplane engines in a factory on Moosacher Strasse in Munich. Two years after that, it sold the factory to Knorr-Bremse AG, a leading manufacturer of brakes for trains and commercial vehicles, and BMW moved into a new facility on Lerchenauer Strasse. There it expanded into the industrial giant we know today, building engines for cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats and planes. It's taken the better part of a century to get that original factory back, but that's exactly what BMW has done, reacquiring the expanded facility from Knorr-Bremse this month.
The factory on Moonsacher Strasse will now serve as the headquarters for BMW Group Classic, the division that handles archives and historical vehicles for BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce. From there, just a stone's throw from corporate headquarters and its main plant (as well as BMW Welt and the BMW Museum), the classic division's operations will include a restoration workshop, vintage parts store, the company's archives, administration as well as a place to hold events. In addition, there will be an exhibition space for historical vehicles from the company's considerable collection.
At the heart of the new/old campus is the gatehouse, which is a protected heritage site and will serve as a gateway into the company's history. Read the full details in the press release below.

Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

As leaders for the United Auto Workers gather in Detroit for their Special Convention on Collective Bargaining to work out the negotiating stance for this year's new labor agreements with the Detroit 3 automakers, what they most want to do is figure out how to eliminate the two-tier wage scale. However, the lower Tier 2 wage has allowed the domestic automakers to reduce their labor costs, hire more workers, and compete better with their import competition. As it stands, per-hour labor rates including benefits are $58 at General Motors, $57 at Ford, and $48 at Fiat-Chrysler – a reflection of FCA's much greater number of Tier 2 workers. The Center for Automotive Research released a study of labor rates (including benefits) that put numbers to what the imports pay: Mercedes-Benz pays the most, at an average of $65 per hour, Volkswagen pays the least, at $38 per hour, and BMW is just a hair above that at $39 per hour. Among the Detroit competitors, Honda workers earn an average of $49 per hour, at Toyota it's $48 per hour, Nissan is $42 per hour, and Hyundai-Kia pays $41 per hour. The lower import wages are aided by their greater use of temporary workers compared to the domestics. Automotive News says the ten-dollar gap between those foreign camakers and the domestics turns out to about an extra $250 per car in labor, which adds up quickly when you're pumping out many millions of cars. That $250-per-car number is one that, come negotiating time, the Detroit 3 will want to reduce, as the UAW is trying to raise both Tier 1 and Tier 2 wages. Another wrinkle is that the domestic carmakers are considering the wide adoption of a third wage level lower than Tier 2. Some workers who do minor tasks like assembling parts trays kits and battery packs already make less than Tier 2, but the UAW will be quite wary about cementing yet another wage scale at the bottom of the system while it's trying to fight a bigger battle at the top. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., BloombergImage Credit: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions BMW Chevrolet Fiat Ford GM Honda Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Nissan Toyota Volkswagen labor wages collective bargaining labor costs

Alpina Edition 50 models boast 204-mph top speed, company's most-powerful V8 ever

The folks at Alpina bridge the gap between a full factory outfit and traditional tuners. It currently only builds around 1,700 cars a year, but you're not going to find any massive rear wings or garish paint from the company. Instead, the business has been perfecting how to make BMWs better for the last 50 years and has decided to celebrate with its most powerful road model yet. For the Edition 50 models, Alpina is crafting 50 sedans or wagons and 50 coupes for European buyers based around its B5 Bi-Turbo and the B6 Bi-Turbo, respectively. The real birthday present is the upgraded, twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 under the hood. It makes 591 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, a bump of 59 hp and 52 lb-ft from the regular versions. The extra grunt comes thanks to additions like an optimized intake, water-cooled intercoolers near the turbos, lightweight pistons and a titanium exhaust. Alpina claims that these celebratory vehicles can get to 62 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 204 miles per hour. Beyond just the major improvement in power, these special vehicles wear Alpina's more aggressive, though still understated body kit. They also ride on an updated version of the company's famous wheels that feature added side cuts on the multiple spokes to reduce weight. These exclusive cars are only available in Alpina's own shades of green and blue, plus a special color called Edition 50 Sepia from BMW Individual. There are also special logos on the seatbacks and center console to further promote the models' limited nature. Celebrating the brand's birthday in one of these high-speed vehicles retails for 86,850 pounds ($130,000) for buyers in the UK. NEW 204 MPH SUPERSALOON CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF ALPINA ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE 26/03/15 Extensively revised V8 is the most powerful roadcar engine in the company's history Nottingham - Bespoke car manufacturer ALPINA will create 50 remarkable saloons (or estates) and 50 similar coupes to celebrate the company's half century this year. Based on the B5 Bi-Turbo and the B6 Bi-Turbo respectively, each vehicle will include hand-crafted Edition 50 body and trim features and a remarkable, heavily revised V8 that will propel the luxury five seater from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 204 mph. ALPINA's fifty year heritage includes the creation of some of Europe's most highly-regarded luxury performance road cars and iconic race cars including the legendary BMW 3.0 CSL.