BMW, one of our favorite luxury and exotic rental car brands, is introducing a new sub-brand that is geared toward a sustainable and greener future. This green sub-brand is also driving venture capital funds.
Dubbed ‘BMW i’, the sub-brand has been designed to integrate the concepts of luxury and sustainability, an endeavor many luxury auto brands are working toward currently. The slogan “Born electric” will be attached to BMW i, and it will feature BMW concepts, alternative drive trains, electric BMWs and BMW hybrids that have been in the works since 2007.
The last few years have been nothing to sing about for luxury-car markers as the economy slowly ate away at their sales figures and demand. 2011 has barely begun and luxury automakers all have smiles on their faces when they read the sales forecasts for this year. Luxury-car makers are gearing up for record sales figures both in the first quarter of 2011 and the year as a whole. We wonder if the luxury rental car market also has seen a record year.
On the heels of the 2010 Los Angeles International Auto Show, BMW has unleashed the oh-so-drool-worthy and production-ready BMW 650i convertible! This would be an excellent addition to any fleet exotic car rentals and our exotic sport convertible rentals Miami, as it is an upscale and fair-weather destination.
BMW is certainly stealing headlines this year, taking over as the leading luxury carmaker in India, and now unveiling a shocker in the form of its most modestly priced luxury SUV ever, the BMW X1. What does this mean for luxury car rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi in India?
Currently neither Mercedes nor Audi have a presence in the lower-priced luxury vehicle segment, which only serves to give BMW an added edge to their lead in the India market, if not consolidate it. BMW’s India expansion has been a smashing success.
The unthinkable has occurred. In the luxury vehicle and exotic rental car world, the idea of an upscale Hyundai is more material for a stand-up comedy tour than a reality, and yet, online today I stared-down a $65,000 Hyundai in stunned, silent, suspended disbelief. While it did not stare back, I did take note of its nonverbal cues, including an impressive grille.
Not easily impressed, I needed more information. It seems that the sneaky Hyundai brand has been working toward a luxury fleet for some time, first introducing a few low-key models like the Genesis (which looks like a Civic) in efforts to compete with the BMW 7-Series, Mercedes S-Class and Lexus LS. This attempt was a ‘Fail’, if you ask me, but the Genesis did win North American Car of the Year somehow, boring aesthetics and all.
Canadian authorities have made arrests in 11 property seizures around Calgary during an ongoing investigation. I bet they were not expecting to discover a mini-fleet of exotic and luxury cars awaiting them, including the following 7 supercars:
• 2 unspecified Lamborghinis
• 2 unspecified Porsches
• 1 BMW
• 1 Hummer
• 1 classic Ford Mustang
German luxury car marquee BMW Group has made the satisfactory announcement that it intends to expand its capacity for the second time in under a year. What recession? These plans come due to the increased demand for exotic cars, correlating to a recovery of purchase power. This trend has even expanded to an increase in exotic rental cars Miami like the Ferrari F430 rental, it is a potential signal of economic recovery.
Of course other rumors paint a nasty picture, of the wealthy holding back money during the recession in efforts to appear sympathetic and frugal, you know, keeping up appearances. I prefer the bright side of situations, and would like this to serve as a sign of economic recovery.
It seems that Porsche is following in the steps of Aston Martin and its Cygnet in terms of shrinking, producing a scaled-down luxury SUV, to be dubbed the ‘Cajun’. The name is intended to communicate that this Porsche SUV may be miniscule, but it is spicy and packs some serious specs.
The Porsche Cajun is a sporty little brother for the Cayenne, according to Volkswagen Group chairman Martin Wintercorn. This luxury SUV will be the first model devised by new owners, VW, so the pressure to perform is on. The fact that this teeny luxury SUV will be competing against the likes of the BMW X6 and all new Range Rover Evoque adds a bit more pressure to the tyke like SUV’s maker.
Overall, it seems Volkswagen has anticipated and covered a variety of important areas, as there is chatter of two diesel versions being produced, including a 3-liter TDI with the capacity to rival the performance of petrol variants. For the earthy SUV types, VW may create a petrol electric hybrid model similar to Audi’s Q5. In fact, this seems likely due to the fact that the Cajun drew its inspiration from the Q5 (remember that VW also owns Audi brand, this is one big happy luxury family, sort of like Brangelina).
A variety of specifications will be made available for the Porsche Cajun luxury SUV, including a 2-liter 237 bhp and a 3-liter 328 bhp V6 model rumored to nail the 0-60 mark in 6 seconds…not bad for a tiny SUV with few horses! Closing the hood, the outside will feature two doors, and will be shorter and stockier than the Q5, with a Boxster-inspired dashboard to top it off.
Rumors place the Porsche Cajun’s debut for 2013; we will have to see what develops in the interim! Don’t miss our fleet of luxury rental SUVs, including Porsche rentals, and exotic rental car options on your way out!
After an extremely successful first summer open for business in Chicago, Imagine Lifestyles is proud to announce a new showroom and warehouse opening soon in Lincoln Park. It seems all the pretty ladies, ie. Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bentley would prefer to sleep comfortably next to each other, and we have no problem with that at all. The new space will be conveniently located right off of 90/94 providing our clients and new customers with easy access to the new showroom and is a perfect way to view our fleet of Chicago luxury rental cars.
BMW Group has been busy not just developing some of the planet’s hottest exotic and luxury rental cars, but also with a new pilot project, aptly titled, ‘BMW on Demand’. The project will allow customers to rent any current BMW model by the hour from the company’s event center in Munich, Germany. This places BMW in a position to compete with other by the hour auto rental entities, like the popular Zipcar.
Zipcar is a for-profit, membership-based car sharing company that provides car rentals by the hour or by the day. Flexible auto rental and mobility companies are beginning to spring up around the world, as consumers demand more rental car and luxury rental car options. The current hourly auto rental trend includes those who are willing to hire a luxury car rather than invest in one. For example, for special occasions people are more willing to rent a BMW M6 or other BMW rental for an hour or a day than they are to pay the $102,350 price tag to own one.
