Litster

http://www.bmwnation.com/news/2003/030606_a.html

The 545i will cost ?41,555.00 in the UK. That is almost $70,000 USD! Plus some extra options, it is going to cost as much as a new M5! Just like you said, Das!

Other interesting notes:

- No mention of a sports package
- No mention of SMG
- Active Cruise Control is available only with Automatic transmission
- Two options for phone, my guess is the Bluetooth Preparation doesn't include a phone:
- Telephone ? Bluetooth Preparation
- Telephone ? Professional Dual Band
- The following options are available Q2 2004:
- BMW Assist
- Extended Voice Control System
- HUD
- Navigation System, Professional
- TV and Text Function

KIF

This is almost exactly what i was told a month ago when i was in Germany, except price is alittle high , also we [USA] won't see the 545 till Jan.

das

You can't just convert pounds to dollars and get the price. The pricing is structured entirely differently in the UK, and also isn't closely tied to exchange rates. For example, here's the UK pricing, and % change, for 2004 E60 and 2003 E39:

<pre>
2004 E60 5 Series 2003 E39 5 Series % change from 2003
E60 520i SE - ?25,455 E39 520i SE - ?25,155 +1.1%
E60 525i SE - ?26,955 E39 525i SE - ?26,965 0%
E60 530i SE - ?30,955 E39 530i SE - ?29,400 +5.2%
E60 530d SE - ?30,950 E39 530d SE - ?29,405 +5.2%
E60 545i SE - ?41,555 E39 540iS* - ?40,455 +2.7%
* SE package not available
</pre>

By comparison, if you took the 2003 E39 540i Sport and converted it to US dollars, that would mean the US 2003 E39 540i would be $67,244, which is obviously not correct.

Litster

Das, thanks for the comparison. A couple of percentage points increase is not too bad, especially for the new features. Hopefully we can stop guessing soon

KIF

I was chatting with marketing guys, they told me the base price would be within 1000.00 of the E39 base price. My wife drove it and she thinks the handling of the E60 is better than the handling of the E46 with the sport package. But she still prefers the SMG Z4 over all the BMWs manufactured to date. (Keep in mind, she drives an E30 with an autocrossing suspension and prefers its handling to the E46 sport as well.)

FastBuck

i'm strugling to understand why a 0% uplift on the 525 and a 5.2% uplift on the 530. The UK specs are very similar for these 2 cars. It's nuts. Any thoughts guys?

das

I'd wager it's because of changes in what is included in the "Special Equipment" packages on the E39 vs E60 525 and 530. The E60 530 may get more options than the previous 530 had, whereas the E60 525 may get less as compared to the old 525. How was the E39 525 SE optioned as compared to the E39 530 SE? I obviously don't know for sure, but I'd guess that there is now a bigger difference in standard equipment between 525 and 530; perhaps something that's not obvious. Early on, the best guesses were to plan for a "3 - 5%" hike, so it looks like those estimates were right on, though the volume 530 seems to be bearing most of the brunt. If the UK 525 and 530 are really that similar with the exception of engine, perhaps it's a financial decision on their part to shift more of the margins to the popular 530, while keeping the entry price for the 525 low, and not hiking the 545 too much. With KIF's statement that the E60 base price is supposed to be "within $1000" of the E39 base price, I'd say US customers are getting a deal since a lot of the new things that are optional in Europe are standard in the US.