BMW pocket rocket named 2008 car of the year

The all-new BMW 135i Coupé, which goes on sale in New Zealand in June, has been named Car of the Year by one of the world's leading automotive news sources and auto enthusiast forums AutoSpies.com.

The BMW 1 Series Coupé draws its inspiration from BMW's iconic 2002 models of some 40 years ago, representing the core BMW philosophies of pure performance and premium design.

"The new BMW 135i has smashed the traditional paradigm of premium small cars trading performance for a lower sticker price," said Donald Buffamanti, Founder of AutoSpies.com. "The sizzling 135i, in sleek coupe or convertible guise, is a no excuses pocket rocketship that does its spiritual brother, the beloved BMW 2002 proud."

The BMW 135i is powered by the 2007 Engine of the Year, BMW's 3.0-litre straight-six featuring Twin Turbo technology and second-generation direct gasoline injection (High Precision Injection). This two-door athlete accelerates to 100 km/h in just 5.3 seconds, while at the same time average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle is kept to a mere 9.2 litres/100 kilometres equal to 30.7 mpg imp.

The 135i Coupé is the first compact car to break the 100 bhp per litre power output level normally reserved for race-bred high-performance cars.

In the eyes of AutoSpies.com editors, the BMW 135i sends everyone back to the drawing board and is a champion for its combination of styling, performance and bang for the buck. According to the editors, no other vehicle has the total package and cachet that the BMW 135i provides for the price in the premium automotive segment.

About AutoSpies.com

AutoSpies.com was founded by Donald Buffamanti, former SVP of MP3.com, and former technical advisor to the President of Apple Computer Canada; Chip Grueter, Internet Entrepreneur; and Greg Flores, co-founder of MP3.com. The spy chiefs have built a social network of thousands of industry employees, analysts, dealers and car fanatics who routinely leak information-spy photos, next generation product plans, unpublished rebates, and performance failures-to their news network. Since 2001, the AutoSpies.com team has taken it from a vision to one of the largest and most respected car sites on the World Wide Web, getting visits and interaction from millions of readers per month. AutoSpies.com is one of the highest ranked auto information sites on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other major search engines.