Vic Doolan holds two titles.
One is president of BMW of North America Inc., which distributes the German luxury sedans, coupes, wagons and soon a sport-utility vehicle in the U.S.
Doolan also is a diplomat. He gets paid to be president of BMW, but he doesn’t collect a U.S. dollar or even a German mark to be a diplomat, which is perhaps why, when asked about BMW’s failure to acquire Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Doolan, for the record, says “C’est la vie.”
That’s French for “that’s life.”
But when he says it, he beams, one of those Cheshire cat grins that says so much without a word being uttered.
Not surprising, since BMW got the last chuckle over Volkswagen, which purchased Rolls-Royce for $790 million, but neglected to buy the Rolls-Royce name, which BMW bought for $66 million.
BMW was kind, however, saying VW can use the Rolls name for free until 2002, after which time BMW will set up its own Rolls-Royce division, leaving VW with only the Bentley moniker.
As for a partner, Doolan said, “We don’t need someone unless there are economic synergies.”
“We’re not telling others, here we are,” he added.
Doolan was in town last week to introduce the all-new 1999 3-Series to the media.
The larger, redesigned 3-Series is trickling into dealer showrooms and will be here in substantial numbers in September.
The 1999 323i is priced at $26,400, the 328i at $33,400. Add $570 for freight. Doolan expects the new model to boost sales to 40,000 units from 22,000 in 1998.
In addition to dual front and side air bags, the 3-Series sedan will offer as standard what BMW calls a “sausage” bag to protect the head in side impacts. The bag will look like a sausage as it deploys out of the roof above the driver and passenger doors.
And for those who want added protection, they can get optional side-impact air bags for rear-seat passengers for $385.
In addition to unveiling the 3-Series, Doolan provided a brief peak into the future at BMW.
In addition to the compact 3-Series sedan, a larger midsize 5-Series wagon arrives in October and a new full-size 7-Series sports model in November.
The 3-Series sedan will be followed by a new coupe a year from now and a convertible and, for the first time, a station wagon, a year after that.
Doolan also said BMW will have “another new car in the fall, but I won’t say what or when.”
It is assumed the “new car” is going to be a dramatic change to an existing model. No one at BMW would elaborate.
A new low-volume wagon and a new low-volume sports sedan aren’t that exciting even if they carry kidney-shaped grilles, but there’s more.
BMW will bring out the Z07 roadster, a vehicle that debuted as a concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show last year and had observers drooling.
“We’ve never shown a design study (concept) that we haven’t produced,” Doolan said of the two-seat roadster powered by a 400 horsepower V-8 and expected to arrive in late 1999 or early 2000 as a 2000 model.
BMW not only sells in the U.S., which accounts for 17 percent of its worldwide sales, up from 11 percent in 1991, it also builds here with the Z3 roadster produced in Spartanburg, S.C.
Soon, BMW’s Sport-Activity Vehicle (SAV) will join the Z3 at Spartanburg for the 2000 model year. The SAV is BMW’s answer to Mercedes M-Class sport-ute, only the BMW will look more like a wagon than a ute, Doolan said.
“It won’t be a hybrid. It will be a thoroughbred, like all BMW’s an `ultimate driving machine’ that won’t be confused with the Mercedes M-Series because it will be wider and more muscular and look more like a big wagon,” Doolan said.
Though looking into the future, Doolan wouldn’t elaborate on reports that BMW plans to build a luxury sedan and coupe, which originally were meant to compete with Rolls-Royce but which now probably will carry the Rolls-Royce badge.
There have been published reports of a luxury coupe in 2002-’03, just after VW gives up the Rolls name, and a luxury sedan in 2004-’05.
But Doolan won’t talk about those models.
“They’ll address that (new models) in Munich,” Doolan said, meaning it’s up to corporate brass to extend their thumbs up or down. If they already have, Doolan won’t say.
