BMW Model Lines

NOTE: Always refer to the manufacturer for the most current information.

GENERAL
BMW AG, the parent company of BMW of North America (BMW NA) produces approximately 500,000 cars annually. Of the 500,000 cars, BMW NA sells approximately 80,000.





Currently, BMW NA is marketing these models in the US. Of these vehicles, BMW produces the 318i and Z3 Roadster in the US factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

EXTERNAL DESIGNATIONS





The external designations located on the trunk lid are the model names. The general public identifies BMW models by these designations.
The external designations are primarily used for sales and marketing purposes.
The external designation is generally a combination of the vehicle series and the installed engine. Additional letters follow the main designation and indicate special features such as:
i - Injected
s - Sport,
C - Coupe,
L - Long Wheel Base,
M - Motorsport, etc.

Occasionally there will be a designation in the model line up that is mismatched to the installed engine. For example, the 1995 750il- has a 5.4 liter V12 engine. This is purely a sales and marketing decision to continue with the previous 750il- designation to maintain the customers understanding of our model names.

INTERNAL DESIGNATIONS
Internal designations are created and used by the engineering and technical development departments during the design of the car. The use of the internal designations carries over to the technical support groups after the car is produced. Generally internal designations refer to the entire vehicle series. They start with an "E" and are followed by a two digit number.

Current E designations include:
^ E36 - Current 3 Series
^ E38 - Current 7 Series
^ E34 - Current 5 Series
^ E31 - Current 8 Series

Previous E designations include:
^ E30 - Previous 3 Series
^ E28 - Previous 5 Series
^ E24 - Previous 6 Series
^ E32 - Previous 7 Series

Future E designations include:
^ E39 - Future 5 Series
^ E46 - Future 3 Series

The E designations often include an additional number separated by a slash
^ E36/2 - two door
^ E36/4 - four door
^ E36/5 - three door model