Want the first X5?

[Michael Beck <mbeck@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Try Ebay....

>FOCUS - BMW to sell first new SUV in online auction
>
>Updated 10:23 AM ET October 28, 1999
>DETROIT, Oct 28 (Reuters) - BMW (BMWG.DE) said on Thursday it will put up 
>the first of its highly anticipated X5 sport utility vehicles for auction 
>on eBay (EBAY.O) on Friday, the first time an automaker has used the 
>Internet to launch an all-new model. The auction of the German luxury 
>automaker's new vehicle, which the company calls a "sports activity 
>vehicle," begins at 9 a.m., EDT, (1300 GMT) and will run for eight days. 
>The winning bidder will take delivery of a silver X5 on Dec. 1, almost two 
>weeks before it is available in dealer showrooms. "We want to deliver the 
>first X5 in the United States to a customer who gets the winning bid 
>through the eBay auction," BMW spokesman Jack Pitney said. "We have had a 
>huge response (to the new SUV) through our existing Internet presence." 
>The X5 the top bidder receives will include a navigation system, 
>rain-sensing windscreen wipers, heated front seats, a moonroof, larger 
>tires, sport suspension calibration and a ski bag, BMW said. The money 
>raised in the auction on http://www.ebay.com will benefit the Dallas-based 
>Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the automaker said. The X5 up for 
>auction is worth $57,105, including delivery costs, whereas a base model 
>starts at $49,970. The winning bidder also will receive a flight to the X5 
>factory in Spartanburg, S.C., BMW said. The winner can take possession of 
>the X5 then, or have it shipped to the BMW dealer nearest home. About 75 
>percent of BMW's 337 U.S. dealers have qualified to sell the X5, Pitney 
>said. BMW already has thousands of orders for the new SUV and will not 
>begin a national ad campaign for it until January, although 50 
>special-edition models are being offered in the Neiman Marcus Christmas 
>catalogue, Pitney said. Those models, which already have been sold, will 
>be delivered June 1. BMW advertised its Z3 roadster, also built in South 
>Carolina, in the Neiman Marcus catalogue when it was introduced, he said. 
>The X5 is shorter than a BMW 5 Series sedan, wider than a 7 Series sedan 
>and offers more ground clearance than any other BMW model. Consumers will 
>be able to assemble their desired model on the Internet, choosing interior 
>colours and options and viewing pricing on BMW's Web site, www.bmwusa.com. 
>Customers can view their vehicles online and arrange financing, but cannot 
>buy them, Pitney said.

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