2009 F01 generation BMW 7-series launch

The highly anticipated F01 (they ran out of numbers for the traditional E, Entwicklung designation) generation BMW 7 series made a glamourous world debut in Moscow against the iconic backdrop of the Red Square. For the launch, the new 7 series was suspended inside a giant hour glass, which is supposedly the largest hour glass ever built in the world. The car was slowly revealed as the "sands" of the hour glass slowly drops away.


Head over to AutoSpies for the pictures.

Watch the video of the launch below.


The fact the BMW AG chooses Russia as its debut location says a lot of of the growing clout of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) economies, particularly China and India which is fast becoming the largest luxury car market in the world. Rolls-Royce already sells more cars in China than either Europe or North America. Did you know that Moscow has among the highest concentration of billionaires in the world, alongside London, New York and Hong Kong?

Russian oligarchs are already said to be pushing real estate prices in up in premium locations of London and the picturesque French Rivieras in the South of France. They also account for a large chunk of bookings made to Swiss ski resorts.

The position of a BMW sales person in Russia is not an enviable one, lest you don't mind having a gun pointed at you the next time a Bimmer sold by you fouls up its O2 sensors. It is common knowledge that many of Russian oligarchs are usually associates of Putin and his party, influential "persons" from the controversial Gazprom Russian state oil company. Not to mention the assorted Russian Red mafias who love their tinted black limos.  

Promo video for the F01 series below :