2016 BMW ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe gets 600 HP and styling update

[JimM6GC]

Originally Posted by djsaad1

PM me if you want his email.

Done!

[JimM6GC]

Email sent to Mr. Ganser, and I will report if it is a problem that may affect anybody else.

The fact there does not seem to be any other '16 B6's in the US is interesting. What prompted me to call BMWNA last week was my suspicion that there may be an EPA/CARB certification hold in view of the new engine, but I was told that there is no hold on the car. That being said, given the inaccurate info that I received at some point for both the M6GC and the B6, I'll withhold final judgment for now.

[dsad1]

Originally Posted by JimM6GC

Email sent to Mr. Ganser, and I will report if it is a problem that may affect anybody else.

The fact there does not seem to be any other '16 B6's in the US is interesting. What prompted me to call BMWNA last week was my suspicion that there may be an EPA/CARB certification hold in view of the new engine, but I was told that there is no hold on the car. That being said, given the inaccurate info that I received at some point for both the M6GC and the B6, I'll withhold final judgment for now.

I emailed Ganser to ask if it was possible to get any of the European Alpina options on a U.S. car (it wasn't), he knew about my build only a week after I placed the order and without me telling him anything about it. It's such a small factory that I am guessing he will know exactly which car was yours. He appears in some of the videos that are posted in this thread.

[alsab44]

Originally Posted by JimM6GC

Email sent to Mr. Ganser, and I will report if it is a problem that may affect anybody else.

The fact there does not seem to be any other '16 B6's in the US is interesting. What prompted me to call BMWNA last week was my suspicion that there may be an EPA/CARB certification hold in view of the new engine, but I was told that there is no hold on the car. That being said, given the inaccurate info that I received at some point for both the M6GC and the B6, I'll withhold final judgment for now.

There is at least one
I picked mine up a week ago from BMW of Peabody, MA
Sapphire black with black leather
B&O, exec pack

[JimM6GC]

Originally Posted by alsab44

There is at least one
I picked mine up a week ago from BMW of Peabody, MA
Sapphire black with black leather
B&O, exec pack

Thanks for the input, alsab44. Nice to know somebody got one!

BTW, BMW of Peabody did the 1200 mile service on my M6GC after I took PCD in SC. Drove up to visit relatives in Salem where I grew up. I even went to Bishop Fenwick HS in the early 70's, so I'm very familiar with the area. Had a great cross-country drive on the way back to CA.

[dsad1]

After production complete how long did it take your cars to be released to the carrier? My production completed on June 25th, but still getting the same message that it is waiting to be released to the carrier.

[dsad1]

Originally Posted by alsab44

There is at least one
I picked mine up a week ago from BMW of Peabody, MA
Sapphire black with black leather
B&O, exec pack

Congrats! Do you have any pics?

[alsab44]

I will check the emails from my salesman who kept me informed of the process

I will take some pictures and post them asap

[JimM6GC]

Mr. Ganser very promptly responded to my email and said that BMWNA would contact me. BMWNA did not contact me, but my CA emailed me and said that the car was at Alpina, but then it was sent back to Dingolfing for some unspecified reason. The car supposedly is being sent back to Alpina.

So it looks like it is some issue that is specific to my car. I'm going to press for more info.

[dsad1]

Originally Posted by JimM6GC

Mr. Ganser very promptly responded to my email and said that BMWNA would contact me. BMWNA did not contact me, but my CA emailed me and said that the car was at Alpina, but then it was sent back to Dingolfing for some unspecified reason. The car supposedly is being sent back to Alpina.

So it looks like it is some issue that is specific to my car. I'm going to press for more info.

Sorry to hear about the delay, that really sucks, you should have had the car by now.

Hopefully it was just a cosmetic issue that maybe happened in transportation, and they needed to replace the part at the plant.

[alsab44]

Originally Posted by JimM6GC

Thanks for the input, alsab44. Nice to know somebody got one!

BTW, BMW of Peabody did the 1200 mile service on my M6GC after I took PCD in SC. Drove up to visit relatives in Salem where I grew up. I even went to Bishop Fenwick HS in the early 70's, so I'm very familiar with the area. Had a great cross-country drive on the way back to CA.

3/10/15 Placed order
4/23/15 Received VIN#from dealer
6/3/15 Car arrived at shipping port in Germany
6/10/15 Car on water due in NJ 6/24/15
6/25/15 Car at port in NJ
7/1/15 Car at dealer in final prep
7/2/15 Picked up car at dealer!!!!!

[dsad1]

Originally Posted by alsab44

3/10/15 Placed order
4/23/15 Received VIN#from dealer
6/3/15 Car arrived at shipping port in Germany
6/10/15 Car on water due in NJ 6/24/15
6/25/15 Car at port in NJ
7/1/15 Car at dealer in final prep
7/2/15 Picked up car at dealer!!!!!

Nice! Thank you. Looks like you were in the first batch of production.

[JimM6GC]

Well, I tried to get more information from the CA, but I just got more of the same runaround.

If the problem was that the fenders didn't align properly, I would have said "no problem." Hell, even if they said "the engine was junk, so the factory had to replace it," I would have said "no problem." How bad is the problem that they can't tell me what it is? So I canceled the order.

The GSM acknowledged the cancellation and basically said "have a nice day." No attempt was made to provide further information or to keep my business. It is possible that the dealership is happy that I cancelled the order because they gave me a discount on the car. Since there seems to no other B6 on the lots in the US at this time, they may be able to sell the car at MSRP or above when they receive it in the near future. Whatever.

My wife and I still would like to purchase a B6. We just didn't want that car absent further explanation. If anyone knows of a California dealer:

1) Who actually has a production slot available, and
2) Who is willing to deal in good faith with full disclosure should a complication arise, by all means, let me know.

Fortunately, we have owned many nice cars over the years, so we can wait until next year, if necessary. The M6GC can tide us over.

Alsab44, I'm envious! Our car completed production at Dingolfing on 4/29. We placed our order in
January!!!

[Marinite]

Jim,

I'd recommend Sonnen BMW in San Rafael. I ordered a B6 in May for European delivery. I wasn't in a big rush, but it has all gone smoothly so far. We pick the car up at Welt on 7/20....drive it for a few days in Germany and France and ship it back.

Anyway, call Sonnen and ask for Chip Rutan and/or Jonathan Josephs. I'm sure they can get you a B6 Pronto!

Sonnen BMW: (415) 482-2000

[JimM6GC]

Originally Posted by Marinite

Jim,

I'd recommend Sonnen BMW in San Rafael. I ordered a B6 in May for European delivery. I wasn't in a big rush, but it has all gone smoothly so far. We pick the car up at Welt on 7/20....drive it for a few days in Germany and France and ship it back.

Anyway, call Sonnen and ask for Chip Rutan and/or Jonathan Josephs. I'm sure they can get you a B6 Pronto!

Sonnen BMW: (415) 482-2000

Will do, Marinite. Buying in Northern CA would be a plus.

P.S. I lived in Novato and San Rafael in the 80's. Loved the Marin experience. Well, except for 101 in the morning/afternoon. Then again, that's what GGT is for, eh?

All recommendations appreciated, folks.

[Marinite]

I lived in Marin in the 80's as well, and although this might sound weird, but in my opinion, traffic is considerably better now on 101 than it was back then. But where it really counts is skipping 101 altogether and driving West Marin....pure bliss, just minutes away!

[dsad1]

You can also try Greg Poland at Pacific BMW. He will give you a great deal and is very professional. Maybe do an ED this time?

[JimM6GC]

Originally Posted by djsaad1

You can also try Greg Poland at Pacific BMW. He will give you a great deal and is very professional. Maybe do an ED this time?

I just sent an email to him. Thanks!

Jim

[avilent]

If you don't mind a longer drive up the coast - Jim Manheimer (BMW Salem OR) is awesome - I've bought several cars from him - he can do a B6 for $3.5K over ED invoice.

[avilent]

My B6 is slowly moving through the process...

5/14 - vehicle ordered
5/22 - Status 111
6/22 - Status 150
7/2 - Status 155
7/13 - Status 176 (nearly 10 days beyond original ETA)
7/14 - Vehicle scheduled for moving from Dingolfing to Buchloe

On a separate topic, Jonathan Ganser @ Alpina is most knowledgeable and delightful, but he stuck between a rock-and-a-hard-place on all US transactions (please keep this in mind when sending him requests). The rock is BMWAG, the hard place is BMWNA... Alpina is a small and unique business, that has earned respect from BMW executive power (the owners Quant family and a handful of enlightened BMW execs), but most BMW employees, don't understand (or appreciate) the value of an exclusive offering that is more refined than power-focused "M" brand. I'm delighted that we (in North America) finally have access to Alpina's but hope the Bovensiepen family doesn't give up on our market before they achieve their full potential.

[JimM6GC]

For all you B6 fans, I learned through Doug_999's St. Louis contact Brett that there are only two unsold production slots left in the US (his dealership did not have one). I'm working with Djsaad1's contact Greg to see if we can get one of them. Greg must have his smartphone wired directly into his brain. I've never seen anybody respond so quickly and consistently to my messages. Very impressive.

I also learned that not all of this year's filled production slots were priority 1 customer sold. In fact, Greg has one available coming in mid-August (it's currently in transit to the VPC). He sent me the info on it, and it was listed as priority 3 dealer stock. So I guess some available ones may begin to show up in dealer showrooms soon. My wife and I want something with a little more contrast than the standard gray poplar trim, so we had to pass on it (close, but no cigar, as the saying goes).

If Greg can't get us a '16, then I told him that we would gladly order a '17 from him next year.

If anybody is interested, the B6 that Greg has coming is:
A96 -Mineral White
NASW - Black Interior
ZDB - Driver Assistance Plus
ZEC - Executive Package
5AT - ACC Stop & Go + Active Drive Assist
6F2 - Bang & Olufson Sound System
6NS - Enhanced Bluetooth and Smartphone Integration

I don't know what he wants for it, though, since we never got that far. I, too, can recommend him.

Jim

[JimM6GC]

Originally Posted by avilent

7/13 - Status 176

That's "Workshop Complete." Do you know what it went to the workshop for? I don't think that covers Alpina (though I could be wrong). To the best of my knowledge, mine never had a status in the 170's.