BMW X5

The BMW X5 is a midsize luxury SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) produced by BMW. The first generation of the X5, with the chassis code E53, made its debut in 1999. It was BMW's first SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), also known as "Four-by-Four" (4x4) in the UK, which featured 4WD all-wheel drive and was available with either manual or automatic transmission. In 2006 the second generation X5 was launched, known internally as the E70, featuring the torque-split capable xDrive all-wheel drive system mated to an automatic transmission, and in 2009 the X5 M performance variant was released as a 2010 model.

BMW branded the X5 as a Sport Activity Vehicle (SAV) rather than an SUV, to emphasize its on-road ability despite its size. Like the Lexus RX 300, the X5 heralded the shift from light truck-based body-on-frame SUVs to crossovers underpinned by unibody car platforms that would come to fruition in the late 2000s. Among German luxury automakers, while the Mercedes-Benz M-Class had beaten the X5 to the market by a year, the X5 was the first to use a unibody chassis whereas the M-Class used a light truck platform until its second generation. While the Lexus RX is based on the Toyota Camry mass market sedan, the X5 shares its underpinnings with the BMW 5 Series performance luxury sedan.

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (German pronunciation: [baˈjɛɐ̯ɪʃə mɔˈtɔʁn̩ ˈvɛɐ̯kə]; German for Bavarian Motor Works), usually known under its abbreviation BMW, is a German luxury automobile, motorcycle, and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. Headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, it also owns and produces Mini cars and serves as the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad, and plug-in electric cars under the BMW i sub-brand. It is one of the best-selling luxury automakers in the world. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

History

BMW was established as a business entity following a restructuring of the Rapp Motorenwerke aircraft manufacturing firm in 1917. After the end of World War I in 1918, BMW was forced to cease aircraft-engine production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty. The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production as the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted in 1923, followed by automobiles in 1928–29.

South Carolina

South Carolina ⁱ/ˌsaʊθ kærəˈlaɪnə/ is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. The state is bordered to the north by North Carolina, to the south and west by Georgia across the Savannah River, and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean.

The Province of South Carolina became a slave society after rice and indigo became established as commodity crops. From 1708, a majority of the population were slaves, many born in Africa.

South Carolina was the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation and the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on May 23, 1788. South Carolina became the first state to vote to secede from the Union on December 20, 1860. After the American Civil War, it was readmitted into the United States on June 25, 1868.

South Carolina is the 40th most extensive and the 23rd most populous U.S. state. Its GDP as of 2013 was $183.6 billion, with an annual growth rate of 3.13%. South Carolina comprises 46 counties. The capital and largest city is Columbia with a 2013 population of 133,358; the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin metropolitan area had a 2013 population of 850,965.

Mercedes-Benz M-Class

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class, renamed GLE-Class in 2015, is a mid-size luxury crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz since 1997. In terms of size, it is slotted in between the smaller GLK-Class (based on the C-Class) and the larger GL-Class with which it shares platforms. For a short time, between 1999 and 2002, the M-Class was also built by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, for the European market, before all the production moved to the U.S. plant near Vance, Alabama. From late 2012, the M-Class was also assembled at new plants in India and Indonesia.

Nomenclature

Although grouped under the "M-Class" naming banner since launch, BMW, who sells M models such as the M3, objected to the car being badged "M" with the three-digit engine level afterwards (e.g. M 320). This forced Mercedes-Benz to defer to a double-tiered marketing strategy of "ML" badging (e.g. ML 320) under an M-Class umbrella. There has been some confusion surrounding this nomenclature, with many sources erroneously referring to the series as the "ML-Class", including Mercedes-Benz themselves.