(Mon 17 Mar 08)

A Carbon Black 530d saloon marked a piece of BMW history when it emerged from the production line at the Dingolfing factory in Germany - it was the five millionth 5-Series built in a series which extends back to the early 1970s.

Dingolfing, which was then a brand new plant, was also where the first ever 5-Series was built. That was a 520 which produced what was then considered a more than respectable 115bhp. The current 520d is more than 50% more powerful, and with combined fuel consumption of 55.4mpg it's also a lot more economical.

Across the Atlantic, meanwhile, BMW is about to invest $750 million in its Spartanburg factory in South Carolina. Once the expansion work is complete, Spartanburg's annual production capacity will increase from its current 160,000 units to 240,000. The factory will become responsible for building all the world's X3, X5 and X6 models.

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