BMW is another brand that is celebrating the 100 years this year, and they have a host of events planned.

• Centenary Show with international top acts; three-day event in the Munich Olympic Park; 300 exhibition vehicles; more than 2,000 BMW Club members from around the globe.

On 7 March 2016 – one hundred years to the day since what’s now known as BMW AG was first entered into the commercial register – the BMW Group launched its 100th anniversary celebrations. 

Running under the motto THE NEXT 100 YEARS, a unique programme of centenary events is scheduled to travel the globe, with a particular highlight being the BMW Festival and BMW Festival Night from 9 to 11 September 2016 in Munich. 

Thousands of visitors from Germany and around the world are expected to attend the event, which will be held in the Munich Olympic Park, near to the birthplace of the company. Venues will include the Olympic Stadium, its parking area and Olympic Hall as well as BMW Welt and the BMW Museum.

BMW Festival – daytime schedule

From 9 to 11 September 2016, three days of events in the Munich Olympic Park will present the BMW brand along with its BMW M and BMW i sub-brands, BMW Motorrad and BMW Lifestyle. 

Covering an area of 110,000 square meters, the show will offer visitors the chance to experience the entertainment and excitement of the BMW brand and its products – past present and future.

In a unique brand presentation, guests from around the world including more than 2,000 international BMW Club members will experience the emotion and fascination of BMW to the full. In a relaxed and lively festival atmosphere, they will be able to immerse themselves in the world of future mobility and connectivity through interactive elements or by simply sitting back and enjoying the information, inspiration and fun. 

The experience zones will be spread out around the 300 or so classic and current vehicles. The day programme offers something to suit all ages and tastes and includes all sorts of surprises.

Admission to the daytime BMW Festival is free of charge for everybody.

BMW Festival Night

On 9 and 10 September 2016 the BMW Festival Night in the Munich Olympic Stadium will present the BMW brand’s success story and celebrate the next 100 years to come. Hosting the centenary show will be top German radio and television personality Thomas Gottschalk, who will wow audiences with a cast of prominent people and legendary cars and motorcycles. 

There will also be plenty of musical highlights, ranging from classical to pop, courtesy of an array of renowned international artists and groups, including the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Eva Lind, Peter Kraus, Lena, Simply Red and Sunrise Avenue.

Completing the package will be a series of captivating performances, such as the world famous ‘Red Bull Flying Bach’ by world champion breakdancers the Flying Steps.

Tickets for the BMW Festival Night on 9 or 10 September are available for purchase at www.bmw-festival.com or at München Ticket. The show programme is identical on both evenings.

The website also provides all the latest information about the BMW Festival schedule and the BMW Festival Night.

BMW Festival Night and BMW Festival – an overview:

BMW Festival Night:

• Tickets are on sale now at bmw-festival.com or at München Ticket
• Fast-paced musical centenary show with top personalities
• Event on 9 and 10 September 2016
• Show programme: identical on both evenings
• Venue: Munich Olympic StadiumShow starts 7:30 pm
  • Doors open 5:00 pm
  • Show starts 7:30 pm
  • Show ends 10:30 pm

BMW Festival – daytime events:

• Free admission
• 3 days of varied entertainment across the Olympic Park
• Highlights:
  • BMW VISION NEXT 100 on show in the Future Exhibition at BMW Welt
  • Family Photo: The latest range of BMWs take to the stage
  • BMW Clubs from around the world present their automotive gems in the parking area of the Olympic Stadium
  • Live drift-shows and taxi rides in the Olympic Stadium
  • Captivating experience zones
• Opening times (may be subject to change):
  • Friday 9 September: 12:00 noon - 7:00 pm
  • Saturday 10 September: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
  • Sunday 11 September: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm

100 years and selling better than ever, with a great range of pick ups and trucks, here's to the next 100 years.

• Isuzu to celebrate centenary with ‘National Isuzu Day’ on 9 April 2016
• New version of award-winning D-Max due to launch on National Isuzu Day, in addition to selection of other product deals and offers
• Major events in history of iconic Japanese car manufacturer are remembered

To mark 100 years of vehicle production, numerous world firsts and a host of other accolades and successes, ‘National Isuzu Day’ this Saturday 9 April – the 100^th day of 2016 – will celebrate the Japanese brand’s centenary in style. Dealers will launch a new edition of the D-Max pick-up as well as offering a host of new finance deals across the range.

New variant, new offers, new accessories

Possibly the most exciting action on National Isuzu Day will be the sales launch of a new variation of the D-Max. The new ‘Centurion’ special edition will be available for only 100 buyers. It provides a fitting platform to celebrate Isuzu’s 100 years, while retaining the award-winning pick-up’s acclaimed ruggedness, durability, versatility and interior refinement.

In addition to this new model, Isuzu is offering customers a selection of compelling offers. Most notably, the high-spec D-Max Utah double cab will be available from only £199 per month on contract hire purchase – ideal for any agricultural workers or tradespeople who need a versatile and dependable pick-up truck without any compromise on interior features and comfort.

A limited run of 100 voucher bundles are up for grabs to coincide with National Isuzu Day and with a value of £750, these can be put against the cost of a multitude of accessories. Extra items up for grabs include a Pedders Suspension Kit, Vision Pack infotainment system or Lazer Lamp additional LED kit, among other options.

With specification and body configuration combinations to suit every customer requirement, the new Centurion brings to 11 the number of standard variants of the award-winning D-Max pick-up available in the UK. In addition, the official Isuzu customisation options are vast, from cherry-pickers and fire-and-rescue units, to the Huntsman Pack for lovers of outdoor pursuits.

Launched in 2012, the versatile D-Max has helped Isuzu to continue to break sales records in the UK. With 6,220 vehicle registrations in 2015, Isuzu UK made a 13% year-on-year improvement while also recording 478% sales boosts compared to five years before.

A century of accomplishments

Isuzu’s sustained and impressive growth in the UK is representative of the global successes achieved by the brand year after year, all of which is founded on a rich 100-year history of accolades and world-first accomplishments.

Starting out as a merger between a shipbuilder and an energy provider in 1916, the first vehicle to roll off the production line was the A-9 in 1922. As the first passenger car ever built in Japan, it spearheaded one of the world’s biggest industrial success stories.

It wasn’t until 1949 that the ‘Isuzu Motors Limited’ name was adopted by the Japanese company, a brand name that has since adorned many hugely successful passenger cars, rugged 4x4s, pick-ups and commercial vehicles. Literally translated in English as ‘fifty bells’, the ‘50’ part of the name was represented by the Roman numeral, ‘L’, in the model names Bellel and Bellet, the very first Isuzu models released in Europe in the 1950s.

Since then, Isuzu has found global acclaim with vehicles released in over 100 countries. The Isuzu 117 Coupe was a pioneering concept, recognised as the first-ever sports car with a diesel engine. The Isuzu Piazza followed soon after as a unique fastback with all-wheel drive, and also the last conventional passenger car before Isuzu focused its attention to specialist 4x4 production.

Alongside a commercial vehicle division, large MPVs, SUVs, 4x4s and pick-ups have become Isuzu’s speciality. The most notable models from the 1990s and 2000s include the Trooper, VehiCROSS, MU and Rodeo.

Today’s D-Max

Since 2012, the D-Max has thoroughly cemented Isuzu’s reputation in the UK of making tough and rugged off-road pick-ups. At the heart of the D-Max remains the powerful-yet-efficient 2.5-litre twin-turbo diesel engine, producing 163 PS and 400 Nm of torque. Isuzu’s advanced power unit returns a highly impressive fuel economy of 38.7 mpg on a combined cycle. This efficiency does not compromise the D-Max’s workhorse credentials, with a heavyweight towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes (braked trailer) and 1,072 kg (manual) / 1,067 kg  (auto) payload.

Perfectly matching rugged ability with performance and comfort, the tough-yet-refined Isuzu D-Max is available in two- and four-wheel drive, and as a single-, extended- and double-cab. Buyers can opt for the functional ‘utility’ range of models or the more sophisticated ‘premium’ range that offer more creature comforts and styling enhancements.

The D-Max’s class-leading attributes have helped the pick-up win several prestigious industry accolades. In 2015 alone, it was awarded with the Trade Van Driver’s ‘Best 4x4 Trade Pick-Up’ prize for the second year and VansA2Z.com’s ‘Pick-Up of the Year’  accolade for the third time. The Isuzu D-Max is available prices starting from £14,999 (CVOTR) for the entry-level single cab 4x2, rising to £26,999 (CVOTR) for the range-topping Blade Auto double-cab 4x4.

Maserati celebrates further with 50,000th car produced at the Avv. Giovanni Agnelli Plant.

On the final day of the Maserati Centennial celebrations, the 50,000^th car is celebrated at the Avv. Giovanni Agnelli Plant

Monda was the day of celebration for Maserati, not only for the 100^th birthday, but also for the milestone of 50,000 units produced at the Avv. Giovanni Agnelli Plant, in Grugliasco.

This important result for Maserati was achieved in less than two years.  The plant, where the Quattroporte and Ghibli saloon are manufactured, was officially inaugurated on the 30^th January 2013 and with a production ramp-up designed to maximise the quality of the finished product, it has been possible to reach 50,000 cars in just 22 months.

Car number 50,000, the protagonist in the days of Maserati’s 100^th birthday, is a Quattroporte S Q4 painted in the new Grigio Maratea, with red and black interior upholstery and built for the US market.  

The North American market, where the Quattroporte S Q4 is appreciated for its comfort, unfailing finish and unprecedented sportiness, this year reached a new sales record, with more than 10,700 Maseratis delivered in the first 10 months of the year.

Maserati celebrates 100 years (and three days) of production.

The Maserati Centennial reaches its conclusion: from today, a plaque at no.1 via de’ Pepoli in Bologna will permanently recall the company’s first workshop, opened on 1 December 1914 - one hundred + 3 days ago.

One hundred years ago, on the 1st December, Alfieri Maserati and his brothers Ettore and Ernesto began what was to become a triumphant chapter in Italian automotive history. It was on Tuesday 1 December 1914, at number 1A via de’ Pepoli, in the heart of Bologna, that the three brothers opened their “car repair workshop and garage”. 

The “one-man business registration application” was submitted ten days later at the nearby Palazzo della Mercanzia, in what is now home to the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. 

The application was accepted and registered four days later. This was the start of Maserati’s long history - based in Bologna until 1939, centred in Modena since then and launched at high speed on the world’s roads today. A plaque, affixed by Bologna City Council in association with Maserati, will permanently recall the Maserati brothers’ first historic Bologna workshop.

The plaque reads as follows:

“Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati” was founded in this building on 1 December 1914.Thanks to the genius and labours of Alfieri and his brothers Ettore, Ernesto and Bindo the company went on to gain international fame and prestige thus contributing to the world’s awareness of Bologna’s excellent industrial identity.

Maserati and Bologna City Council in the year of the Centennial

“The plaque is a symbolic tribute to an anniversary of fundamental importance to Maserati. 

In fact, we are celebrating the Centennial in a particularly significant year for us,” said Harald Wester, Maserati CEO. 2014, which marks one hundred years since our company’s foundation, is also the year in which the Quattroporte and Ghibli have beaten all previous sales records; in which the American market – with the Ghibli – and the Chinese market – with the Quattroporte – have amply rewarded the efforts we have made to offer a new, beautiful, competitive product, truly capable of responding to market demand; it is the year in which the GranTurismo and GranCabrio sports cars have continued to achieve international success.

It is the year of the Alfieri, an amazing concept car built to mark the Centennial, named after our founder, which explores the Brand’s stylistic heritage while looking ahead to its future design language. It is the year in which customers and fans celebrate our glorious past, enjoy a present in which the product range is wider than ever before, and look eagerly forward to the near future: the launch of the Maserati SUV, to be followed by the Alfieri, as the concept car goes into production.”

Maserati CEO Harald Wester was accompanied by Carlo and Alfieri Maserati, sons respectively of Ettore and Ernesto Maserati, the two brothers who were at Alfieri’s side in December 1914.

Carlo Maserati, Ettore’s son, declared, “100 years have passed since Uncle Alfieri created ‘Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati’ and it is now 116 since 1898, when his eldest brother Carlo, then just seventeen years of age, built a motorbike fitted with an engine he had designed and built himself at home; an event that thrilled his brothers and inspired them to follow his example. We all know the engineering and racing results they achieved under both the Maserati and the OSCA names in almost 70 continuous years in business. 

This longevity was founded on the perfect understanding within the family and engineering skills that enabled them to build a racing car in just six months. As I commemorate my father Ettore and my other Uncles Bindo, Ernesto, and Mario, I would like to thank all those who have enabled Maserati to live on and assure it further successes in the future.”

Alfieri Maserati, Ernesto’s son, recalled, “Founded as Officine Alfieri Maserati in 1914 this business, springing from the enterprising spirit and genius of its founder, my Uncle Alfieri, continued in operation after his early death in March 1932 thanks to the dedication and extreme personal sacrifices of his brothers. 

I feel I must mention the extraordinary engineering and design creativity of the youngest of them, Ernesto Maserati, my father. The period witnessed the birth of an amazing series of both Grand Prix cars and Voiturettes, as well as world-beating cars that actually held as many as 13 international speed records simultaneously. After the Maserati brothers left the business in 1947, other people stepped in to continue its success. 

Its acquisition by the Fiat Group has brought Maserati to a position of absolute prestige, today, with constant growth in terms of both quality and quantity. It is a pleasure to celebrate the Centennial at a time like this, and one hundred years after the company's foundation, I have great admiration for the hard work, dedication and enthusiasm of everyone who works there. They have conserved the spirit of its founders.”

Today marks exactly 100 years since its foundation, but Maserati’s Centennial celebrations began a year ago, with events of international importance which have involved customers and fans all over the world, as well as the entire sales network. 

During the year, Maserati has been “Guest of Honour” at a number of the world’s most prestigious automotive events, including the Villa D’Este Concours d’Elegance, the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance during the Monterey Car Week in California.

Maserati was also chosen as guest of honour to officially open the 70th annual Columbus Day parade in New York last October.

The celebrations culminated in the International Gathering, which started in Bologna in September: exhibitions, parades, a regularity competition, a track practice session, guided tours of the two Maserati plants in Modena and Grugliasco and a Concours d’Elegance, with more than 200 cars and over 500 people from all over the world taking part. 

Amongst the cars participating, some arrived straight fromBeijing, having driven 13,500 kilometres right across Asia and Russia and passing through the main European capitals on their way to Modena. The Maserati Centennial Gathering also received a coveted award a few days ago when it was named “Tour of the Year” by the jury of the “International Historic Motoring Awards 2014”.

For all fans, the extraordinary exhibition “MASERATI 100 - A Century of Pure Italian Luxury Sports Cars” will remain open in Modena until the end of January. The exhibition, housed in Modena’s futuristic Museo Enzo Ferrari, allows visitors to retrace the Italian automotive firm’s history with a display of approximately twenty of its key road and racing models.

Maserati nears culmination of centennial celebration with an international gathering.

Three-day drive from Modena to Turin celebrates Maserati’s first Centenary and starts with a prologue in Bologna, by the Fountain of Neptune that inspired the Maserati Trident Badge.

The most eagerly anticipated Maserati event in a year of celebrations is just days away. The unique Maserati Centennial International Gathering marks the culmination of the company’s official Centenary celebrations.

After the prologue in Bologna on Wednesday, 17 September the event will officially start in Modena on Thursday, 18 and conclude in Turin on Saturday 20 September. The three-day event includes an exciting combination of exhibitions and parades, a regularity competition, track practice session, guided tours of the two Maserati factories and a Concours d’Elegance, with cars and collectors from all over the world taking part.

More than 200 Maseratis of all periods, both classic and modern, will be the stars of an unforgettable celebration as they parade through Italian towns along the route. A full complement of road models from the Trident marque’s history will take part including the A6GCS/53, 3500 GT, 5000 GT, Sebring, Mistral, Mexico, examples of the original Ghibli and, Quattroporte, Bora, Indy and Khamsin. The stunning Boomerang prototype will also be in attendance, along with cars from the current model range.

The Gathering will feature cars from across the globe. Current Maserati owners will come from  the United States, China, Korea, Russia, the Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan. When it comes to classic cars, there will be representatives from countries as far afield as Australia and, closer to home, Norway, Sweden, Great Britain, France, Germany and Greece, highlighting the international affection for the Maserati brand.

Among the cars participating in the International Centennial Gathering, are vehicles forming a special convoy of Maseratis from China.  After a month-long tour that began in Beijing in mid-August, crossed the whole of Asia, entered Russia at Ekaterinburg, touched Moscow and passed through Minsk, Warsaw, Prague and Munich, the convoy will arrive in Milan on Sunday and then travel on to Modena.

Wednesday, 17 September

The prologue of the Centennial Gathering on Wednesday, 17 September, in Bologna offers participants the chance to visit Maserati’s first premises at Via de’ Pepoli, where Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati opened their first workshop. It is a stone’s throw from Piazza del Nettuno, where they will have a photo-opportunity with their cars by the statue of the god of the seas that inspired the famous choice of badge – the Trident, in red white and blue, the Bologna colours, that went on to become unmistakable on the international motorsports scene. The inspiration to use the iconic emblem came to the only brother not involved in the engineering business, Mario, who was a painter by profession.

Thursday, 18 September

On Thursday the world’s finest Maseratis will officially start the International Gathering by meeting in the centre of Modena, in Piazza Grande, Piazza Mazzini and Via Emilia, before parading in the late afternoon to the factory on Viale Ciro Menotti. It still occupies the historic red brick complex the company moved to in 1939 after the take-over by the Orsi family in 1937, a move made on the understanding that the Maserati brothers would continue to work there for another 10 years.

At the historic headquarters, which for the last decade has also included a modern office building and a futuristic showroom, event participants will take part in a very unusual dinner in the striking setting of the production lines that manufacture Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio and Alfa Romeo 4C. This represents a unique opportunity for participants to dine in the surroundings of a state-of-the-art production facility, which also works in harmony with the manual skills of Maserati’s highly specialised workforce.

The dinner, during which tenors of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation will perform, will offer a unique sensory experience, where the senses of sight, taste and hearing will combine to provide an unforgettable event. It is well known that the bond between the great Modena-born tenor and Maserati was always very strong.

Before this, in the afternoon, participants will visit the outstanding “MASERATI 100 – A Century of Pure Italian Luxury Sports Cars,” exhibition which retraces the brand’s history with some of the most important cars from its past. Housed in the futuristic Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari, a few metres from Viale Ciro Menotti, the exhibition will remain open to the public until January 2015. In terms of the historic value of the items on show, this is the biggest international exhibition of Maserati cars ever held and is an opportunity not to be missed for participants in the exclusive Centennial Gathering.

Friday, 19 September

The destination of the gathering’s second stage is linked to the creation of a racing car that was to set a world speed record. On Friday morning participants will drive towards Turin with a break at the San Martino del Lago circuit near Cremona, where the track practice sessions and regularity competition will take place. This is certain to bring out the racing spirit found in every Maserati’s genes, while their familiar comfort will come to the fore during the journey itself.

This leg of the journey pays homage to Baconin Borzacchini and his 16-cylinder Maserati V4, in which the Italian driver set the world record for the flying 10 kilometres, at an average speed of 246.069 km/h, on 28 September 1929 in Cremona. The record was set on a partially unpaved section of straight normal road temporarily closed to the meagre traffic of the time. It is now part of the ordinary road network and open to traffic so Gathering participants will actually get the chance to drive along the route used to set the original record.

Once the activities on the track have been completed, the procession of fine Maseratis will provide a beauty pageant along the streets of Cremona before setting off for Turin, home of the “Avv. Giovanni Agnelli” plant at Grugliasco that produces the new Quattroporte and Ghibli models.

In Turin, the Maseratis will be parked on show in Piazza Castello. In the evening, a gala dinner will be held in the splendid, majestic setting of the Reggia di Venaria palace: a real event within the event!

Saturday, 20 September

The third and final act of the Centennial Gathering will take place on Saturday 20 September; in the morning, the final section of the regularity competition will be held on the climb to the Basilica of Superga. This will be followed by a guided tour of the Grugliasco plant.

The concluding stage of the event, the Concours d’Elegance, will be held in the afternoon. The cars, divided into 10 classes on the basis of year of construction and type, will be showcased in Piazza San Carlo, in the real heart of Turin.

The Concours and regularity competition awards ceremony will mark the event’s farewell to the large number of fans who are certain to attend. Amongst the prizes, some of which will be kept secret until the time of presentation, Maserati has chosen to reward winners with two “Master Maserati” driving courses and an exclusive “Master Italian Lifestyle Experience.”