Pop Goes the Diesel
The new spokesperson for BMW Advanced Diesel, he has been at South Bay Studios for hours filming a commercial.
As noon approaches, nearly everyone on set is vexed by a simple physics problem. The commercial requires Unger to say: “If this is the carbon footprint of the average U.S. driver …,” and pop a gray balloon.
He will then describe the white balloon inside as the carbon footprint of a BMW Advanced Diesel driver. It’s a simple vehicle for delivering a powerful message regarding BMW’s next-generation diesels. But Unger’s balloons won’t pop correctly. He adjusts his approach, putting the pin nearly everywhere on the balloon’s dark gray face.
Of almost 30 balloon pops, only two leave the inner balloon intact. Because the schedule involves filming two commercials before 5 p.m., the pressure is on to get some takes of Unger accurately popping the outer balloon. There’s a quick pow-wow among the crew regarding the best way to achieve this. The amount of helium used for inner versus outer balloons is tweaked. Soon, Unger and the director are weighing in, creating an impromptu quorum on balloon inflation and puncture techniques. Jokes are made, tensions eased and spirits buoyed.
Back on camera, Unger uses the new balloons and starts ticking off usable takes. With lunch just around the corner, everyone is much more at ease. The television commercials are part of a campaign to clean up diesel’s smudged image. While younger U.S. drivers know very little of BMW’s – or any automaker’s – diesel engines, many older American drivers can recall the days of dirty, smelly, inefficient diesel power.
Happily, those days are gone, posits BMW’s Advanced Diesel advertising. The idea of using powerful imagery to support a clean, simple message has led to a series of provocative executions, including print ads, that juxtapose artful shots of technology with a seamlessly natural “green” component. And with headlines like “Responsive, yet responsible” and “Diesel gone good,” it’s an approach BMW hopes will clear the air for potential U.S. Advanced Diesel drivers.
BMW’s Advanced Diesel program has been building momentum in Europe over the last 20 years. Though BMW has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to gasoline engines, not many U.S. drivers have been privy to BMW’s extensive developments in next-generation diesel power. After the 1983 5 Series diesel, BMW’s steady improvements were evident only overseas, because stricter U.S. emissions standards made the introduction of new diesel models unfeasible.
However, the advent of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) became the catalyst for America’s introduction to BMW Advanced Diesels. “The heritage of BMW is interesting in and of itself. And now to have this new technology… I think people are going to be really surprised by these cars,” Unger says.
It’s tempting to call BMW Advanced Diesel technology a relaunch, but the new engines are almost nothing like their forebears. With the efficiency of a four-cylinder engine and the torque of a V-8 – a whopping 425 lb-ft – BMW’s new twin-turbo diesel models offer a greener driving experience without compromising performance. Emissions are 99 percent cleaner than earlier diesel technology.
No wonder a BMW Advanced Diesel model earned the “2008 World Green Car of the Year” award. And now, in the U.S., a tax credit is offered to those who purchase or lease a BMW Advanced Diesel model. Drivers now also have a new way to rein in fuel costs. Top off the tank of a 335d or X5 xDrive35d, and you’re good for up to 580 miles. In fact, fuel economy is the subject of the commercial to be shot in the afternoon.
The spot is slated to use a “Point-A-to-Point-B” setup, in which Unger identifies the distance between both points in terms of the fuel consumption of a tank of gasoline versus a tank of diesel. But at the moment, he is facing another problem. The sound of a popping balloon measures around 150 decibels. Hearing damage starts at around 90 decibels. So far, Unger has exploded nearly three dozen balloons beside his left ear.
Why would the man agree to this aurally dangerous stunt? “As part of my Discovery Channel show, ‘Some Assembly Required,’ we went to the BMW engine plant in Steyr,” Unger says. “What started out as a piece on building the new generation of diesel engines has led me here.” The episode made its way to the marketing department at BMW, which recognized in Unger the perfect person to convey the innovation behind BMW Advanced Diesel vehicles. Another natural,
professional fit: Unger’s gig as host of NPR’s “The Unger Report” finds him delivering insight every week on political, economic and social hot-button topics. Unger gladly became involved in the BMW Advanced Diesel program, even going so far as to accompany a film crew on a 450-mile BMW Advanced Diesel test drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. “Personally, I’m fascinated by the engine and I love the way the vehicles drive,” explains Unger.
His interest seems great enough to risk auditory damage while promoting a technology that may help the auto industry solve one of its most difficult problems. Two more commercials will similarly deal with fuel economy and resource preservation. Though the commercials’ concepts are simple, the thinking is not: the developments behind the U.S. launch of BMW Advanced Diesel have been decades in the making.
And, thanks to BMW’s commitment to this now buzz-worthy technology, BMW Advanced Diesel has the power to improve and even transform engine science, if only in the interim between the gasoline-based fuel system and whatever lies ahead.
Regardless of the technology involved, BMW will continue to follow the principle of EfficientDynamics: maximum output with minimal waste. The paradigm that led to BMW’s groundbreaking diesel developments, as well as its hydrogen and ActiveHybrid programs, will fuel innovative engine concepts for generations to come.
Source: BMW Magazine