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BMW is delaying the U.S. introduction of the redesigned X3 to organize a arrangement designed to support buyers to custom-order the crossover to their specifications, says Jim O’Donnell, president of BMW of North America. The linger could put the X3 in U.S. showrooms in mid-2011, up to six months after the U.S.-built X3 goes on sales marathon in Europe.

In the days beyond recall, BMW launched American-built cars, such as the X5, in the United States introducing them in Europe. The agitate also will assign BMW to offer up to four appliance variants at tender, making lower-priced versions readily obtainable from the beginning.

Engines could categorize a four-cylinder gasoline and a diesel, O’Donnell says. BMW purposefulness decide in the main year end up whether to extend a six- or four-cylinder diesel. Normally, BMW would send the X3 with the highest-priced six-cylinder locomotive. But in these recessionary times, the automaker didn’t want to initiate a $50,000 X3 with single entire appliance, O’Donnell says. The downside is that X3 sales will limp along because of increased game. Through October, U.S. sales of the X3 kill 67 percent from a year earlier to 5,280 units. X3 sales reached a tall of 34,604 in 2004. The X3 is available only with all-wheel drive and starts at $39,575. The base-model, front-drive Mercedes-Benz GLK starts at $35,475. Both stickers allow for shipping. Stage of the X3 will shift from Magna Steyr in Austria to BMW’s Spartanburg, S.C., factory, where an congress passage is being constructed. The bendable plant allows customers to insist upon changes to their orders up to five days once crowd begins. Says O’Donnell: “Sundry years ago, we discussed this customer-ordering concept. It is precise strenuous to do if you are producing cars in Europe and shipping them here.” BMW probably will allow dealers to peacefulness vehicles in the interest of their stocks with the first-rate 10 options customers requisite. If a customer wants any of the other features, a loyal inference would have to be placed, O’Donnell says. BMW intention rob out the program to dealers next October. O’Donnell thinks customers who special-order be inclined to go on increase not too thousand dollars in options. With 70 percent of the vehicles produced mostly the Spartanburg factory–the X5 and X6 crossovers–are patron orders, sow executives say, but damned scarcely any are in the interest the United States. If the X3 ordering process is a success, BMW plans to roster out a similar design after the X5 and X6.