BMW of North America is Back for the Rebelle Rally with the All-New BMW X3 M50 Following Last Year’s Podium Finish.



Contested by an all-women field of drivers and navigators, the rigorous competition covers 1,500 miles of demanding desert terrain.

Rebecca Donaghe and Syndiely Wade will pilot the all-new high- performance BMW X3 M50 Sports Activity Vehicle in the X-CROSS™ Class for all-wheel drive vehicles.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – October 9, 2024… BMW of North America returns to the desert this week for the nation’s ultimate off-road endurance challenge as veteran driver Rebecca Donaghe and navigator Syndiely Wade traverse over 1,500 miles of grueling California and Nevada terrain in the all-new high-performance BMW X3 M50 during the 2024 Rebelle Rally. Taking place October 11–18, the nation’s longest off- road rally features a bold lineup of female driver-navigator teams and prohibits the usage of GPS guidance, forcing competitors to rely on paper maps and compasses as they hunt for checkpoints throughout the rugged desert landscape.

“I'm excited to return for my 8th Rebelle Rally and 2nd year with BMW, this time in the all-new BMW X3”, said driver Rebecca Donaghe. “We weren't sure what to expect last year and came away with a podium finish, so this year we know what's possible, expectations are high, and we'll be pushing even harder. It's another chance to take the Ultimate Driving Machine to the ultimate proving grounds and showcase BMW's engineering capabilities in some of the most beautiful and challenging terrain in North America.” She added, “It’s especially exciting to drive a pre-production model even before the first customers have taken delivery.”

“We are prepared to tackle this challenge inside the all-new BMW X3—a vehicle that combines performance, offroad capabilities, and comfort”, said navigator Syndiely Wade. “This unique competition, navigated exclusively using topographic maps and a compass, will be an opportunity to test the power of this extraordinary vehicle while showcasing my skills in old-school navigation.”

For this year’s competition the all-new 393-horsepower BMW X3 M50 has been modified slightly for the rigorous off-road requirements of the Rally with the following enhancements but is still very close to a stock vehicle:

• Custom skid plates and interior storage solutions fabricated by BMW Manufacturing Talent Factory students.
• Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail tires.
• Rotiform BLQ-C wheels.
• Front Runner Slimline II roof rail rack kit, Wolfpack storage boxes, and Typhoon duffle bags.
• Rigid Industries 360-Series front light pods and Chase Amber rear lighting.
• XPEL STEALTH satin paint protection film on all exterior paint surfaces, XPEL PRIME XR Plus nano-ceramic window film, and XPEL FUSION PLUS ceramic coating on the wheels, glass, and exterior paint surfaces.

Since first establishing the Sports Activity Vehicle segment in the premium midsize class more than two decades ago, the BMW X3 has been instrumental in the steady popularity growth of the BMW X family of vehicles and is one of the brand’s best-selling models today. The new generation is being assembled for the North American market in BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

“More versatile and sportier than ever, the all-new BMW X3 is an ideal choice for everything from spirited grocery store runs to cross-country road trips, and now proves its capabilities even for the ultimate rallying adventure”, said Dr. Andreas Meyer, Vice President of Product Management BMW Americas. “We are proud to again support our all-female team this year, piloting our highly capable vehicle ready for anything in its path.”

The fourth-generation BMW X3 will reach U.S. showrooms in October and offers two potent powertrains at launch—the 2.0 liter 4-cylinder BMW X3 30 xDrive with 255 horsepower starting at $49,500 and the high-performance 3.0 liter 6-cylinder BMW M50 xDrive with 393 horsepower starting at $64,100.

Still getting used to the looks …

Front looks good on these tbh

Still not convinced by the rear though, especially the taillights

thats a serious light rig set up wow

Those monoblock Rotiforms look quite nice; kinda spindly like some of the F80/G80/F97 Comp wheels.

Why couldn’t they do this on the G01… I’m having the hardest time trying to make mine a rally car. Everything needs custom R&D

the nation’s longest off- road rally features a bold lineup of female driver-navigator teams and prohibits the usage of GPS guidance

Genuinely curious, why is it so important that BMW calls out that the participants are women? Is there an implication that women can't drive or navigate so this is something completely out of the norm? Like, I get the virtue signaling and shit but that's like saying "look, they CAN do it!"
It's just so damn weird.
Want to focus on the product and showcase what it can do? Great! But don't insult people along the way.

I know this is all about marketing a main product and supporting products. But, it still kinda feels very corny. Sorry BMW.

Any chance we can get BMW to stop released embarrassing cars and suvs ? Please ?

Bumpinjeep wrote

Genuinely curious, why is it so important that BMW calls out that the participants are women? Is there an implication that women can't drive or navigate so this is something completely out of the norm? Like, I get the virtue signaling and shit but that's like saying "look, they CAN do it!"
It's just so damn weird.
Want to focus on the product and showcase what it can do? Great! But don't insult people along the way.

I agree, but relax… it’s not that biga deal, I think most would have slipped right past that but since you mention it, the fact builds up rather quickly, but really… it ain’t that deep.

What IS deep, is that they mentioned females, that know what GPS means… AND be prohibited… from…. Using IT 😳

Wow.

Then I scrolled down, and saw the mentioned driver… she’s old enough to have invented the GPS…. fucking publicists. Lead with the photo next time.

Boy, they really screwed this up. It should have 7 lights. I’d be really embarrassed to drive it with only 6 lights.

Igor_M5 wrote

I agree, but relax… it’s not that biga deal, I think most would have slipped right past that but since you mention it, the fact builds up rather quickly, but really… it ain’t that deep.

What IS deep, is that they mentioned females, that know what GPS means… AND be prohibited… from…. Using IT 😳

Wow.

Then I scrolled down, and saw the mentioned driver… she’s old enough to have invented the GPS…. fucking publicists. Lead with the photo next time.

They called it out to explain the name - the reBELLE rally. Belles are ladies. The usual word is rebel. It's word play.

Up close from the side the new X3 is flat/slab-sided, and reminds me of any one of the Mazda CX SUVs! The side profile of prior X3’s had sexy sporty curves. Same in the rear. Flat! Looks like their iX electric vehicles. No character! 😠

I think white color suits motorsport BMW more than this prosthetic limb beige.

Bumpinjeep wrote

Genuinely curious, why is it so important that BMW calls out that the participants are women? Is there an implication that women can't drive or navigate so this is something completely out of the norm? Like, I get the virtue signaling and shit but that's like saying "look, they CAN do it!"
It's just so damn weird.
Want to focus on the product and showcase what it can do? Great! But don't insult people along the way.

Why do people get so triggered when women are promoted doing things that that are often not considered to be things women do? It’s called representation and it matters.

Is there anyone who actually respects this event as a competition? Feels like a parade for content creation.

X1-CT wrote

Why do people get so triggered when women are promoted doing things that that are often not considered to be things women do? It’s called representation and it matters.

I think it triggers some due to the belief that there should not be a category of "things that are often not considered to be things women do." Has that historically happened? Perhaps, but some feel the time has come to stop promoting the distinction. It is finally in the normal course of life to have a woman astronaut, woman airline pilot, women NASA engineers who made the space program successful, woman Vice-President, woman presidential candidate. The UK and Israel have already had a woman Prime Minister and other countries have also been led by women. Why is it helpful to be amazed that women can drive an off-road vehicle or create an event that focuses on that distinction? Opportunities should be open to all people without regard to their gender if they have the needed talent or ability. Their skills should be celebrated without having to emphasize that they actually are women. It does seem demeaning otherwise to continue to suggest that women currently somehow overcame an extra obstacle of their identity. It's not the 1950s anymore and we're not going back.

Drdave2024 wrote

Up close from the side the new X3 is flat/slab-sided, and reminds me of any one of the Mazda CX SUVs! The side profile of prior X3’s had sexy sporty curves. Same in the rear. Flat! Looks like their iX electric vehicles. No character! 😠

Really? The Mazda Cx literally have bulging/boxy fenders?