GRAMMY-WINNING deejay Beenie Man took the spotlight briefly at ATL Automotive’s ATL Autobahn reveal on Lady Musgrave Road in St Andrew last Saturday.

The entertainer, who arrived in a new X3M 40i, was part of that vehicle’s launch.

Driving up to the venue, Beenie Man exited the compact SUV and began belting out the lyrics to his smash and occasion-appropriate hit Who Am I (Sim Simma). The track became a sing-along as guests on the inside of the newly opened, state-of-the-art showroom came rushing out.

The consummate performer, Beenie Man quickly went through his repertoire of hits songs, including Romie, Girls Dem Sugar, Dude, Let’s Go, Rum and Redbull, and I’m OK.

He added a bit of freestyle throughout his set. The deejay closed with a cover of Country Road.

With Beenie Man’s departure, the focus then shifted to the evening’s other highlight: the 2018 BMW X3.

Now in its third generation, the X3 has undergone subtle but striking changes to enhance its already versatile abilities as a premium, compact SUV. On the outside, it’s taken on the more chiselled look of its bigger brother, the X5, but hasn’t grown significantly larger.

The X3’s exterior dimensions have simply been re-proportioned to help interior space and, most importantly, keep the driving dynamics one expects from the brand, who’s tagline is ‘the ultimate driving machine’.

“It’s totally new… it’s bigger than the previous X5, but still a Class One vehicle on the highway. It mirrors the 5 and 7 series, in terms of ergonomics, and moves it further up in the premium market,” Sloane Jackson, head of business for BMW and MINI, told Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine.

To this effect, on top of the 2-litre petrol and diesel engines, the X3 can be purchased in its first-ever M trim as the M40i. This means a 3-litre, six-cylinder engine that rockets the SUV to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds.

What a thrill!

— Rory Daley