whats the difference between a 528i and the 528ia?

[hewtash]

whats the difference between a 528i and the 528ia?

[MioCLK]

I believe the a stands for AUTOMATIC,

[Lodgistix]

I don't think so, I have the same question about my 530i, it's listed as a 530ia in the car manual and it is a 5 speed.

[crash8168]

a is for automatic trans.

[csieminski]

The "A" stands for automatic (this format is even used by BMW in their certified pre-owned listings, for example) and is always capitalized.

The "A" is never included in the actual badging on the car, but serves as a handy way for an automatic to be denoted on paper.