Hams Hall, UK. BMW Group’s Hams Hall plant, located in the UK, has reached a major milestone: For exactly 25 years, the plant near Birmingham has produced highly efficient internal combustion engines for a variety of BMW Group vehicle models. More than 7.6 million engines have shipped from Hams Hall since 2001. The facility supplies numerous production sites worldwide with highly efficient petrol engines for the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands, including drive trains for plug-in hybrid models – making the plant an integral part of the BMW Group’s technology-open approach. Today, Plant Hams Hall produces three and four-cylinder petrol engines to high performance V8 engines, powering vehicles across both BMW and MINI. Separately, the V12 engine is produced at Plant Hams Hall exclusively for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Its assembly follows a distinct, bespoke production process, carried out by specially trained engineers and technicians, before final delivery to the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood.

Plant Hams Hall – an integral part of the global production network

"This anniversary is a special milestone for our site," says Dirk Dreher, Head of the BMW Group's Hams Hall plant. "We are a competitive plant and there’s always been a real passion among our workforce to continually improve our manufacturing processes and site. Building on our strong foundation, we are looking forward to remaining a successful plant in the future."

“The Hams Hall plant is an integral part of our global production network,” explains Harald Gottsche, Head of Engine Production at BMW AG. “The site combines technological expertise with high flexibility. It reliably supplies our vehicle plants with efficient, powerful engines of premium quality. This includes the V12 engine – a masterpiece from Hams Hall!”

61% reduction in energy use per engine built since the start of full production

The British engine plant is systematically implementing the principles of the BMW iFACTORY. The strategic vision of the BMW iFACTORY focusses on sustainability, electrification, digitalisation and profitability. From the first concept of the plant to the present day, the Hams Hall team has made sustainability a key consideration. Since the first full year of production, the plant has made a 61% reduction in energy required per engine built, meaning the overall energy to operate the site has remained level even though there has been a considerable increase in production. The plant purchases 100% of its external electricity from renewable energy sources today. It has also worked to reduce its consumption of natural gas.

SpOTTO robotic dog scans and monitors manufacturing equipment

A four-legged autonomous robot named “SpOTTO” joined the Hams Hall team in 2024. The autonomous robotic dog scans the plant, supports maintenance and ensures production processes run smoothly. Equipped with visual, thermal and acoustic sensors, SpOTTO collects valuable data for the plant’s digital twin. It also serves as a watchdog, monitoring the maintenance of production facilities. SpOTTO was developed by Boston Dynamics under the product name “Spot”, an agile robot capable of climbing stairs and traversing rough terrain with ease. At Hams Hall, “Spot” was fondly renamed SpOTTO, paying tribute to the engine plant’s proud heritage: Gustav Otto, one of the founders of BMW, was the son of Nicolaus Otto, inventor of the four-stroke engine.

Fully connected digital twin: Big data on three levels

At the core of the Hams Hall plant’s digital transformation is the fully connected digital twin, which consists of three levels: On the first level, 3D representations of the entire plant are generated. The second level comprises a large data layer, continuously updated with all relevant information from the SpOTTO robotic dog, the plant’s manufacturing equipment and its IT systems. On the third level – the application level – dedicated programmes organise the collected data into comprehensible units. Using special apps, experts at Plant Hams Hall can leverage this information for tasks such as production planning and quality assurance.

A history of continuous growth

Over the past 25 years, BMW Group Plant Hams Hall has continuously evolved, establishing itself as a key pillar of the company’s production network. Relying on state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies, it provides drive trains for numerous BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce models.

Selected historic milestones:

• 2001: Plant Hams Hall launches series production with new four-cylinder engines, using innovative Valvetronic technology in large-scale manufacturing for the first time.
• 2006: An additional engine family is introduced; Plant Hams Hall produces engines for the MINI brand for the first time.
• 2013: Plant Hams Hall becomes the exclusive manufacturer of the award-winning three-cylinder engine for the iconic BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. The plant also integrates additional production lines for three- and four-cylinder petrol engines. At the same time, the processing hall for crankshafts, crankcases and cylinder heads is expanded.
• 2022: The plant takes over production of V8 and V12 engines. With this step the plant generates even greater business value for the company.
• 2026: Plant Hams Hall celebrates 25 years of production.

The BMW Group’s drive train production network

The BMW Group’s engine production network comprises several plants alongside Hams Hall: Its largest engine facility is in Steyr, Austria, where diesel and petrol engines, as well as sixth-generation electric motors, are developed and produced. The fifth generation of electric motors is produced in Dingolfing. Plant Munich handles mechanical production of V8 and V12 engine components, while Plant Landshut manufactures special engines. The Chinese joint venture BMW Brilliance builds engines for the local market in Shenyang. Collectively, these locations support the BMW Group's technology-open powertrain strategy.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J.- January 15, 2025...If one character could be said to dominate BMW’s early years in the US, it’s Max Hoffman. As BMW’s sole distributor in this country from 1962 to 1975, Hoffman was a champion of the marque, one whose belief in BMW allowed cars like the 2002 to reach a broad audience of dedicated enthusiasts. Alas, Hoffman’s true role within BMW history is as much villain as hero, however, as it was with respect to nearly all of the marques represented at one time or another by the Hoffman Motors Corporation. 

Hoffman’s story begins in Vienna, Austria, where he was born in 1904. His father inherited a general store that turned into a manufacturer of sewing machines and then bicycles, and Hoffman spent his young adulthood racing on two wheels and four. At 30, he quit racing and began importing British, German, French, and Italian cars to Austria, and exporting European cars to the Middle East. Hoffman did well, but in 1938, when the Nazi military marched into Austria he left for the relative safety of Paris. Two years later, the Nazis were closing in once again, and Hoffman—whose father was Jewish—boarded a steamer for New York.

Hoffman had intended to export American-made trucks to Egypt, but when that fell through, he began making metallized plastic jewelry instead. His designs proved popular in the wartime economy, and he used his windfall to return to the automotive business in 1947. Adopting the name Maximilian—his legal name remained Mark Edwin—and dropping the final “n” from his surname, he opened Hoffman Motors’ first showroom at 487 Park Avenue, with a single Delahaye on the floor. Within a year, he’d be Jaguar’s official US importer, and he’d eventually represent 21 marques in the US. Hoffman encouraged them to build cars to suit American tastes and budgets, resulting in the Mercedes 300SL and 190SL, the Porsche Speedster, and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder, among others.

In 1954, Hoffman went to Munich, hoping to add BMW to his stable of marques. The company had begun producing cars again in 1951, and its new Oldsmobile-inspired V8 engine had been designed with the US in mind. Better still, BMW’s 501 and 502 sedans were soon to be joined by a V8-powered roadster, Grand Touring coupe and convertible, all of which were intended for export.

Hoffman was shown photos of the 528 roadster prototype, which he dismissed as so unattractive as to be sales-proof in the US. Back in New York, he decided to stage an intervention, asking German-born American designer Albrecht Graf von Goertz to produce a few sketches and send them to BMW. Thus began a relationship that would see Goertz design one of the most beautiful cars ever built, the 507 roadster, while substantially redesigning its 503 counterpart, as well.

Hoffman assured BMW that the 507, especially, would sell well in the US, and he promised to order 2,500 examples. That would certainly cover the model’s development cost, including the expensive revisions Hoffman had ordered, but that number was soon reduced to a “firm order of 1,000 cars,” then to 300 cars per year over four years. To make matters worse, Hoffman also reneged on his pre-payment commitments, even after those were reduced from $1 million to $500,000.

All of that contributed substantially to BMW’s 1959 brush with bankruptcy, which nearly saw the company absorbed into Mercedes until an investment by Herbert Quandt ensured its independence.

Making matters worse, the high retail price of these hand-built cars made them astronomically expensive by the time they reached the US. Each car retailed for nearly $10,000, as much as a far more powerful and luxurious Cadillac at the time. The demand for such an expensive BMW would be severely limited regardless of its style or performance, and Hoffman ended up importing a mere 16 507s throughout all of 1957 and ’58.

At the end of that year, BMW terminated its contract with Hoffman and gave exclusive distribution rights to Fred Oppenheimer’s Fadex Corporation, which had successfully imported the Isetta and other BMW microcars. BMW’s large cars were difficult to sell even for Oppenheimer, and in 1959 he asked to terminate the distribution agreement. At BMW’s request, Fadex held on for two more years, but sold just 1,212 BMWs during that period. In October 1961, the relationship with Fadex was finally dissolved, and BMW Automobile Parts, Inc. was set up in its place. A wholly-owned sales subsidiary seemed likely to follow, but none would materialize.

In the meantime, the 21 marques represented by Max Hoffman in the US had been reduced to just two: Lancia and Porsche, the latter only east of the Mississippi. Though he later claimed he’d given up the rest to focus on BMW, the manufacturers had severed their relationships with him one by one over the previous decade: Volkswagen in 1953, Jaguar in 1954, Mercedes in 1957, BMW in 1959, Fiat in 1960, and Alfa Romeo in 1961. Some did so because they deemed Hoffman a customer-service liability, others simply to cut out the middleman. In most cases, however, these brands (excluding BMW) dissolved their agreements with Hoffman at great expense, under terms that, in many cases, extracted hundreds of dollars for every car sold in the US until the original contracts expired.

That BMW would return to Hoffman’s embrace seems inexplicable, but the company lacked the funding to establish its own distribution network over the vast geography of the US. Hoffman had a strong advocate in Paul Hahnemann, recently arrived from Borgward to become BMW’s new board member for sales. Undoubtedly, the contract suited both men, even as BMW protected itself by contracting with Hoffman for just three years, from March 1962 through the end of 1964. The document required Hoffman to order 1,000 cars during that period, to deliver the “powerful service” for which he was little known, to take over BMW’s parts inventory, and to maintain distribution centers on both sides of the US.

Hoffman’s reinstatement coincided with the 1962 launch of the Neue Klasse, a reasonably priced midsize sedan that promised to succeed where the V8-powered cars had failed. The 80-horsepower 1500 was underpowered for the American market, but the 90-horsepower 1800 fared slightly better, as did the 101-horsepower 2000 that arrived in 1966. Hoffman was always a fan of high-performance models, and in 1965 he imported 54 examples of the customer-racing 1800 TI/SA, more than one-quarter of total production.

A stronger product lineup helped BMW’s exports to the US increase from just 231 cars in 1963 to 1,253 in 1966, when the first examples of a new two-door started trickling in. Hoffman didn’t think the 1600-2 was likely to succeed in this market, and he doubted that it could be sold profitably. The car caught on anyway, helped by favorable reviews in magazines like Car and Driver and Road & Track. Later, clever advertising boosted sales further by emphasizing the car’s performance with copy that touted its “100-mph cruising speed, and phenomenal roadholding.”

The arrival of the 1600-2 saw BMW’s US exports jump from 1,253 cars in 1966 to 4,564 cars in 1967, and all but 168 were 1600-2s. When that car was joined by the more powerful 2002 in 1968, sales doubled yet again, to 9,172. The 2002 became a genuine sensation, inspiring enthusiasts to create the BMW Car Club of America in Boston and the BMW Automobile Club of America in Los Angeles.

Though Hoffman has been credited with the car’s creation, the 2002 was an organic development within BMW. In Munich, Hahnemann was pushing for a sporty compact car with “something extra” at the same time that BMW engineers were fitting the small two-door with BMW’s largest four-cylinder engine. The 2.0-liter engine allowed them to improve performance over the 1600-2’s 1.6-liter engine without exceeding US emissions limits, something that a higher state of tune couldn’t achieve. Hoffman had nothing to do with its development, though he certainly welcomed its arrival. He does, on the other hand, deserve credit for the Bavaria, a stripped-down version of BMW’s large sedan that sold for under $5,000 in the US. The car proved popular, but BMW itself lost money on every Bavaria while profitable cars like the 2800 and 3.0 CS sold in exceedingly small numbers. By 1971, BMW decided to stop offering its large cars in the US altogether after 1977.

As that suggests, Hoffman’s business practices were proving problematic for BMW. He expanded the dealer network considerably, but his low bar to entry—shops that Hoffman approved for a dealership could buy the necessary signage and equipment for as little as $1,500 and could order as few as two cars—meant that many dealers were unqualified to provide knowledgeable repairs or other services. Spare parts were lacking, as well. “Hoffman wasn’t very interested in what happened after he’d sold the cars,” said Chicago BMW dealer Bill Knauz. “He didn’t pay you properly on parts, service, warranty work, etc. When it came to Max’s pocket book, Max took care of Max.”

More concerning for BMW, Hoffman’s ordering practices were erratic, causing problems at the Munich factory. Sales fluctuated more than BMW could tolerate, and they weren’t increasing at a rate that the company expected given the marque’s increasing visibility among American enthusiasts. Hoffman wasn’t particularly interested in following BMW’s directives for expansion, however, as he was making more than enough profit as things stood—more than BMW, as it happened.

Those irregularities had gone largely unnoticed until the early 1970s, when new leadership arrived at BMW headquarters. When the new board members began taking a hard look at BMW’s sales and distribution strategies, Hoffman’s days were numbered. All that remained was to extricate BMW from Hoffman’s unusually lucrative and long-term contracts.

—end—

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. - January 8, 2025...Can one magazine article change the course of automotive history? Though it’s hard to imagine in today’s fractured media landscape, that’s exactly what happened in April 1968, when Car and Driver published “Turn Your Hymnals to 2002,” an ecstatic review of a new BMW by contributing writer David E. Davis Jr.

“To my way of thinking, the 2002 is one of modern civilization’s all-time best ways to get somewhere sitting down,” Davis wrote. “The minute it starts moving, you know that Fangio and Moss and Tony Brooks and all those other big racing studs retired only because they feared that someday you’d have one of these, and when that day came, you'd be indomitable. They were right. You are indomitable.”

Driving the unassuming little 2002, Davis blows away nearly everything else on the road, from a six-cylinder Mustang to a Pontiac GTO, while leaving British sports cars and even Porsches behind in the curves. “Grovel, Morgan. Slink home with your tail between your legs, MG-B. Hide in the garage when you see a BMW coming. If you have to race with something, pick a sick kid on an old bicycle.”

Even more surprising, BMW’s new two-door was not only sportier than the so-called sports cars but more practical, as well.

“The BMW 2002 may be the first car in history to successfully bridge the gap between the diametrically-opposed automotive requirements of the wildly romantic car nut, on one hand, and the hyperpragmatic people at Consumer Reports, on the other. Enthusiasts’ cars invariably come off second-best in a CU evaluation, because such high-spirited steeds often tend to be all desire and no protein—more Magdalen than Mom,” Davis wrote.

Not so the 2002. “It rides like a dream. It has a surprising amount of room inside. It gets great gas mileage. It’s finished, inside and out, like a Mercedes-Benz, but it doesn’t cost very much. All those qualifications are designed to earn the BMW a permanent place in the Consumer Hall of Fame. But for the enthusiasts—at the same time, and without even stepping into a phone booth to change costume—it goes like bloody hell and handles like the original bear.”

A year earlier, the magazine had declared BMW’s 1600-2 “the best $2,500 sedan Car and Driver ever tested.” With the larger and more powerful 2.0-liter engine, the 2002 became, as Davis wrote, “most certainly the best $2,850 sedan in the whole cotton-picking world.”

It was also one of the most obscure, especially in America. BMW hadn’t officially exported its cars to the US prior to World War II, and only a few were imported by private customers. During the Occupation, American service members discovered sporty BMWs like the 328 and 327, but they didn’t bring enough of these cars home to make much of an impact. BMW’s postwar product strategy didn’t increase the marque’s visibility during the 1950s, and neither did its disjointed distribution system. While Fred Oppenheimer’s Fadex Corporation had a short-term success with the Isetta microcar, Max Hoffman failed to find an audience for BMW’s V8-powered 507, or any of the other models aimed at the American car buyer. The early-’60s Neue Klasse sedan and 2000 CS coupe didn’t hit the mark, either. In 1966, BMW sold just 1,253 cars in the United States.

All of that would change following the launch of the small two-door known within BMW as the Type 114. Thanks in part to Car and Driver’s assessment of the 1600-2, BMW’s US sales nearly quadrupled in 1967, reaching a total of 4,564 cars. Nearly all were 1600-2s.

Despite that increase, BMW remained little-known even among foreign-car enthusiasts…until the April 1968 issue of Car and Driver landed in subscribers’ mailboxes. As one of the Big Three automotive publications along with Road & Track and Motor Trend, Car and Driver had around one million subscribers, many of whom were looking for a car exactly like the one Davis described in “Turn Your Hymnals to 2002.”

“If you’d asked me about BMW, I couldn’t have told you what it was,” said Rob Mitchell, then a Marine Corpsman stationed in Washington, DC. “And then this issue of Car and Driver shows up in my mailbox, with an article about the 2002. I was like, ‘Wow! This car sounds like the best of everything.’ It was the answer to my prayers, and it was even affordable.” He’d end up buying a 1600-2, and he’d also become one of the first employees hired by BMW of North America in 1975.

Davis’s stirring prose made a similar impression on Michael Izor, then a junior accountant at WLVI-TV in Boston. “If your blood doesn’t start to boil a bit when you read that article, get Reader’s Digest and call it a day!” Izor laughed. “I was one of those fat-assed American car guys, and here comes this pocket rocket that sounds just fabulous. I went to the local dealership and asked for a test drive, and I was so delighted I placed an order for a 2002 immediately.” He’d become an early member of the BMW Car Club of America, attending its annual Oktoberfest for 50 years running.

Davis had estimated that the 2002 would find a home with “10,000 well-adjusted enthusiasts who want a good car, people with the sense of humor to enjoy its giant-killing performance and the taste to appreciate its mechanical excellence.”

He wasn’t far off. In 1968, BMW’s US sales hit 9,172 units, and in 1969 they reached 11,638, a figure that was limited more by the production capacity of BMW’s Munich factory than by demand. After a decade of trying, BMW finally had a hit in the US, and anywhere else the 2002 was sold.

As for David E. Davis Jr., “Turn Your Hymnals to 2002” cemented his reputation as one of America’s finest and most influential automotive journalists. It also got him fired from Car and Driver, thanks to his complaint that the 2002’s radio—made by Car and Driver advertiser Blaupunkt— “couldn’t pick up a Manhattan station from the far end of the Brooklyn Bridge.”

He took a job with advertising agency Campbell and Ewald, then returned to Car and Driver in 1976, this time as editor in chief. In that role, he’d write still more favorable reviews of BMW automobiles, and he’d also move Car and Driver headquarters from New York City to Ann Arbor, Michigan. There, Davis petitioned the city to renumber the magazine’s new office building as 2002 Hogback Road, slightly out-of-sequence on the street grid but a fine homage to the car that made his career, and which put BMW on the radar of discerning American enthusiasts.

• First-ever BMW Panoramic iDrive will define the in-vehicle experience of BMW’s forthcoming “Neue Klasse” – or, “New Class” of vehicles –, which is set to launch in late 2025.
•  Iconic comedian and three-time Academy Award viewer Tim Meadows will host the BMW Press Conference on Tuesday, January 7^th at 8:30 a.m. PST.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – December 17, 2024… Visitors to the next Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas will be in for a “little” surprise when they visit the BMW Pavilion in the Silver Lot to experience the first-ever BMW Panoramic iDrive display- and operating-concept of the Neue Klasse in a “magical” way. With this presentation, BMW is not only showcasing technology that will be featured in the series production Neue Klasse vehicles for the first time, but also once again setting standards for in-vehicle experience with a clear focus on driver orientation, safety, and personalization.

The BMW CES 2025 press conference on Tuesday, January 7^th will be hosted by iconic comedian and three-time Academy Award viewer Tim Meadows, starting at 8:30 a.m. PST. Meadows will be joined at the BMW Pavilion in the Silver Lot (just outside the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center) by Frank Weber, Chief Development Officer at BMW AG who will present the next generation of BMW iDrive along with Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design, and Stephan Durach, Head of UI/UX Development.

Following the press conference on January 7^th, CES attendees can visit the BMW Pavilion for repeat performances by Meadows and additional BMW experts at 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. On January 8 and 9 showtimes will begin at 10:00 a.m. and take place each hour on the hour through 5:00 p.m. Three final shows will be presented on Friday, January 10 at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. [A1] [A2]  From January 2^nd, journalists and CES visitors can register for the shows in advance via the website https://ces2025.eventsbmw.com – available seats are limited.

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BMW Group In America

BMW (US) Holding, Corp. is the shareholder of BMW of North America, LLC, which has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; DesignWorks/USA.Inc, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and assembles the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,147 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

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Los Angeles, CA – September 11, 2015 11:30am PDT/2:30pm EDT … BMW i today announced that it will loan the Los Angeles Police Department a BMW i3 electric vehicle for twelve months in the first US test of the innovative EV in an authority fleet. The BMW i3 test vehicle, which sports the famous LAPD black and white livery, complete with rooftop light-bar, will undergo a year of rigorous testing. It will also be featured at public events throughout the loan period.

“The decision by the Los Angeles Police Department to undertake this evaluation highlights the compelling nature of the BMW i3 as a versatile, sustainable vehicle,” noted Christine Fleischer, Manager – BMW i for BMW of North America. “By virtue of its innovative design and construction from leading-edge materials, the i3 is a brilliant fit with the technology-driven research philosophy of the LAPD. This will be a valuable learning experience for both BMW and the Department.”

The LAPD will benefit from the compact size and agility, thanks to the light-weight Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic construction of the BMW i3. The very tight turning circle of the i3 will make maneuvring around the streets of Los Angeles a breeze. The LAPD will have access to the large, conveniently located network of BMW i Centers, making servicing of an i3 fleet convenient and cost effective.

Watch for the “LAPD” BMW i3 on the streets and at events around Los Angeles over the coming months.

About the BMW i3, the company’s first-ever production electric vehicle

The BMW i3 is the first of the BMW i vehicles constructed from the ground up primarily of carbon fiber to enter the U.S. market. With 170 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque hybrid-synchronous electric motor, the fully electric BMW i3 is electrified by a 22-kWh lithium-ion battery, good for 80-100 miles of emission-free driving. Agile and engaging to drive, the BMW i3 is ideally suited for dense urban areas. Every aspect of the BMW i3 has been conceived for sustainability. The carbon fiber used to create the i3 is produced using hydro-electric power. The BMW i production facility in Leipzig, Germany draws much of its power from wind energy. Even the interior of the BMW i3 was created using sustainably-sourced materials.

The BMW i3 has a base MSRP of $42,400 and the range-extender model starts at $46,250, before any federal or applicable state incentives.  

About BMW i

BMW i is the BMW Group’s forward-looking and sustainable brand dedicated to solving many of the mobility challenges faced by the world’s most densely populated cities. The all-encompassing approach of BMW i includes the extensive use of recycled, renewable raw and naturally treated materials, alongside an extremely resource-efficient production method.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 149 BMW motorcycle retailers, 124 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW products is available to consumers via the Internet at:

www.bmwusa.com.

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Journalist note: Information about BMW and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com.

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Woodcliff Lake, NJ – August 19, 2013…  Tapping deeper into its enthusiast fan base, BMW of North America announced the launch of a lifestyle and accessories shopping experience within the Facebook environment.  BMW fans and Facebook users will now have the ability to shop for a full range of BMW lifestyle products, accessories and BMW M performance parts right on Facebook.  The BMW USA Social Shop will feature all of the social functionality expected in the Facebook environment, including the ability to share and “like” items, as well as view friends’ activity and items they added to their wishlists.    

The BMW USA Social Shop experience is built directly into the Facebook environment, allowing for a seamless integration of the two brands.  Existing BMW eCommerce functionalities you know from www.shopBMWUSA.com, such as the ability to shop for a range of accessory products by model and category, will be enhanced in the Facebook environment to include a “social memory”, personal profiles and wish lists.  Users are not required to share personal data or grant the app permission; however, providing authorization will significantly enhance the user experience and add functionality, including the ability to follow friends’ interactions and review their recommendations or what they have added to their wish lists. The personal profiles and wishlists follow the principle of a wedding registry. Users are reminded of friends’ upcoming birthdays and activity and have direct access to products they might wish for or simply favor via “likes”. The shop also encourages all users to give their direct feedback on BMW Aftersales products via Facebook comment functionality on each individual product.  The BMW USA Social Shop allows for a secure Checkout and purchase right on Facebook using Paypal, Google Checkout or credit cards.  Additional payment options will be added later this year.

“We are very excited to launch an innovative approach to shopping and extend the BMW shopping experience for our lifestyle and vehicle accessory products to the social space.  BMW has many enthusiastic, engaging Facebook fans, and shoppers are more likely to trust a product review or recommendation from a fellow enthusiast or Facebook friend for their purchases.” said Peter Brandt, Aftersales Business Development and Marketing Manager, BMW of North America.  “These elements, combined with a rich offering of lifestyle products and BMW M Performance Parts, make the BMW USA Social Shop a truly unique experience.”

To experience and shop, click https://apps.facebook.com/bmwshop or visit the BMW USA Facebook page.

BMW Group in America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 117 MINI passenger car dealers, and 34 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:  www.bmwgroupna.com

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Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com. 

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Woodcliff Lake, NJ - April 30, 2009... BMW of North America invites you to our web-based news conference about the all-new Z4 Roadster.

The live broadcast, online at www.bmwusanews.com will feature information about the new Z4 Roadster, key design elements, sales and marketing plans, BMW brand actions in the US market and an overview of the 2009 sales to date.

BMW Panel member include:
* Peter Miles, Executive Vice President, Operations will be on hand to discuss automotive sales performance in April.
* Martin Birkmann, Manager, Product Planning and Motorsport will be in attendance to discuss our product portfolio.
* Patrick McKenna, Manager, BMW Marketing Communications will discuss the Z4 marketing and launch campaigns.
* Nadya Arnaout, interior designer of the new Z4 Roadster will describe the design process.
* All executives will also be prepared to discuss our role in this dynamic marketplace and how we are preparing for the future.
We encourage you to pre-register for the event and submit questions online up to and throughout the live broadcast. We’ll be responding to them during the broadcast.

The event will take place Wednesday, May 6 at 11:00 am EDT (8:00 am PDT).
Please visit www.bmwusanews.com today and register.
Additional information, videos and photographs of the new BMW Z4 Roadster will be maintained at www.bmwusanews.com.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 83 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:

www.bmwgroupna.com
www.bmwusanews.com
www.press.bmw-motorsport.com

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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address: https://newsroom.bmwgroup.com/global/en and select “USA” from the list of National PressClubs. Broadcast quality video footage is available via The NewsMarket at www.thenewsmarket.com.

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Woodcliff Lake, NJ, September 24, 2004... BMW of North America announced today
that the innovative BMW X3 wireless kiosk has received top honors by winning
three industry association awards -- the 2004 Display of the Year Award as well
as two 2004 Gold Design of the Times Awards in the transportation and
interactive categories.

Recognizing the "best of the best" in branded point of purchase displays,
Point-of-Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) presented BMW with the 2004
Display of the Year Award at a special awards ceremony held during Advertising
Week in New York City. Hot on the heels of receiving that prestigious
commendation, the In-Store Marketing Institute presented BMW with two 2004 Gold
Design of the Times Awards at the P-O-P Show in Chicago on September 22nd. Both
awards underscore BMW's commitment to advanced technology and innovative
design.

"We are honored that the BMW X3 wireless kiosk has received two top industry
awards and acclaim by industry professionals," said Jim McDowell, Vice
President of Marketing, BMW of North America. "These two prestigious awards are
a testament to the dedication, commitment and vision of our partners Frank
Mayer & Associates, Reality Pictures, LTD., NetKey Inc., and Dedicated
Computing, Inc., as well as the enthusiasm of our internal BMW team. We are
proud that the X3 kiosks have been embraced by the industry, and equally
excited by their wide acceptance into the marketplace."

The award-winning X3 kiosk was developed to generate excitement and brand
awareness for the new BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle, which launched in
February of this year. The kiosks' sleek design, portability and
state-of-the-art wireless technology has enabled BMW to place them in
high-trafficked strategic locations where potential X3 customers are likely to
gather, including Jet Blue Terminals, Virgin MegaStores, ESPN Zones, Galyans
Sports and Outdoor Centers and similar locations. Additionally, the wireless
technology imbedded within each kiosk has allowed BMW to track prospective
leads in real time, tailor the message and graphic presentation points to each
specific location, and monitor usage.

About POPAI
The Point-Of-Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) is the only trade
association of the point-of-purchase advertising industry dedicated to serving
its more than 1,700 members internationally by promoting, protecting and
advancing the broader interests of P-O-P advertising through research,
education, trade forums, and legislative efforts. POPAI aspires to enable our
industry to influence consumers' buying decisions. The association seeks to
advance the evolution of P-O-P advertising as a strategic advertising medium
integrated into the marketing mix globally.

About the In-Store Marketing Institute
The In-Store Marketing Institute serves brand marketers, retailers, agencies
and manufacturers worldwide with education, information and networking provided
through research studies, education and training, networking opportunities,
trade publications, and tradeshows designed to further the understanding,
acceptance and effectiveness of in-store marketing.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.
ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW
Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial
service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the ROLLS-ROYCE
brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a
technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the
country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's
global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all
Z4 Roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization
is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW passenger car centers,
327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 76 MINI
passenger car dealers, and 25 ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding
Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America,
is loca

ted in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet
at:

www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorradusa.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available
to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address:
https://newsroom.bmwgroup.com/global/en
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