Training the generations at BMW: BMW Driver Training provides driving pleasure for young and old.

Munich. Who are the better drivers: novices armed with plenty of theoretical knowledge or seasoned motorists with years of practical experience under their belts? With its line-up of special events for young and old, BMW Driver Training offers an opportunity for some shared, cross-generational driving fun in which advanced motorists and their offspring can demonstrate their driving skills. The activities include exciting manoeuvres such as drifting, as well as competing in a range of disciplines.

Grandparents, parents and children form teams of two and set off after a brief induction that involves adjusting the seating position, steering wheel height and rear-view mirror. At the wheel of various BMW models, participants are put to the challenge by the BMW team of instructors in a range of active driving situations.

In addition to exhilarating time trials on the slalom course, driver reactions are sharpened in exercises covering critical braking situations all the way to skilled evasive manoeuvres. 

Team members have an opportunity to compare their relative strengths and weaknesses, push themselves to the limit and gather experience for driving in day-to-day traffic. The training sessions include skills tests such as turning within a marked-out box, oversteering and understeering in a circle, and timed slaloms with target braking. A key aim of this Driver Training event is to increase driving safety, with intergenerational competition also playing an important role. It allows fledgling drivers to glean practical experience while also enabling experienced motorists to hone their driving skills.

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 24 production facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

The BMW Group achieved a global sales volume of approximately 1.29 million automobiles and over 87,000 motorcycles for the 2009 financial year. Revenues totalled euro 50.68 billion. At 31 December 2009, the company employed a global workforce of approximately 96,000 associates.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last six years.