BMW at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 in Las Vegas.

Richmond Hill, ON.  BMW driving dynamics will take centre stage at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) from January 9^th to 12^th, 2018 in Las Vegas, with activations intending to showcase the unique attributes of The Ultimate Driving Experience in both the real and virtual worlds of racing. BMW will also debut an in-vehicle virtual reality experience designed to enhance the retail experience.

CES attendees are invited to participate in the following activities at the BMW Experience in the Silver Lot at the Las Vegas Convention Center:

• Panel: “The Future of Racing: The Intersection of Virtual Technology and Real Experience” on Wednesday, January 10 at 11:00 a.m.  Kazunori Yamauchi, designer and producer of the acclaimed Gran Turismo video game series; Todd Ballard, CMO, GoPro; and professional driver John Edwards, BMW Team RLL driver, will participate in a panel discussion about capturing and replicating the reality of real-world racing in a virtual world. The discussion will be moderated by David “Shingy” Shing, Digital Prophet, AOL (Oath).

• Through a collaboration with PlayStation, BMW will host a virtual experience via the latest entry in the Gran Turismo video game series, Gran Turismo Sport. The experience will take place daily at the BMW Ultimate Driving Experience Pavilion during show hours. The top five daily finishers from Tuesday, January 9 through Thursday, January 11 will be invited to the BMW Ultimate Driver CES Showdown at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, January 12. Hosted by BMW Team RLL driver Bill Auberlen, finalists will race in a 2018 BMW M4. The grand prize winner will be awarded an M School experience at a BMW Performance Center and have his or her name featured on the custom livery BMW M6 GT3 in Gran Turismo Sport.

• BMW will also debut a new virtual reality tool, VR@Retail, aimed at enhancing the retail experience. In this fully immersive environment, attendees can view and interact with the first-ever BMW X2 Sports Activity Vehicle to explore the interior and exterior as well as to customize key elements of the vehicle.

  BMW leads the industry with the use of technology to enhance the retail experience and is the first automotive manufacturer in the U.S. to offer a fully-simulated experience of future models. VR@Retail will be available at BMW retail locations worldwide in 2018.

• BMW will also offer a full line-up of production vehicles for street and autocross test drives, including BMW i, BMW M and BMW X models during show hours.

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BMW Group in Canada

BMW Group Canada, based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW AG and is responsible for the distribution of BMW luxury performance automobiles, Sports Activity Vehicles, Motorcycles, and MINI.  BMW Group Financial Services Canada is a division of BMW Group Canada and offers retail financing and leasing programs and protection products on new and pre-owned BMW and MINI automobiles, as well as retail financing for new and pre-owned BMW Motorcycles. A total network of 49 BMW automobile retail centres, 21 BMW motorcycle retailers, and 30 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.

For more information, please contact:

Marc Belcourt, Director, Corporate Communications

BMW Group Canada

905-428-5078 / marc.belcourt@bmwgroup.ca                                 

Barb Pitblado, Manager, Corporate Communications

BMW Group Canada  

905-428-5005 / barb.pitblado@bmwgroup.ca