Sebastian Coe visits the BMW Group. Two-time Olympic champion is fascinated by BMW Welt,

Munich. The BMW Group in Munich welcomed a sporting and political VIP from Britain: Lord Sebastian Coe, two-time Olympic champion and Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), visited the company headquarters on Tuesday. Accompanied by Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing, Lord Coe toured BMW Welt and the BMW Museum in the morning before being given an opportunity to experience at first hand the future of zero-emission motoring during a test drive in the MINI E through Munich’s snow-covered streets.

At the London Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012, BMW will be the official Automotive Partner, supplying around around 4,000 low-CO2 vehicles to LOCOG.

Coe, who won a gold medal in the 1,500 meters in Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles in 1984, commented on his visit: “BMW is an exciting company with an interesting history and fascinating products. I am impressed at how intensively BMW is tackling the challenge of sustainable mobility. As a former sportsman I am particularly pleased to see that sporty driving and environmentally friendly mobility need not be a contradiction. BMW shares our vision of sustainable Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.”

Robertson said: “Sportiness is the core of our identity and the core of the BMW brand. As the world’s most sustainable car manufacturer, we promote and support the idea of sustainable Games – be it in London in the summer of 2012 as Automotive Partner or in the winter of 2018 as National Sponsor. Accepting social responsibility is an inextricable part of our self-image. As a corporate citizen, the BMW Group with its customers and associates around the world stands for international understanding and intercultural exchange.”

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 more than 1.43 million automobiles and over 101,000 motorcycles for the 2008 financial year. Revenues for 2008 totalled EUR 53.2 billion, with earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of EUR 921 million. The company employed a global workforce of approximately 98,000 associates on 30 September 2009.

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 five years.