The purchase of a BMW i8 also grants customers entry into an exclusive circle of pioneers. Adventurer Bertrand Piccard meets BMW i8 drivers before questing first circumnavigation of the earth in a solar aircraft.

Munich. At its BMW Plant Leipzig location, the BMW Group now launched a world-first programme for extended dialogue with customers. The BMW i Pure Impulse Experience Programme gives owners of a BMW i8 exclusive access to visionary personalities as well as cultural and travel experiences that reflect the forward-looking character of BMW i. During the launch event at the birthplace of the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, the 120 or so attendees are granted an in-depth look at how the world’s leading premium car manufacturer is shaping the mobility of the future.

BMW i8 owners are among the pioneers of a new era of driving pleasure defined by sustainability. BMW eDrive plug-in hybrid drive technology, a passenger cell made of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), innovative mobility services and laser headlights – available for the first time on a production model – all help cement the status of the BMW Group’s first plug-in hybrid model as a sports car of the future. But the BMW i brand not only stands for groundbreaking vehicle concepts – it also signals a mobility experience that goes far beyond the relevant model.

“BMW i has also adopted a pioneering role regarding a new dimension of dialogue with its customers,” says Henrik Wenders, Head of BMW i Product Management. “By staging exclusive events we bring together people with a visionary as well as sustainable way of thinking. The BMW i8 Pure Impulse Experience Programme thus stands for a contemporary and responsible lifestyle.”

The celebrity guest at the first event was 56-year-old Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland, one of the greatest adventurers of our time. In Leipzig, where the BMW i3 and i8 were born, the visionary talked to BMW i8 customers about his quest to become the first person to circumnavigate the earth in a solar-powered aircraft.

Over the following months, the BMW i Pure Impulse Experience Programme will also provide a wealth of inspiration for a responsible and progressive lifestyle that takes its cue from the brand’s “next premium” character. The exclusive events that are open to BMW i Pure Impulse Card-holders on special terms include the Brit Awards in London and the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, along with the Art Basel show in Hong Kong in March 2015. Other top-class events with an exclusive support programme will follow over the course of the year. Beyond this, BMW i Pure Impulse Card-holders can avail themselves of attractive offers in select luxury hotels, gourmet restaurants and renowned art galleries around the globe.