Beyond driving pleasure: innovative luxury, BMW-style.

Munich. As part of its forthcoming model offensive, BMW has developed a new presence for its luxury cars that sees the profile and positioning of the most exclusive members of its range refined into a distinct product category. The upcoming BMW 8 Series and BMW X7 as well as the BMW i8 and the upcoming BMW i8 Roadster will join the BMW 7 Series in the brand’s significantly expanded luxury segment line-up. These cars appeal strongly to the heart, so they are particularly well placed to enrich the characteristic lifestyle of customers in this segment with authentic, emotionally engaging experiences. The identity and attitude shared by BMW’s elite models are echoed in a newly designed logo which combines a black-and-white version of the manufacturer’s roundel first used 100 years ago with the company name “Bayerische Motoren Werke” written out in full. The new presence for the brand’s luxury-segment models will be unveiled for the first time at the IAA Cars 2017 show in Frankfurt on 14 – 24 September 2017.

With its classical, understated aesthetic and the company’s original name spelt out, the logo highlights BMW’s inimitable history. The daring to explore standalone solutions and concepts, and the ability to take on challenges and emerge from them stronger, are deeply-rooted elements of BMW heritage. This approach – encompassing everything from the first altitude-world-record-breaking aero engine to the launch of the BMW i brand – has proven to be a recipe for success, as well as showcasing the company’s passion, confidence and gift for bringing the future into the present day. And it is also apparent in the lifestyle of a target group well accustomed to trying new things, taking the lead and choosing a free and independent path in life.

“For these people, life is all about making the best possible use of the time available to them,” says Hildegard Wortmann, Senior Vice President Brand BMW. “Their motto is ‘to own the moment’ – i.e. to max out every snap-shot of time with meaningful and beautiful things.”

Free-thinking, pioneering spirit creates progressive luxury.

Luxury in a car represents the fruit of peerless expertise in various fields of development. Authentic, compelling and, above all, modern luxury draws on a well of tradition and pioneering spirit, and is rooted in years of experience, deepening knowledge and a talent for innovation. The flagship models in the BMW portfolio embody a new understanding of luxury – one which brings together an emotionality defined by inspirational aesthetics and the joy of driving with the experience of freedom and self-determined individuality.

The ongoing development of luxury as a concept is closely linked with the numbers 7 and 8 in the BMW model scheme. The BMW 7 Series luxury saloon has served as a paragon of exclusive driving pleasure, as per the brand’s unmistakeable style, for 40 years now. Elsewhere in the range, the avant-garde, dynamic and innovative use of form, not to mention the force of technological progress, continue to shape the fascination of the BMW 8 Series, whose lineage dates back to 1989. The new 8 Series distils elegance, dynamism and luxury into the time-honoured essence of a BMW coupe. The plug-in hybrid BMW i8, meanwhile, has penned the first chapter in the future of the sports car. All in all, innovations based on ground-breaking achievements, such as the use of carbon fibre in series-produced cars, remote-controlled parking and BMW laser light, mark out the progressive character of the current family of luxury BMWs.

Inspiring experiences, unique moments in time.

BMW is focusing its attentions on the continued development of relationships with customers, on experience and emotion, and on bespoke offerings. The brand’s goal is to offer customers a special mobility experience every day, courtesy of unique and improved services. Upcoming service appointments are carried out as part of a pick-up and return service tailored precisely to the customer’s individual needs. And the specially-conceived Add-on Mobility service for luxury car customers offers unbeatable flexibility and freedom. For example, if a BMW 7 Series driver requires additional transportation capacity, they can jump straight into a BMW X7. While for the pleasure of a sporting weekend drive a BMW 8 Series will be at their disposal. Indeed, emotional added value is on hand at any time, not only through the product substance of the driver’s own car, but via services designed to open up rich experiences.

The line-up of BMW models and services for the globally expanding luxury segment is complemented by a world of experiences taking their cues from the particular requirements of a modern, international target group and extending far beyond the pleasure of driving a car. The BMW i Pure Impulse Experience programme for BMW i8 owners has paved the way for customers around the world to experience some remarkable cultural, lifestyle and travel events – from exclusive sightseeing tours and gala dinners in Michelin-starred restaurants to visits to the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, the Art Basel fair in Hong Kong and the White Turf horse races in St. Moritz.

The company’s commitment to laying on a very special experience of mobility – and the desire, so typical of BMW, to compose unique moments of inspiration – sees the brand embarking on the largest luxury-segment model offensive in its history. “We’re building up a luxury ecosystem of unique services and experiences which embraces the full range of luxury models and creates some extraordinary and unforgettable times,” explains Wortmann.

BMW’s extensive track record of appealing to the emotions reflects its love of special moments – and its boldness in creating those experiences for customers and fans. Take the BMW Art Car Collection, a series of “artworks on wheels” without compare worldwide. Since 1975 renowned artists from around the globe have turned series-produced models and racing cars from the brand into widely admired museum exhibits. Among the BMW Art Car Collection’s standout expressions of authenticity is that many of these one-off works of art have celebrated their premieres not at an exhibition or such like, but on the race track.

These memorable moments in time and exclusive experience locations are also the most fitting places for BMW to make contact with potential customers – and therefore offer the ideal stage on which to present the new product category. “BMW needs to be present in those places where its target luxury-segment customers spend their time,” adds Wortmann. “Here, we aren’t just a maker of cars, but a partner who understands luxury living and is a protagonist in that world.”

Further information on official fuel consumption figures, specific CO2 emission values and the electric power consumption of new passenger cars is included in the following guideline: “Leitfaden über Kraftstoffverbrauch, die CO2-Emissionen und den Stromverbrauch neuer Personenkraftwagen” (Guideline for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and electric power consumption of new passenger cars), which can be obtained from all dealerships, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at http://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html. LeitfadenCO2 (GuidelineCO2) (PDF ‒ 2.7 MB).

In the event of enquiries please contact:

Corporate Communications

Martin Schleypen, Product Communication BMW Automobiles
Telephone: +49-89-382-37889
E-mail: martin.schleypen@bmwgroup.com

Ralph Huber, Head of Product Communication BMW Automobiles
Telephone: +49-89-382-68778
E-mail: ralph.huber@bmwgroup.com
 

Internet: www.press.bmwgroup.com

E-mail: presse@bmw.de

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2016, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.367 million cars and 145,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax was approximately € 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31 December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based 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.

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