BMW DONATION STEERS COLUMBIA SCHOOL IN RIGHT DIRECTION FOR AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICAL TRAINING

Donation Ceremony on September 26 at 10:00 a.m.

Columbia, SC - September 26, 2006... The BMW Performance Center which is based
in Spartanburg, SC will donate a 2001 BMW X5 4.4 to the Heyward Career and
Technical Center to be used as an educational resource for area high school
students interested in pursuing careers as automotive service technicians. The
X5 Sports Activity Vehicles are manufactured at the BMW Manufacturing Co.,
based in South Carolina for U.S and world-wide distribution.

Dan Doot, technical manager at the BMW Performance Center will officially
present the vehicle to students enrolled in the Automotive Technology and
Automotive Body and Collision classes at Heyward Career and Technical Center
located at 3560 Lynhaven Drive in Columbia on Tuesday, September 26 at 10:00
a.m.

"With this donation, students will have the opportunity to cultivate diagnostic
and computer skills while working on one of the most technologically advanced
automobiles in the industry," said Doot. "BMW is committed to helping to
educate tomorrow's auto technicians by giving them the tools needed to succeed
in the automotive industry."

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),
approximately 35,000 new auto technicians will be needed nationwide each year
through 2010 as automakers increase production of new vehicles and older
technicians enter retirement. The Department of Labor's 2006-2007 Occupational
Outlook Handbook also predicts an abundance of opportunities for automotive
service technicians with diagnostic and problem-solving skills, knowledge of
electronics and mathematics, and mechanical aptitude, as cars becoming
increasingly more hi-tech. BMW addresses these needs through its various
technical training programs and community outreach efforts through technical
and vocational schools.

Sherry Rivers, principal at the Heyward Career and Technology Center is
grateful for the potential opportunities a donation of this caliber will bring
to students at the technology center.

"We are honored to receive this generous donation from BMW," said Rivers.
"The practical skills our students will develop training on a vehicle with the
latest in cutting-edge technology are immeasurable and can be applied to other
automobile makes and models giving students options and opportunity for career
development and advancement."

B.T. Martin, education associate at the office of career and technology
education at The South Carolina Department of Education adds, "With continued
support from auto manufacturers such as BMW we will be able to produce the
technicians of the future."

BMW is a member of the Automotive Youth Education Systems (AYES) - a
partnership of auto manufacturers, dealers and qualified high schools offering
automotive technical training to identify automotive programs that may need
additional equipment. AYES works to generate interest in automotive careers at
the high school level and provide educational and occupational opportunities.
BMW has donated cars, car parts, computers and other equipment to approved high
school automotive programs to familiarize students with state-of-the-art BMW
technology.

To keep with the pace with the need for highly skilled service technicians, in
1996 BMW established an advanced program called STEP for Service Technician
Education program to address the shortage of automotive service technicians.
In the last ten years alone, more than 2,000 technicians have completed the
intensive training program and have been placed in rewarding and satisfying
careers.
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