30 YEARS OF DRIVER TRAINING

Responsibility and safety with tradition.

Munich. 30 years of BMW Driver Training represents 30 years with proactive
mediation of safety and sovereignty at the steering wheel: The BMW Group is
celebrating this big anniversary in a birthday celebration held at the Driver
Training Centre at Munich Airport on 16 May 2007. The actual "birthday" of BMW
Driver Training was in fact 22 April 1977. This was the date when drivers
carried out the first training manoeuvres in a BMW 320i. BMW was one of the
first automobile manufacturers to offer customers the opportunity of optimising
their know-how at the steering wheel. Dr. Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of
Management at BMW AG, commented: "Even three decades ago, the BMW Group
recognised that developing sporty and dynamic automobiles wasn't the only part
of the equation. As a company keenly aware of its responsibility, our aim was
also to promote driving skills on the road."

Today, the concept of BMW Group Driving Experience covers BMW Driver Training,
MINI Driver Training and BMW Motorrad Rider Training. The fleet of vehicles has
increased to more than 250 cars and 100 motorcycles for all kinds of programmes
and activities. In 2006, some 1,000 events took place in Germany alone, with
approximately 18,000 drivers and riders taking part. Since 1977 more than
200,000 participants have gained superior skills in training sessions on tracks
and circuits closed to the public, subsequently benefiting from these skills
through their greater confidence at the wheel and extra safety in everyday
traffic.

Competent instructors
The BMW Group Driving Experience has therefore become a symbol for a wide range
of driver and rider courses benefiting a whole range of participants - from the
beginner all the way to the "old hand". The BMW Group Driving Experience stands
for systematic training based on the latest know-how in driving skills and
research, with individual, personalised support provided by more than 120
competent instructors. They include seasoned test drivers, experienced
engineers and highly knowledgeable vehicle development specialists whose
technical and instructional skills are often complemented by many years of
experience in motor sport. Rally legend Rauno Aaltonen from Finland was
appointed the first Chief Instructor at BMW Driver Training in January 1977.
Since then the team has derived continuous benefit from the experience of
professional racing drivers like Marc Surer and Claudia Hürtgen.
Always ahead of time
Just like the automobiles and motorcycles produced by the BMW Group, the
training programmes are also continually undergoing development. Driver
assistance systems that support the driver in masterful control of the vehicles
were unknown 30 years ago. Today, important functions like the anti-lock brake
system (ABS) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) play a key role in the
training schedule.

Other fundamental features have remained unchanged throughout the last three
decades. The aim of every training activity remains to impart good theoretical
understanding and appreciation of technical parameters and the physical
principles underlying driving skills, to convert this theoretical knowledge
into practical exercises and hence to ensure greater supremacy in handling
complex driving situations at the wheel or in the saddle. How does my seating
position and the way I hold the steering wheel influence my control of my car?
Why do cars with front-wheel drive behave differently in dynamic situations to
cars with rear-wheel drive? How does the intelligent shift of weight on a
motorcycle affect my position in a bend? The participant considering questions
of this kind in theory and then implementing what he or she has learnt in
practice has everything it takes to recognise potential hazards in everyday
traffic and to avoid or master possible risks.

Focus on people
95 percent of all accidents have a human cause. Investigations also demonstrate
that everybody has been involved in an average of nine accidents during their
driving career. They are involved in an accident every five years. Every driver
is the cause of an accident every nine years. BMW Driver Training addresses
this issue and aims to empower car drivers to optimise their own reaction in
critical situations. The focus of training in these situations is always on the
individual. In the interplay between safety and assistance systems, driver
training programmes are always directed towards participants increasing their
own safety and the level of safety of other road users. Driver Training
provides a clear benefit for the individual and the community as a whole. The
Head of the BMW Group Driving Experience, Frank Isenberg, explains: "We have
learnt from lots of personal letters that participants in our training sessions
have been able to avoid accidents as a result of the skills they have learnt.
Assuming that each participant in a driver safety training session would be
involved in only one fewer accident during his or her driving career, this
would represent a very tangible gain."

Fit for the future
BMW Group Driving Experience will continue to be proactive in adopting
innovations and trends in vehicle development. The latest example in this
context is the BMW TrackTrainer which has been supporting participants in
finding the ideal line on racing tracks since 2007. The vehicles equipped with
this system first demonstrate the ideal line independently. In the next stage,
participants receive feedback on their own attempts.

Apart from safety and sovereignty at the wheel, the awareness of fuel-efficient
driving also plays an important role in the programme of the BMW Group Driving
Experience. The BMW Group has been offering a training course in fuel-efficient
driving since 1999. The basic elements of this BMW Economy Training will be
integrated in all other training over the medium term. This means that the
company is focusing even more intensively on the fact that up to 20 percent of
fuel consumption can be influenced by driving style.