SMALL WONDERS IN COLORFUL PACKAGING

BMW Unveils Four New Miniature Art Cars Modeled From the Original Racing Art
Cars By Chia, Nelson, Penck and Stella

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey - October 22, 2004... The concept of BMW automobiles
as mobile canvases of symbolism and expression raced around the track beginning
in 1975, creating stunning visuals envisioned by many esteemed artists. Now,
auto artworks by Sandro Chia, Michael Jagamara Nelson, A.R. Penck and Frank
Stella are available as BMW Art Car Miniatures, part of a historical collection
that examines connections between auto technology and cultural trends during
the 70s, 80s and 90s.

The BMW Art Car collection features 15 miniatures, with timed releases through
2005. Chia, Penck, Nelson and Stella's Art Car Miniatures are now available at
BMW dealers worldwide, at the Website www.bmw-online.com, or by calling
888-269-6654.

The first BMW Art Car was created in 1975 by American artist Alexander Calder
for his friend Hervé Poulain, auctioneer and driver in the 24-hour race at Le
Mans. More than 25 years later, the Art Car phenomenon is still lending
creativity and culture to the auto - a symbol of freedom and functionality - as
detailed by the following artists:

Sandro Chia
An Italian artist and self-proclaimed "Neo-expressionist," Sandro Chia creates
figurative paintings that reflect tracings from Carra, de Chirico, Picasso and
even Mantegna and Giorgione. Chia?s pictorial language is in light-hearted
contrast of the tough milieu of the big city, to which he repeatedly feels
himself drawn: figures of mythical appearance parade themselves in a timeless,
bucolic Arcadian setting. He is regarded as one of the most significant artists
in the Italian Transavanguardia, a rediscovery of figural art, and traditional
tools, techniques, and colors in painting.

The BMW racing car, the M3 GTR, painted by Italian artist Sandro Chia in 1992,
is itself a work of art in miniature. The faces and graffiti elements that are
typical of Chia are portrayed brilliantly on the smaller model, and their power
of expression is brought to the fore.

Chia achieved prominence for his works during the 1970s with significant
one-man exhibitions in Rome, Turin and Cologne. A scholarship allowed him to
work for a year in Moenchengladbach, Germany. By 1982 Chia's works were being
shown by the Guggenheim Museum in New York, at the 'documenta 7' in Kassel and
at the 'Zeitgeist' exhibition in Berlin. A major exhibition held in the Berlin
National Gallery during 1992 enabled art lovers to see Chia's various new works
for the first time.

Michael Jagamara Nelson
In any form of creative expression, art can transcend all races and cultures
and this is evident in Australian artist Michael Jagamara Nelson's Art Car.
Nelson learned Aborigine painting techniques from his grandfather. A fast
learner, Nelson derived his own style from these techniques and went on to
receive numerous accolades for his captivating art work, including a large
mosaic on the forecourt of the Australian parliament building in Canberra.

In just seven days, Nelson transformed a BMW M3 racer into a canvas of
mythological artistry. His Art Car displays various forms, shapes and lines
painted in browns, yellows and other earth tones, and is a Papunya
masterpiece. Papunya art depicts aerial views of landscapes and feature
seemingly abstract shapes that symbolize bodies of water, caves, animals and
other natural forms. It also embodies Aboriginal religious myths and
'dreamings' that represent the cultural roots of this ancient Australian race.
Nelson is considered one of the leading artists in the 'Papunya-Tula' movement.

A.R. Penck
The creation of art can be fueled by any stimulant, including something as
uncreative as mathematics. German artist A.R. Penck uses a visual language
that can easily be misinterpreted by the untrained eye, and dismissed as simple
stick figures. However, he has received international praise for his artwork
and can be seen in more than 100 individual exhibitions in Western Europe,
Japan and North America. It is Penck's interest in mathematics, cybernetics
and theoretical physics along with his artistic influences that make his work
uniquely compelling.

Influenced by Rembrandt, Picasso and prehistoric cave paintings, Penck's art is
equally technical as it is creative. Focusing on how art relates to
technology, Penck used the engineering and design of the BMW Z1 as inspiration
to cite the freedom of artistic expression embodied by the auto as a
stimulating force for his final composition. Stick figures, animal shapes and
other markings adorn the BMW Z1 Art Car, telling a story that can be understood
by thoroughly examining the apparently unsophisticated symbols that are
developed through a long process of abstraction.

Frank Stella
Frank Stella not only converts his ideas into various media with dramatic
diversity, he is also a passionate motor racing fan. For this reason, he was
very determined to succeed in decorating a BMW 3.0 CSL coupe in 1976.

During his BMW Art Car conception, the American artist switched gears from his
usual random style of painting and sought inspiration for the vehicle?s
technical aura. The result: a black and white square quid with an evenness and
precision reminiscent of oversized graph paper. Within this grid, pattern-like,
dotted lines run across the bodywork, suggesting that Stella may have wished to
cut out the car and reassemble it in a new shape. The grid pattern - a feature
of both Stella?s earlier and later creative periods - is often used by him as a
kind of stage upon which a painted drama takes place. By way of contrast, the
paintwork he created specially for the Le Mans race is not a stage, but the
action itself.

Stella began studying art at the tender age of fourteen and went on to study
history at Princeton. His much-proclaimed works - 'Transitional Paintings' and
'Black Paintings,' were produced in Stella?s New York art studio. An exhibition
of Stella's work was held at the Museum of Modern Art, beginning in 1959.
During this creative period, the influence of the abstract Expressionists is
unmistakable. For the next two decades, Stella exhibited throughout the world,
while continuing to work as a teacher. Stella's 'post abstractionist,'
large-scale pop art paintings are now imbedded in art history.

BMW Art Car Miniatures are available in a scale of 1:18, boasting a wealth of
details and a level of manufacturing precision that matches the originals.
Every artistic aspect of the originals has been captured in order to create
perfect pieces of art in miniature.

Initially, only 3,000 copies of each will be made with a suggested retail price
of $127 each, although this number will not be limited. Each Art Car comes with
an acrylic display case. Other BMW Art Car artists include Andy Warhol and
Jenny Holzer. Eventually, miniature versions of all 15 original BMW Art Cars
will be available at selected museum shops worldwide.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.
ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW
Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial
service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the ROLLS-ROYCE
brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a
technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the
country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's
global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all
Z4 Roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization
is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW passenger car centers,
327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 76 MINI
passenger car dealers, and 25 ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding
Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America,
is

located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet
at:
www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorradusa.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available
to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address:
www.press.bmwgroup.com.

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