BMW and MINI Driving Experience relaunches in the USA.

Munich. BMW of North America is allowing customers to
experience the successful driver training courses of the BMW and MINI
Driving Experience in the USA too. The BMW Performance Center West in
southern California and the BMW Performance Center East in Spartanburg
now bear the seal of quality “BMW Driving Experience, Official Partner
of BMW M.” The basis for this is the successful certification by a
team of inspectors from the BMW and MINI Driving Experience in
Germany. The first international location to be awarded this status
was the BMW and MINI Driving Experience in the Netherlands in 2015.

“We are pleased to present the second partner in the
internationalisation of our successful driver safety programme at the
BMW and MINI Driving Experience,” said Frank van Meel, President of
BMW M GmbH. “As with the pilot project in the Netherlands, the BMW
Performance Centers in the USA fully comply with all the prerequisites
for the certification. Because of this, our customers in North America
can now look forward to training courses that meet the high standards
of the BMW and MINI Driving Experience in Germany.”

“The BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg has been helping drivers
improve their skills, become safer drivers and experience the Ultimate
Driving Machine in a very dynamic way since 1999. Now with the
completion of our new BMW Performance Center West, we are better able
to serve our many west coast customers.” stated Ludwig Willisch
President and CEO of BMW of North America, LLC. “With this
certification by BMW M, we can ensure consistency of our BMW and MINI
Driving Experiences at both US locations and worldwide.” continued Willisch.

The BMW Performance Center West is the latest location for the BMW
and MINI Driving Experience in North America. It is located a few
kilometres outside La Quinta, about two hours’ drive southeast of Los
Angeles and was the second of its type in the USA when it was opened
in 2014. It covers an area of about 130,000 m² and features a
2.25-kilometre circuit with a 25,000-m² paddock, a skid pad, and a
790-m² performance facility. The BMW Performance Center West is
located on the premises of partner and premium automobile club “The
Thermal Club”. 8.9 kilometres of racetrack and areas for maintenance
and repairs are available here. The main building has a 21-metre
control tower, while an outbuilding houses the fleet of track cars and
safety cars.

The range of courses on offer at the BMW Performance Center West is
extensive. Car Control Clinics and Teen Driving Schools are aimed at
young drivers and beginners. Offerings such as the M School and
Advanced M School cater for more advanced drivers and the field of
racing. Tailored programmes, such as those for business customers, are
also available.

In 1999, BMW opened the BMW Performance Center East not far from the
BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This was the company’s first
permanent performance driving centre in the USA. Since its opening,
more than 161,000 BMW customers have taken part in courses. More than
9,700 customers have attended courses at the BMW Performance Center
West in the first two years since it was opened.

The international certification concept developed by the BMW and MINI
Driving Experience in Germany is aimed at ensuring all locations meet
or exceed uniform, premium global standards regarding the customer
experience. Customers benefit from the specific know-how and
experience of the BMW instructors in regions all over the world. After
the Netherlands and the USA, further certifications are being prepared
in South Korea, South Africa and Scandinavia.

About the BMW and MINI Driving Experience The BMW and
MINI Driving Experience is part of BMW M GmbH. As one of the first
provides of driver training courses, it has been thrilling its
customers with driving experiences in BMW Group vehicles since 1977.
The BMW and MINI Driving Experience currently offers about 50
different training courses for BMW and MINI models, as well as BMW
motorcycles, in over 30 countries around the world – all under the
watchful eye of professional instructors. In Germany alone, over
25,000 people took part in training courses in 2016. The global figure
for the same year was over 100,000.

Under the slogan “Passion leaves traces”, the BMW and MINI Driving
Experience plays an important role in improving driving safety on
public roads, while at the same time conveying the joy of driving for
which BMW is renowned. The BMW and MINI Driving Experience fulfils its
social responsibility with its driver safety courses on asphalt and
snow, which give the customers all the basics they need to drive
safely and competently. The same can be said of the internal BMW
driver training for approximately 20 different internal driving
licences. On the other side of the coin are spectacular racetrack and
drifting courses, which allow customers to enjoy emotional and
action-packed experiences in powerful BMW M vehicles.

As well as the regular range of training courses, the BMW and MINI
Driving Experience also places great importance on meeting the
customer’s specific desires. A team specialising in corporate events
and incentives works closely with the customer to put together
packages tailored to the customer’s requirements.

Information on the BMW and MINI Driving Experience can be found
at: http://www.bmw-drivingexperience.com