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BMW Opens Active Safety Driving School

9 September 1999

BMW Opens Active Safety Driving School; Drivers Can Hone Their Driving Skills at New BMW Performance Center

    WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Sept. 9 -- Motoring enthusiasts can
hone their driving skills in one of several advanced driving programs at the
new BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, S.C., on a course designed
expressly for driving instruction.  The one- and two-day programs are open to
licensed drivers 18 years and older and conducted by BMW-trained professional
driving instructors in a fleet of BMW automobiles.
    The new BMW driving school is just one part of a landmark experience
offered in upstate South Carolina, where BMW already has a strong presence
with its manufacturing plant, factory tour program and automotive museum
showcasing more than 75 years of BMW automotive and motorcycle history.
Designed specifically for active safety instruction, the state-of-the-art
driving course features a unique water wall area available in only a few road
courses in the world.  Considered one of the most effective ways to simulate
unforeseen obstacles, the water wall corridor is an important tool in the
accident avoidance programs.   Other features of the driving course include a
wet-surface skid area to simulate icing and slippery surface conditions and
sections for autocross and slalom programs.
    There are 35 different course variations available on a circuit that's
.9 of a mile long and expands to 1.7 miles using connecting roads designed to
provide actual driving conditions.  Instruction begins with an orientation, or
"chalk talk," in a classroom at the 60,000-square-foot facility overlooking
the driving course.
    The BMW Performance Center is adjacent to BMW's manufacturing plant and,
in addition to the active driving safety school, it's the home of BMW's
"American" delivery center, where owners can take delivery of their new BMW.
The delivery center includes two glass-enclosed delivery atriums and
hospitality services.  There is a boutique where customers can purchase
accessories, too.  Buyers are encouraged to use the BMW Performance Center as
the starting point for a Carolina driving vacation.
    "The BMW Performance Center is the only facility of its type and an ideal
place to learn about BMW's rich heritage and experience what BMW ownership is
all about," explained Tom Purves, chairman and CEO of BMW US Holding Corp.
"The driving programs highlight the performance, responsiveness and safety
features that come with BMW products in an environment rich in BMW culture."
    At the school, drivers will receive one-on-one instruction from
professional driving instructors to develop, train and test their reflexes in
everyday and emergency situations.

    The driving programs available include:
    -- New Drivers School -- Newly licensed drivers will learn the basics
       about driving in this one-day program. Participants will practice car
       control techniques, accident avoidance and understanding stopping
       distances.
    -- Car Control Skills Clinic -- Participants in this one-day program will
       practice accident avoidance on several areas of the Performance
       Center's driving course, including the water wall corridor, skid pad,
       slalom course, autocross circuit and lifestyle course.  Participants
       are taught vehicle dynamics and the significance of weight distribution
       and seating positions and how they effect cornering under controlled
       and panic breaking situations.
    -- Advanced Car Control Skills Clinic -- This two-day session picks up
       where the Car Control Skills Clinic ends.  Participants will spend more
       time on the skid pad and learn and gain an in-depth exposure to active
       safety technology to become safer, more responsible drivers.
    -- M School -- A one-day class utilizing the high-performance M3 and M
       roadsters.  Participants will experience the dynamics of these
       high-performance vehicles and understand active safety features while
       maneuvering through the autocross circuit.  Emphasis is placed on car
       control techniques.
    -- M5 School -- Beginning in November, this one-day class is included in
       the purchase price of the 2000 M5.  Participants will maximize their
       driving skills on the autocross circuit, water wall corridor and skid
       pad to experience the performance and handling of their new cars.
    -- X5 School -- Drivers can hone their skills with BMW's new sports
       activity vehicle, the X5, on an elaborate 1.4-mile "Other Roads"
       course utilizing a variety of paved, gravel and rough road surfaces,
       narrow bridges, inclines and obstacles. The X5 school will begin in
       2000.

    The programs range in price from $495 to $895.  Unless noted, all class
participants will be driving the 3 Series.  Enrollment is open to licensed
drivers who are at least 18 years old.  Participants do not use their own
vehicles.
    More information on the BMW Performance Center driving programs is
available through the Performance Center's toll free number, 888-345-4BMW
(4269).  BMW entered the North American market in 1975.  Since then, the
company has grown to include marketing, sales and financial service
organizations in the United States and Canada; a South Carolina manufacturing
operation; a design firm in California; a technology office in Palo Alto; and
various other operations throughout the U.S. and Canada.  BMW is represented
in North America through a network of more than 375 automobile and 190
motorcycle retailers in the United States and Canada.  BMW (US) Holding Corp.,
the company's North American headquarters, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New
Jersey.
    Information about BMW products and programs is available via the World
Wide Web. The address is: http://www.bmwusa.com.