$99 Ultimate BMW Experience reinvents the factory tour

Most factory tours cost a lot less than $99, but BMW has more up its sleeve than a short walk down the production line. BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina facility is home to a new enthusiast attraction called "The Ultimate BMW Experience." The tour starts out with a trip to the Zentrum museum followed by a tour of the assembly line, where you're likely to see products like the new X5 M get pieced together. That's not exactly worth parting ways with 99 bucks, but there's more to the deal. After the factory stroll, tour-goers hook up with a certified BMW performance driving instructor and spend two hours piloting a Bimmer on the track . Now there's a horse we can ride. Where do we sign up?

BMW plans to further upgrade the tour soon with "custom driving excursions, rare vehicle demonstrations and unique culinary events as well as many other spectacular opportunities." The Ultimate BMW Experience runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If you're interested in the tour you can set up a date by calling 1-877-9BMW-EXP. Hit the jump to read over the BMW press release.

[Source: BMW]
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BMW Premieres The Ultimate BMW Experience

Spartanburg, S.C. - 05/07/2010

BMW, a longtime fixture in the Upstate of South Carolina, recently launched "The BMW Experience". In leveraging BMW's multiple assets in Spartanburg County, BMW hopes to create a fresh appreciation for the brand by giving individuals and groups more options to come experience The Ultimate Driving Machine firsthand.

Combining BMW's resources along Highway 101 in Spartanburg, SC: The BMW Performance Center, The BMW Zentrum, as well as, BMW's Manufacturing Plant, "The Ultimate BMW Experience" extends the ability to offer a more customizable, personal approach to all visitors and will become a destination for many enthusiasts and will give BMW a forum to tell BMW's story in the US.

Outside of Germany, The Ultimate BMW Experience is a unique opportunity that does not exist anywhere else. In this one location, a visitor can experience the heritage, the performance, and the awe-inspiring engineering that BMW is known for worldwide.

"From extraordinary driving programs to guided tours into previously restricted areas of the plant all planned by a personal concierge, The Ultimate BMW Experience transcends a traditional interaction by engaging visitors and revealing the sheer driving pleasure of a BMW," said Bobby Hitt, Department Manager, Corporate Affairs at BMW Manufacturing.

Initially, the program will be offered for $99 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with limited spaces for a visit to the Zentrum museum, an exclusive guided plant tour followed by a 2-hour driving program. In fairly short order, BMW plans to expand the experience to offer custom driving excursions, rare vehicle demonstrations and unique culinary events as well as many other spectacular opportunities. For more information on The BMW Experience or to schedule your own experience, call 1-877-9BMW-EXP (1-877-926-9397) or visit www.bmwusfactory.com.

BMW Manufacturing Co.
BMW Manufacturing Co. is a subsidiary of BMW AG in Munich, Germany and is the global producer of the BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle and X6 Sports Activity Coupe. In addition to the South Carolina manufacturing facility, BMW North American subsidiaries include sales, marketing and financial services operations in the United States, Canada and throughout Latin America; and a design firm and technology office in California. For more information on BMW Manufacturing, visit www.bmwusfactory.com.

The BMW Group
With its three brands – BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce – the BMW Group is one of the world's most successful premium manufacturers of cars and motorcycles. It operates internationally with 24 production sites in 13 countries and a global sales network with representation in more than 140 countries. During the financial year 2009, the BMW Group sold approximately 1.29 million cars and more than 87,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for 2009 was euro 413 million, revenues totalled euro 50.68 billion. At 31.December 2009, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 96,000 employees.

Long-term thinking and responsible action have long been the foundation of the BMW Group's success. Striving for ecological and social sustainability along the entire value-added chain, taking full responsibility for our products and giving an unequivocal commitment to preserving resources are prime objectives firmly embedded in our corporate strategies. For these reasons, the BMW Group has been sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the last five years.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com

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