Photo: JasonRyu.net
South Korea is the lucky country that starting this year will be having a BMW Driving Center of its own that will be aiming to cater to the needs of the entire South-Eastern part of Asia. Located in Incheon, the new center cover 240,000 square meters, the equivalent of 33 football fields.
The BMW Group invested $75.5 million in the new Driving Center, an investment that extends into 2020, creating in excess of 100 new jobs. However, unlike the other centers in Germany and the US, this is the first one that combines both a driving track and a dedicated brand experience.
With a 2.6 kilometer closed circuit track where drivers can experience a variety of situations (such as high speed driving, emergency and off-road techniques) using BMW and MINI vehicles, this is one of the best such centers in the world.
The campus also offers dedicated exhibits of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad vehicles as well as a 12,000 square meters eco-friendly sports park.
“The Driving Center is the next step in our commitment to Korea and to Asia. Korea is one of our fastest growing markets and now our ninth largest single market worldwide. We see more potential here and wish to grow even further. I am very happy that customers here now have more opportunity to fully experience our BMW and MINI brands,” said Dr. Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing, at the ceremony.
Concepts such as the Driving Center are part of the BMW Group’s comprehensive “Future Retail” strategy, an approach that marks a significant shift in the way that the company interacts with its customers. This program includes new, innovative and inspiring ways for customers to experience products and brands, such as city center Brand Stores and City Sales Outlets. The driving center will open its doors to the public in early August 2014.
At the same time, with this occasion, Dr. Robertson also announced that BMW opened a satellite research and development centre in South Korea that began its operations at the beginning of July and is expected to have around 20 employees by the end of 2015.
“Being one of the most highly-advanced technological nations in the world, customers in South Korea have very specific needs and expectations. Both the BMW Group and South Korea share a passion for high quality products and to be at the forefront of innovation. Therefore we have established this new R&D Center in Korea to better serve the demands of our customers here,” said Mr. Robertson.
This would be the fifth such R&D satellite for the company worldwide, with similar centers already operational in Japan, China, the US and Brazil.
With a 2.6 kilometer closed circuit track where drivers can experience a variety of situations (such as high speed driving, emergency and off-road techniques) using BMW and MINI vehicles, this is one of the best such centers in the world.
The campus also offers dedicated exhibits of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad vehicles as well as a 12,000 square meters eco-friendly sports park.
“The Driving Center is the next step in our commitment to Korea and to Asia. Korea is one of our fastest growing markets and now our ninth largest single market worldwide. We see more potential here and wish to grow even further. I am very happy that customers here now have more opportunity to fully experience our BMW and MINI brands,” said Dr. Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing, at the ceremony.
Concepts such as the Driving Center are part of the BMW Group’s comprehensive “Future Retail” strategy, an approach that marks a significant shift in the way that the company interacts with its customers. This program includes new, innovative and inspiring ways for customers to experience products and brands, such as city center Brand Stores and City Sales Outlets. The driving center will open its doors to the public in early August 2014.
At the same time, with this occasion, Dr. Robertson also announced that BMW opened a satellite research and development centre in South Korea that began its operations at the beginning of July and is expected to have around 20 employees by the end of 2015.
“Being one of the most highly-advanced technological nations in the world, customers in South Korea have very specific needs and expectations. Both the BMW Group and South Korea share a passion for high quality products and to be at the forefront of innovation. Therefore we have established this new R&D Center in Korea to better serve the demands of our customers here,” said Mr. Robertson.
This would be the fifth such R&D satellite for the company worldwide, with similar centers already operational in Japan, China, the US and Brazil.
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