- von Katie
In the city of Munich lays an interesting structure, a structure that has a lot of windows and represents elegance and dynamics. The building, the BMW Welt, is part of the headquarters for the car company. It is where they hand off recently bought cars, show off the newest car models, and host community events.
The main point that BMW Welt is trying to make is that BMW is not just a car company, but that it is an experience. It is where you can customize it any way you want and when they give you the car from BMW Welt they treat you like a royal. With the car rotating as you walk down the grand stairs it is almost like being knighted into owning the car.
When the group went to the Rolls Royce part, there was an emphasis on customization and showed us many different ways to customize it. It smelled like money. The famous statue is the Spirit of Ecstasy, which can be made out of gold, silver, and diamonds! It also can be stowed away for security reasons. The Rolls Royce convertible is worth around €280,000, and if that is not enough, for another €800 you can get a customizable umbrella. Again, this car is not a normal one, it is one to experience.
BMW has an interesting history. Originally BMW sold airplane engines but had to give it up when the Treaty of Versailles came out. In 1955, BMW released a small car that saved them from bankruptcy. This small car was called Isetta, known as “the small escape”. BMW was struggling so much that the company partnered up with an Italian appliance company. The doors resemble an old fridge due to the appliance company, and because it was so small, the roof was made out of a soft material so that in a crash the passengers can make a quick escape. This small car saved the famous company.
What about the future? BMW is planning to continue working on hybrid cars, hydrogen fuel, and pure electric cars. As they were presenting about the future they talked about the great work other companies were doing. It was humbling but odd since American society has an "attack" ideology where two companies will trash one another. This humbleness is also an issue because it sounds like BMW is far behind the other competitors when it comes to the future. No one ever knows what will happen and so everyone shall wait and see where BMW goes!
- von Anthony
Wir besuchen BMW Welt am Dienstag. BMW-Welt translates to BMW World. This was a building dedicated to showing off what BMW is and what they plan to be. Entering the door, I was astonished by the spacious and remarkable institution, equipped with a gift shop and cafe for your own leisure. We had a tour of the building which was comprised of different sections pertaining to the BMW, Mini Coopers, and the Rolls Royce. Along the way there were a few older vehicles, but it mostly focused on the newest to hit the market.
A very interesting portion of the tour was when we reached the second floor. An interesting twist to BMW Welt is that when you purchase a new BMW you can go to the location for the hand-off. From the second floor you could see another platform across the room. On that floor was a selection of cars on smaller rotating platforms. Above the cars platform was a loft villa for the customers to have dinner before the hand-off. Following dinner, they will walk down a staircase in the spotlight, faced by their new car.
This hand-off process was a huge cultural difference in my eyes. In America a company would never go through a process like this just to hand off a brand new car. It was evident that BMW cares about making a once in a lifetime experience for their customers. Another example of quality were the customizations available for the Rolls Royces. The way the workers carried themselves was very professional. You could see workers at all exhibits and they were not on their phones. Although I attempted to speak German the workers constantly told me they have no problem speaking English. They made their best attempt to make me feel accommodated and show me an interesting experience.
Kommentare