Experience is an understatement – the World of BMW

By David Chao

There are two ways to pick up your brand-new BMW. The first option is to show up at the dealership from
which you bought it, where they’ll have it washed, waxed, and waiting for you. This is the quickest approach
and, unsurprisingly, the most common.
Alternatively, you can go directly to BMW’s worldwide headquarters to get it…after flying to Munich, Germany.
Obviously this isn’t quite as convenient as the first option, but it’s something that every BMW aficionado may
want to consider at some point in his or her lifetime.
Located a little over half an hour from Franz Josef Strauss Airport by car or train, BMW’s Munich
headquarters combines four operations: the automaker’s head office, a multifunctional customer-experience
centre known as BMW Welt (or “World” in English), BMW Museum, and the Munich assembly plant. Owners
who select European Delivery service (available with all models except the US-manufactured X5 and X6) will
be immersed in the complete BMW Experience before picking up their cars, after which they can tour Europe
at their leisure. When it’s time to return home simply drop the car at one of eleven locations in five countries,
and BMW will ship it to Canada, where it will be inspected, cleaned, and delivered to your door.
Of course, you don’t have to buy a BMW to gain admission to Welt—while BMW’s head office is off limits to
the public, anyone can visit BMW Welt, the museum and the factory. I recently had the opportunity to do just
that, and came away extremely impressed by what I saw.

BMW Tower
Upon arriving, the first thing that catches your eye is the landmark BMW Tower, designed by architect Karl
Schwanzer. Located next to Olympic Park and completed just ahead of the 1972 Summer Olympics, the
tower is inspired by the four-cylinder engine, with four round towers suspended from a central tower. Each
floor was constructed on the ground before being elevated and attached to the structure—an impressive
achievement.

BMW Museum

The adjacent BMW Museum—also designed by Schwanzer and built in 1972—accepts visitors on a daily
basis. Bringing together decades of BMW memorabilia, the Museum provides a retrospective on BMW’s past
and a look into the future, contemplating topics that go beyond the automotive world, into the realms of
communication and society at large.
Chief amongst the exhibits is the award-wining Kinetic Sculpture: 714 steel balls suspended from the
entrance ceiling by near-invisible wires. Representative of the form-finding process, the balls move in time to
background music before settling into the shape of a BMW car. It’s a spectacular display, both soothing and
surreal, and worth the small price of admission.
From there, a spiral ramp leads visitors upward through the bowl-shaped building, past significant cars,
BMWs seen in James Bond movies, and displays describing new and retired technologies, among other
things. One room offers a history of BMW, beamed onto a table from a ceiling-mounted projector. But unlike
most projected displays, this one responds to touch, enabling users to select topics for further information.
However, the most mind-boggling of these exhibits is the room dedicated to BMW design, which features a
wall showing hundreds of design features set against thoughtful and inspirational words such as “believing”,
“sense”, and “effect”. It is an impressive visual spectacle, simultaneously capturing the art and practicality of
automotive design.
Casual visitors will find much to entertain themselves in the Museum, while auto enthusiasts will be sad to
leave. Luckily for them, there’s lot more to do.
BMW Munich plant 1

BMW Munich is one of many assembly plants around the world producing the ultra-popular 3-Series,
specifically tasked with manufacturing 3-Series sedans, Touring wagons, and engines. In 2008, Munich
assembled over 200,000 cars and 131,000 engines, while providing visitors with a free glimpse of the
production process.
Like most plants, Munich is divided into four main areas: the stamping shop (where steel panels are formed),
welding shop, paint shop, and final assembly. A two-hour tour covers all of these areas, with guides
describing the techniques and technologies in use.
The paint-shop portion of the tour is particularly notable, because virtually no one in the world offers a tour of
automotive paint shops, due to possible contamination from dust, dirt, etc. To avoid this issue, BMW
constructed a glass corridor adjacent to the paint room, enabling visitors to see vehicles as they move
through the painting process. Amazing!
It’s hard not to appreciate the painstaking detail that goes into this wonderfully synchronized process—both at
BMW and other automakers around the world. However, some factories seem to achieve a level of precision
and effort that goes beyond the norm, and Munich plant 1 is definitely in this category.

BMW Welt
Last but not least is the newest addition to the complex, BMW Welt. Essentially an exhibition facility and
distribution centre, Welt shows off current products and serves as an event forum. It’s also the place that you
go to get your European Delivery BMW vehicle.
Constructed over four years and opened in October 2007, Welt’s architectural design melds sharp angles and
cutouts with smooth curves, glass walls, and a giant vortex that draws in the roof like a whirlpool. The
expansive, stunning interior is capped by an undulating roof covered in solar panels. Every current BMW
vehicle can be found inside, along with conference rooms, a restaurant, and—of course, a gift shop. It’s a
perfect complement to the Museum, reinforcing BMW’s automotive design through its amazing architecture
and enabling the company to establish strong connections with customers picking up their cars.
Against the backdrop of Munich plant 1, Welt brings a modern, contemporary feel to BMW’s headquarters
without minimizing the presence of the BMW Tower and Museum.

At the end of the day

Eventually you’ll run out of things to see at BMW Welt, and will find yourself wondering where to go next.
Seeing as you came this far, it’s worth remembering that there are three other automakers not too far away.
The Audi museum and factory are 45 minutes away, while Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are in nearby
Stuttgart, roughly two hour’s drive.
If you love cars – especially BMWs – this is a trip of a lifetime.