With just over 100 days since the opening of BMW Welt, or to us English speakers: BMW “World “, I thought it would be a good time to begin an on going series dedicated to the BMW European Delivery program.

Since opening on October 17th of 2007, BMW Welt has welcomed more than a half of a million visitors and 3500 cars have been delivered.Just over 700 hundred of these deliveries were customers from the US.

The origin of the BMW program is attributed to the original US importer, Max Hoffman. In the 1960 ‘s Hoffman offered that his customers travel to Europe and pick up their vehicle while enjoying a vacation. Jonathan Spira wrote a very informative article in the March 2006 issue of Roundel on the history of the program and his experiences. Today the reasons for the program are more for brand image and marketing to promote customer loyalty than anything else. About one-third of all US deliveries in Munich are repeat customers, showing that the program is successful at keeping people in brand and coming back for more!

Having been to Munich several times to take delivery myself, I believe that there is no other way to take delivery of your newest addition than in the land is was designed to be driven in. You can experience driving on the Autobahn, on the twisty alpine roads and drive for miles under some of the world ‘s tallest mountains in brilliantly engineered tunnels.

The European Delivery program is open to US residents 18 years and older on models that are produced outside the US (current models excluded: X5, Z4). The model you pick up will be built to US specifications, there is no difference in your car than one at a local dealer. Your knowledge of speaking German is not a prerequisite and you will be amazed at the number of people that speak English. For further information on where models are produced see our previous post entitled: Made in Germany?

Over time I will be explaining the ins and outs of the program, the financial benefits, and other tips that I have learned over the years. If you are planning a vacation and are contemplating a new set of wheels there is no better option than killing two birds with one stone!
(Parts updated 5/2009 to make more current)
Part 2