During the certification process, BMW M GmbH provides training guidelines, as well as buildings and premises, in order to achieve homogeneous safety and quality standards for the BMW and MINI Driving Experience. Since 1997, the BMW and MINI Driving Experience has been training its instructors according to uniform global standards and testing them in an intensive process at the international BMW Instructor Academy. Only when all the aspects of the certification have been fulfilled is the official seal of quality – “Official Partner of M” – awarded.
“The BMW and MINI Driving Experience has a greater presence than ever outside Germany,” says Robert Eichlinger, Head of the BMW and MINI Driving Experience. “I am pleased that we are now able to offer customers on all five continents the highest possible quality of driver training courses. This means that our customers benefit from an unforgettable driving and brand experience, while also allowing us to convey valuable tips for driving in road traffic. That is precisely the goal of the BMW and MINI Driving Experience.”
The first international location to receive the “Official Partner of BMW M” status was the BMW and MINI Driving Experience in the Netherlands in 2015. The USA followed in 2017, with the locations BMW Performance Center East in Spartanburg (South Carolina) and West in Thermal (California). In the same year, the markets in South Korea, Australia and the Nordics were also added to the offering. The Nordics market consists of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The launch in South Africa means that the highest seal of approval for the BMW and MINI Driving Experiences is now represented on all five continents around the world, making it a model of success for more than 40 years.
In South Africa, a diverse course offering awaits participants. Even before the “Official Partner of BMW M” certification, around 3,800 drivers took part in training courses here each year. 4 instructors and 27 cars are on hand at present. The focus here is on BMW M track training courses, for which no fewer than 15 BMW M automobiles are available. The course portfolio is similarly extensive in Australia (3 instructors, 24 cars) and in the Nordics (3 instructors, 40 cars). In South Korea (15 instructors), which welcomed 24,000 participants last year, there is a choice of 89 BMW and MINI cars available 300 days per year, including 10 BMW i cars.
This shows how the BMW and MINI Driving Experience acts as a centre of excellence and the BMW Group’s link between the product and the customer, as its driving-based training courses make it possible to experience the mobility of the future. In addition, more than 40 training courses are offered around the world, including driver safety training courses in the latest BMW, BMW i and MINI models, drift and racetrack training courses in BMW M cars, winter training courses on snow and ice, special courses for professional drivers, off-road tours in Africa, and motorcycle training courses.
