BMW News and Events

A few weeks ago, I was approached by a TV network to give an interview on the BMW European Delivery. So, last week, I was interviewed along with one of my customers that had an amazing story to share about his trip in Europe and how BMW solved his problem. You can read the story here in case you missed it.The TV spot will be a few minutes long, and it's going out to 50 stations around the country ( not cable )and should start airing by next week.

In case you will miss the interview, visit my blog and I will post a video copy of it.

Thank you once again

Irv

July 15, 2007

Mr. Irv Robinson has been promoted to a new position: European Delivery Director

I am proud to announce to all of you that I have been promoted to be Director of European Sales for Motor Werks, the largest multi-line dealer in the state, located in Barrington Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

There are currently six brands of vehicles that European Delivery is available for, and at Motor Werks, we already sell four of the six brands, BMW, Mercedes, Saab and Porsche. My goal is to do for the three other brands what I have been able to do with BMW , and now with the full support of Motor Werks. Please visit back my website to track my progress in the new adventure, exciting things will come and you should be part of it. I can't reveal all the surprises now but I promise, I won't let you down.

Thank you

Irv

The latest Wall Street Journal edition has an article on the European Delivery programs offered by the European car makers. Wall Street Journal-European Delivery Program My website has been mentioned in the article along with a little interview that I had with Mr. Matt Vella, and with this occasion I would like to thank him for giving me this opportunity to share my knowledge and all the things that I have learned for the past years about the BMW European Delivery. Thanks again Matt, it was a pleasure talking to you and I hope my information have been valuable to you.

Yahoo Finance has also featured the story on June 15, and that was some amazing news for everyone here at edBMW.com. This is a great achievement for me and for my website, for the past year, I have been dedicated to the BMW ED program and I have put a lot of time and effort trying to promote it. I could have not done this without my dealership’s help, Motor Werks in Barrington, IL, which has supported me all the way.

I’m sure the popularity of the European Delivery Programs will increase and more and more people will be attracted of this idea: saving money on their new luxury car while enjoying a beautiful vacation in the Old Europe.

In the end, I hope that more people will register on the blog and forum as well, this will allow me to send you any new articles and interesting news that I might have by sending out monthly newsletters.

Thanks again to all my customers and readers and I hope you will support me in the future as well.

This was released earlier in the week. Starting with September Production, all of the 3,5,6 Series cars with Navigation will recieve Real Time Traffic Information. There will be an increase in the price of navigation of $100. 3 Series will go to $2,100 from $2,000 and 5 Series from $1,800 to $1,900. However there is no increase on the 6 Series, M5 or M6 cars. RTTI will not be offered on the 7, X3, or Z4. Here is the ONLY catch. IF you order HD Radio in conjunction with Navigation you WILL NOT RECIEVE RTTI. If you order your 3/5/6/M5/M6 with HD Radio you will not get RTTI. Since the Navigation is Standard on the 6/M5/M6, if you order HD Radio, no RTTI. RTTI works through the regular radio and HD will limit RTTI. The service is good for 4 years and there are NO monthly fees. It will work when your navigation is active and will plan the route around the traffic, should be interesting! Thought I would just pass this along to calm some of the hype down for the 07 model year. Heres the real choice: HD Radio or RTTI?? Personally, HD Radio

A company committed to ideas would not create an SUV. Many SUVs are boxy, hard to handle, and don't give driving enthusiasts much to look forward to. The BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV), on the other hand, is designed from the ground up by creative and performance-obsessed BMW engineers to bring out the best in every road - and every driver. With a new 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, the X3's performance is stronger than ever. Enjoy more power, more torque and faster 0-60 time, not to mention better fuel efficiency. A manual 6-speed gearbox comes standard, or you can select BMW's 6-speed STEPTRONIC automatic transmission at no extra charge. And with our xDrive, all-wheel drive system, you'll stay in control mile after mile, road after road, adventure after adventure. The new X3 comes with BMW Ultimate Service,™ a suite of premium benefits that includes our no-cost BMW Maintenance Program, Roadside Assistance, and New Vehicle Limited Warranty as standard in every 2007 model. Additionally, when the X3 is equipped with the optional BMW Assist™ and Bluetooth® system, it receives BMW Assist Safety Plan services for four years/unlimited mileage, for total road-going peace of mind.

¹ ¹ All BMWs come with the BMW Maintenance Program and Warranty standard for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Roadside Assistance comes standard for 4 years. BMW Assist Safety Plan is available as an option or as part of the Premium Package on every model year 2007 X3; TeleService and Remote Door Unlock features are not available on X3.

Until December 31, 2006, when you fly Lufthansa round-trip in Economy Class from the U.S. to Europe the companion of your choice flies free!

Click here for complete Terms & Conditions on our Economy Class offer, or to book this offer call Lufthansa at 888-552-4508 (Monday through Friday, 09:00 - 17:30 EST ).

Looking to treat yourself and a friend to some added luxury?
Lufthansa is offering round-trip in Business Class with 75% off your companion ticket. Enjoy ergonomically optimal Business Class seats on our long-haul aircraft that ensure your comfort during your flight and don't miss out on our great European cuisine with delicious regional specialties. Lufthansa serves more than 100 destinations in 35 European countries, departing from 16 U.S. gateways. Great service, great connections - with Lufthansa, there's no better way to fly.

Click here for complete Terms & Conditions on our Business Class offer, or to book this offer call Lufthansa at 888-552-4508 (Monday through Friday, 09:00 - 17:30 EST).

5 Series Prices for ED and Diplomatic Vehicles is set to increase on September 1, 2006. All orders received for 5 Series European Delivery customers prior to September 1,2006 with a delivery date no later than November 30, 2006 will be price protected.

It started as an idea, about 4 months before I actually picked up the car. I thought it would really help me to understand the entire process of the Euro delivery if I could somehow go to Munich. experience the delivery and drop the car in a different country.

The dream became a reality when I was told to spec out a 750LI, because I was being sent as a representative of Motor Werks . I chose

to pick up the car near the end of May, since World Cup Soccer was going on the whole month of June, and everything would have been too crowded for me. This extra time also allowed me to plan what I thought would be a well rounded trip including a factory tour at Dingolfing, one of BMW’s most advanced plants in the world, which is only available on Tuesdays and Fridays. I also made a reservation for the Munich plant as a backup, so once I was confirmed for Dingolfing, I cancelled the Munich plant tour.

I left on a Tuesday , about 4:30 pm and arrived Wednesday around 8:30 am….just in time for breakfast at the airport and to take a picture

standing in the giant BMW grill in the hallway in the airport. Then instead of the usual cab to the Hotel, I thought I would be a bit more adventurous and ride the train and find the Hotel on my own. I wasn’t picking up the car till the following day. I really didn’t need it in Munich , only when I was leaving town. After finding my Hotel, dropped my suitcase, and ventured out to explore Munich, by foot, by train and by bus. Ate in some really great restaurants, drank some fine beer and hung out at the open air market and people watch.

Today, Thursday, was my pickup day and after a big breakfast and great directions, took the train to the delivery center. I was surprised

to find the location in a residential neighborhood. It was pretty low key from the outside, nicer on the inside. I was greeted promptly, told it would be a few minutes while forms were printed, the car detailed and brought up into the garage for delivery. They don’t want to get them completely ready until the customer shows up. I went upstairs to the café, signed in the book, and had a sandwich while I waited. A short time later, they called my name and I went downstairs and signed the paperwork. I didn’t need anyone to go over the car, so I plugged the Hotel into the Navigation, and in a short time, I was back at the Hotel and was able to arrange for underground parking nearby so the car would be safe.

I left Friday morning about 8:30 for Dachau and from there, headed to Dingolfing. I knew the plant tour was at 2pm and couldn’t be late, but I had plenty of time in between and actually arrived at Dingolfing early so I hung out at their gift store and took pictures of all the workers leaving and all the workers on the second shift starting. One of the most amazing things I noticed was that was once we were inside, I really didn’t see that many workers. Most of the work stations would have about 10 robots to one worker, so I still wasn’t sure where everyone disappeared to, but it is a five story building that resembles a giant movie sound stage and the production line was humming. I believe that Dingolfing should be a mandatory stop on your journey if you are in the area when the tours are offered. If you love the cars, you’ll be amazed at the process. The tour ends at 4:30 , so it was time to head to Salzburg ,Austria…………. Amsterdam

After stopping at the gas station on the Autobahn to get my Austria road sticker and vest, I cruised into Salzberg about 7:30pm , found the Hotel and a great garage inside of a mountain which was around the corner from my hotel. Took a walk and a block party wine tasting going on, so I mingled with the crowd and had some of the wines they were offering. Saturday morning took a narrated bus tour and a short walking tour and then left about 11:30 am headed for Prague in the Czech Republic.

Crossing the border into Czech Republic, there was a currency Exchange store, so I pulled in and gave up some of those Euros for the Czech currency. The Navigation was flawless, not only did it take me right to the Hotel every time , this time I wound up with a parking spot directly in front of the Hotel which was on a main downtown street. The name of this hotel is The Adria , on Vaclavske Namesti 26 phone 420 233 920 118, 119, 139 or 141 . The reason I’m mentioning this Hotel is because the location was awesome and the room better than most, but I walked all over Prague and took many pictures of the amazing architecture that was all around me. Signed up for a two hour walking tour the following day.

Decided to stop in Cologne over night, on the way to Amsterdam. I arrived in Cologne about 8pm Sunday, found a nice place for dinner, just by wandering aimlessly and went back to the hotel so I could get on the internet and check in with my family. Monday morning a took a walk to find the Chocolate Museum and after a very long walk, I did find it sitting in the river, but the closer I got, I wasn’t seeing any activity there. I read the sign and it said closed Mondays, so I guess I wasn’t going to see their Chocolate fountain or taste any of the goodies. I did manage to go around to a side door and went in to just peek. I introduced myself to someone and they explained that it is always closed on Mondays, but they did give me a brochure and I took a few pictures inside and when I was leaving, saw a group of school kids coming to see things, but they didn’t know it was closed either.

Monday afternoon, left for Amsterdam . On the autobahn there must have been a major accident somewhere up ahead and the Police were directing cars off the highway. Once I had a chance to pull over, I reprogrammed the Navigation to avoid highways and it immediately started me on some beautiful back roads. After about twenty minutes, I switched it back to find the highway and was able to get right back on, avoid all the traffic and crank the speed back up.

Got to Amsterdam about 1:30pm and after dropping the suitcase at the hotel, reset the Nav for the drop off location which turned out to be another 30 minutes. I was nervous because I knew they closed by 3:30 and I didn’t want to have to come back. Once I found it, the paperwork took about 30 minutes, they called me a cab and I took a few more pictures of the drop off process.

Amsterdam was my final city since it has so much diversity and beauty. I first took a canal boat tour , but later bought a 24hour pass for about 17 euros and was able to get my bearings pretty well and not be nervous walking around absorbing the sights and smells of the city. I went to the Riks museum to see the Rembrandts , and the Van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank House. I took the most pictures in Amsterdam , perhaps because I was there the longest.

Had a 7am flight out of Amsterdam to Frankfort and a 8:30 am flight from there back to Chicago, I arrived around 1:30 pm, tired, but anxious to be home to see my family.

All of these places were not only chosen for their beauty, but their history and their proximity to each other. It seemed like the average distance time wise between all the cities was three hours, maybe it helped that I was cruising a high speeds, but the cities really aren’t too far apart and the highways and autobahn are much smoother than ours are. All I can really say after this is “European delivery, what a trip“

If you’re looking for the excitement of a European Delivery (ed), but can’t take that much time off from work, the next best thing to do is to arrange to pick up your vehicle at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, SC. Even if the car was manufactured in Europe, unlike the X5’s and the Z4, you can still arrange to pick up your car at the factory.

The first customer I had set up for a Performance Center delivery, was picking up his 5 series car that was built in Germany. He gave me all the details of how it went, and when it was finished, he and his wife headed into the Blue Ridge Mountains for a two day drive, staying at a few B & B’s, while driving on some of the most spectacular roadways in America. It wasn’t about speed, since the posted speed limit was fairly low, it was about the experience, the culture and “ The Ultimate Driving Machine “

I knew then, that this was something I needed to experience first hand, in order to fully understand the message and the experience! It just took a while longer than expected but I was able to go during the week of May 12th, 2006.

I arrived in the early evening, was picked up by someone from the hotel, checked into my beautiful room, took a fast shower and then came back down for a delicious dinner. I knew I needed to be up early the next day, so after a short after dinner walk, I went to sleep.

I asked for a 6 am wake up call and after another complimentary meal, I hopped on the 7:30 am shuttle to the Performance Center to take delivery of my wife’s new X3 SAV. Upon our arrival, my small group of 4 other owners, bmw european delivery

were greeted by the staff that we would be spending part of our time with, who then went on to inform us of how the day would progress. I was introduced to Fredrick Valdez, Delivery Specialist. He walked me into a small room that our new X3 was sitting in and proceeded to go over everything about the Performance Center and the Manufacturing facility. We then talked about the X3, but since I sell them, I didn’t want to take any more of his time going over the SAV. We then drove it right out of that room, onto a driveway outside, in order for me to take a few pictures.

When half of my group was done with their deliveries, we were each put into the same type of vehicle we were picking up, along with two way radios, so we all knew where we were going and what we would be doing when we got there.

We basically drove on an obstacle course, subjecting the vehicles to extreme conditions which you might see once in a while. We then drove a slalom course to experience different maneuvers in order to push these vehicles to their limits.

After a delicious lunch, we caravanned to the Zentrum Museum and told to stay as long as we like , since the manufacturing plant was closed to visitors for retooling of the new X5. This ended the delivery process, so after that, it was time for me to begin my long journey home and really get a great feel for the X3. I wound up putting on one thousand miles in my two day ride home.

The Performance center really works for those that don’t have the time or patience to do an ED, but do have the time to go to Spartanburg, SC . Be sure and ask if you can take a hot lap with your driving instructor, they are all professional drivers and this is where you get to see how good they really are!

The new 2007 X3. Agility, grace, and 260 horses - three of our favorite safety features.

The new 2007 X3.
Agility, grace, and 260 horses - three of our favorite safety features.