18 Dec BMW 50th Anniversary Display
On December 5, BMW SA hosted a small gathering at FMM to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary and to present 10 historic vehicles to the museum to put on special display for the next four months.
Stefan Schuett, CEO at BMW Financial Services (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, addressed the group of BMW and FMM staff along with some classic car media journalists. “As we’re celebrating BMW South Africa being 50 years as an icon, we’re looking forward to the next 50 years. And there’s much that makes us confident.
“BMW just announced a R4,2 billion investment into Plant Rosslyn, upgrading it not only for the next generation of the BMW X3 SAV, but also for the age of electrified vehicles. The X3 will be produced for South Africa but also exported to all over the world. Most notably, only BMW Group Plant Rosslyn will produce the Plug-in Hybrid Electric version of the X3.
“Let’s talk results. BMW is the unquestioned leader in the premium segment of South Africa’s passenger car market. We are an aspirational brand, and a household name, and while we work hard every day to deliver on our brand promise, we’re humbled and grateful to our clients for their loyalty. And almost one out of two BMW Group cars or motorcycles entering SA’s streets for the first time are financed by us.
“Unbeknown to many is our IT hub in Menlyn. More than 2 000 men and women serve from South Africa the entire BMW Group with IT solutions, from programming and maintaining software solutions all the way to running the control room for BMW’s global production network. Imagine this: if in our largest plant in Spartanburg, SC, a conveyer stops, the red light on the screen flashes in Menlyn, Gauteng Province, and they initiate all the measures, from deploying a plant maintenance team to considering impacts on the rest of the production network. If our IT hub was an own legal entity, it would form the largest IT company in South Africa.
“BMW South Africa is unique within the BMW Group. It comprises almost the entire value chain of the company and in the closest radius possible. Our small size compared with operations in the US or China makes us sleek and, in many cases, the proving ground or test bench for innovations later rolled out to the Group. But moreover, BMW Group SA has proven itself to be part of the social fibre of the country, through our cars and through our people. We always say ‘We build more than just cars’. We promote opportunities, we shape people, we strengthen communities, and we come up with sustainable solutions.
“I enjoyed reading about the history of FMM. Its origins were established by Dr Anton Rupert the year after BMW SA was established. Some of the cars you will have on display over the next four months rolled off the line in the early days of the museum. Now here we are, decades later, able to enjoy them and bring the story behind them alive, especially the iconic cars unique to this market. That some of these special vehicles will be displayed alongside a choice selection from the renowned Franschhoek Motor Museum is a true honour.”
The initial batch of BMW vehicles on display in Hall B comprise an E26 M1, E12 530 MLE, Mahlangu 760Li, i7, iX, Land Rover Defender 90 2,8i, R18 motorcycle and CE O4 electric scooter. Other models, including an E30 333i and Mini Cooper S JCW, will arrive later in the display period. From the FMM collection are the Madiba 760Li Security Edition, Isetta ‘bubble car’, 501 2,6, Bristol 403, Mini Cooper, Morris Cooper S and Ineos Grenadier, along with some motorcycles.
