"BMW Research and Development Center's Role Draws Attention as It Promotes Korean Partners Worldwide"

BMW Group Korea opened the BMW Group R&D (Research and Development) Center Korea in Cheongna International City, Incheon, on the 22nd. This new facility is an expansion and relocation of the BMW Driving Center, which was established in Yeongjongdo in 2015. It undertakes various roles including research and development necessary for new car development, certification, and performance testing.

At the opening ceremony, Jochen Goller, Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales at BMW Group, said, "Korean consumers are tech-savvy and curious, making Korea an ideal place to test various new technologies. As Korea was the fifth largest important market within BMW Group last year, we will continue to invest to provide better products and services to Korean customers."

Innovation Space within BMW R&D Center Korea. This is the highest security level area within the facility, where prototypes in the development stage are tested.
[Photo by BMW Korea]

The newly opened facility is a single-story building with a site area of 5,296㎡ and a total floor area of 2,813㎡. It includes office spaces, maintenance and testing rooms, certification testing rooms, an electric vehicle charging test building, and research labs. About 50 personnel are stationed here to support product development tasks including certification of vehicles imported into Korea. Additionally, the center collaborates with domestic companies, research institutions, and universities to jointly develop navigation, voice recognition, and user interface (UI) prototypes.

In the process of applying technologies reflecting market-specific characteristics during new car development, the facility is equipped to cooperate more closely with the German headquarters. Furthermore, it will enhance the ability to promote technologies developed by domestic startups not only to the German headquarters but also to overseas markets.

BMW Group R&D Center Korea exterior view
[Photo by BMW Korea]

HIL at BMW Group R&D Center Korea. It is a space where various simulation tasks can be performed to test whether input values are properly reflected.
[Photo by BMW Korea]

Given that Korea has a well-established automotive parts ecosystem and many companies competitive in the fields of electronics and software, the company expects many opportunities for future collaboration. The BMW Startup Garage was also established this time. It is a facility that supports automotive technology-related startups and operates in six locations worldwide, including Germany, the United States, China, Israel, Japan, and Korea.

Daniel B?ttger, Senior Vice President of Complete Vehicle Research and Development at BMW Group, said, "In addition to contributing to the improvement of products and services offered to domestic customers and the development of future technologies, we will actively support cooperation between BMW Group and Korean partners, as well as the overseas expansion of domestic venture technologies."

From the left in the photo: Berent Quabeck, Senior Vice President of BMW Brand, Product Management and Connected at BMW Group; Jean-Philippe Parain, Senior Vice President of Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa at BMW Group; Oh Sang-ho, Head of Cheongna-Yeongjong Business Headquarters at Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH); Lee Yong-woo, Member-elect of the National Assembly for Seo-gu Eul, Incheon; Jochen Goller, Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales at BMW Group; Yoo Jung-bok, Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City; Yoon Won-seok, Commissioner of Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority; Daniel Bottger, Senior Vice President of Vehicle Research and Development at BMW Group; Han Sang-yoon, President and CEO of BMW Group Korea; Seok Sang-woo, CEO of Dongsung Motors, the official BMW dealer, are cutting the ribbon at the R&D Center opening ceremony on the 22nd.
[Photo by BMW Korea]

A certification facility, which must be passed before the launch of new cars, will also be established within the next 3 to 4 years. Emission and fuel efficiency certifications require actual testing results to be submitted to relevant authorities, and this certification work is expected to become much easier.

Vice President Goller said, "The global R&D center is a strategically located facility that will accelerate the pace toward digitalization, electrification, and a sustainable future, serving as a milestone."