'30th Anniversary' BMW Korea: "We Will Grow Together by Contributing to Korean Society"

BMW Group Korea celebrated the 30th anniversary of its establishment in Korea this year. Having maintained leadership in the domestic imported car market through thorough localization over the past 30 years, BMW Group Korea expressed its ambition to continue contributing to Korean society and achieve sustainable growth.

On the 15th, BMW Group Korea announced the slogan "Define Driving Pleasure, Again" to mark its 30th anniversary in Korea. Under this new slogan, BMW Group Korea is reaffirming its commitment to the Korean market by unveiling a 30th anniversary limited edition model and launching various campaigns.

German BMW Group established its Korean subsidiary in July 1995 with 100% investment. BMW Group Korea is the first local subsidiary of an imported car brand in Korea.

Starting with BMW, BMW Group Korea introduced BMW Motorrad, BMW's motorcycle division, in 1999, and the premium compact car brand MINI in 2005, shaping the early market for imported cars in Korea. Even amid the 1997 IMF foreign exchange crisis, when many foreign companies and imported car dealers withdrew from the Korean market, BMW Group continued to invest, trusting the potential of the Korean market.

BMW Group Korea has set various new records in the domestic imported car market. It surpassed cumulative sales of 10,000 units for the first time in 2002 and exceeded 100,000 units in 2011. BMW Korea held the title of 'No.1 imported car brand' for seven consecutive years from 2009 to 2015, and last year, it achieved the top spot in domestic imported car sales for the second consecutive year following 2023.

The foundation of these achievements lies in BMW Group's unique corporate philosophy: "Wherever we enter worldwide, we do our best as corporate citizens of that country." BMW Group Korea has contributed to Korean society through various investments comparable to domestic companies and active social contribution activities.

Yeongjongdo BMW Driving Center. Provided by BMW Group Korea

BMW Group Korea has demonstrated its commitment to co-growth with Korean society by expanding various infrastructure facilities, including the BMW Driving Center in Yeongjongdo. In 2014, BMW Group invested 77 billion KRW to establish the BMW Driving Center in Yeongjongdo, Incheon. Including additional expansion and renewal costs, the total investment has reached 95 billion KRW to date.

The BMW Driving Center is the only automotive complex cultural space worldwide within the BMW Group that houses both a track and customer experience facilities in one location. As of the end of 2024, it has welcomed 1.62 million visitors.

BMW Group Korea's social contribution projects are carried out by the BMW Korea Future Foundation. Established in 2011 as the first non-profit foundation in the domestic imported car industry by BMW Group Korea, the foundation conducts various social contribution activities targeting children and students who will lead Korea's future. As of December 2024, over 329,500 people have participated in the talent development programs of the BMW Korea Future Foundation.

BMW Group Korea Parts Logistics Center (Regional Distribution Center, RDC). Provided by BMW Group Korea

BMW Group Korea has also actively invested in facilities. In 2017, it invested approximately 130 billion KRW to build and relocate a parts logistics center (Regional Distribution Center, RDC) in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. It is the largest among BMW Group's overseas subsidiaries and the largest among domestic imported car brands. To prepare for the electrification era, an additional investment of 65 billion KRW will be made by 2027 to expand the BMW Anseong parts logistics center by approximately 31,000㎡ (about 10,000 pyeong).

BMW Group Korea has consistently made efforts to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure. By last year, it had completed the installation of 2,125 electric vehicle chargers, the largest scale in the domestic automotive industry. BMW Group Korea plans to install an additional 600 ESG charging stations and electric vehicle chargers by 2025.

BMW Charging Hub Lounge. Provided by BMW Group Korea

BMW Group Korea is also proactive in partnerships with Korean companies. In 2023, BMW Group purchased parts worth approximately 6.535 trillion KRW from domestic companies. This amount exceeds BMW Group Korea's sales of 6.1066 trillion KRW in the same year. The amount spent by BMW Group on parts purchases from Korean companies has steadily increased. From 2010 to 2024, the cumulative amount spent on parts purchased from Korean partners reached a staggering 37 trillion KRW.

BMW Group Korea operates the largest number of service centers among domestic imported car companies, with 81 BMW and 40 MINI service centers. In particular, to provide high-quality service by nurturing excellent maintenance personnel, it operates its own technician and service advisor certification system. Among a total of 2,669 maintenance personnel, 2,438 are officially certified BMW maintenance staff.