BMW Puts Teens Behind the Wheel in an Effort to Create Safer Drivers

Free National Student Driving Clinic Kicks-Off in Philadelphia This Weekend

PHILADELPHIA, June 28 -- A free, nationwide performance student driving program led by BMW kicks-off today at Philadelphia Park Race Track. Unlike most programs, which are classroom based, the BMW Student Drive Program is interactive, putting students behind the wheel. The program uses professional drivers and an aggressive track and targets teen drivers -- who have the highest crash risk of any age group. It will be offered by BMW across the country through December.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures Transportation Reviews, young drivers' inexperience and risk-taking have contributed to the high incidence of crashes.

The BMW Student Driver Program, part of its new Precision Driving Experience, is designed to aid untested drivers who lack the skills necessary to ensure proper decision-making behind the wheel. Participants increase their driving knowledge through "seat-time" where they encounter emergency scenarios that simulate real-life situations, thus providing a hands-on learning experience.

  The half-day, free BMW course for student drivers includes instruction on:

  *     Skid Control -- Using two 150-foot diameter pads arranged in a
        figure eight and soaked in water, students learn techniques to
        recover from a slide and potentially avoid repeat skids.

  *     Target Fixation -- Our professional staff trains youth to look at
        where they want to go rather than at the object they are trying to
        avoid (which is very common).  They offer strategies for getting
        around the object.

  *     Car Control -- Student drivers will learn the mechanics behind what
        causes people to lose control of a vehicle and how to regain
        control.

  *     Situational Awareness -- The course trains teens to be aware of
        what's going on around them at all times.  Heavy emphasis is put on
        the importance of peripheral vision and scanning the road ahead --
        looking beyond the car directly in front of you.  Teens are trained
        to concentrate and process information that will enable them to
        avoid dangerous situations.

BMW's Precision Driving Experience is a comprehensive driving course that teaches drivers of all levels to feel more confident, comfortable and in control on the roads. The PDE program will travel cross-country in seven cities from June to December 2003.

For more information about the 2003 Precision Driving Experience clinics, please visit www.bmwusa.com.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America has been present in the United States since 1975. Since then, the BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales and financial service organizations for the BMW and MINI brands and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Corp. in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW car, 327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle, 148 BMW Motorcycle retailers, and 70 MINI dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at http://www.bmwusa.com/ http://www.bmwmotorradusa.com/ and http://www.miniusa.com/