BMW Strengthens Partnership With The PGA TOUR as Official Automotive Sponsor of THE TOUR Championship In Atlanta

THE TOUR Championship to be played at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta from November 2 - 5, 2006

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Nov. 1 -- BMW has strengthened its partnership with the PGA TOUR as the official automotive sponsor of November's THE TOUR Championship, which will be played at the East Lake Golf Club, November 2 - 5, 2006 in Atlanta, GA. Although the sponsor of many golf tournaments around the globe, this marks the first time that BMW has sponsored a PGA TOUR event. It also serves as a precursor to its partnership with the Western Golf Association via the BMW Championship -- the third of four PGA TOUR Playoff tournaments that are part of the new FedExCup competition in 2007.

"THE TOUR Championship in Atlanta marks a natural progression for BMW and is a great example of BMW building on its golfing successes around the world" said Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO, BMW of North America. "As the automotive sponsor for the event, BMW is proud to be part of the historic changes and progressive developments in the sport."

BMW recently announced a six-year partnership agreement with the PGA TOUR and the Western Golf Association (WGA) to create the BMW Championship -- the third of four PGA TOUR Playoff tournaments that culminate with the new FedExCup competition that debuts in 2007. The inaugural BMW Championship will be played the week of September 3 - 9 next year at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Chicago, Illinois. It was also announced that starting in 2008 the BMW Championship will travel to some of the premier golf courses in the Midwest every other year. The BMW Championship will be played in St. Louis at the Bellerive Country Club in 2008, return to Chicago in 2009 and every second year thereafter, in Indianapolis at the Crooked Stick Golf Club in 2010 and at a yet to be determined location 2012.

BMW's partnership with the PGA TOUR and the WGA is part of the company's global three pillar sports marketing strategy, including partnerships with the US America's Cup sailing team, BMW Oracle Racing, and the BMW Sauber F1 Team. BMW continually aligns itself with the premier performance-driven sports and has been involved in international golf for more than 20 years. Golf and BMW go hand-in-hand, representing excellence, precision, aesthetic appeal and a cultivated lifestyle.

Since 1985, BMW has been paying tribute to the growing importance of golf by hosting and partnering with both leading amateur and professional tournaments around the globe. BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg, SC sponsors the premier event on the Nationwide Tour, the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs. The Nationwide Tour is a springboard to the PGA TOUR. The BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs is a record-breaking attendance, revenue and charity- raising event, and is the only event on the Nationwide Tour where amateurs and celebrities are grouped with Nationwide Tour professionals. The first six tournaments have raised more than $3.7 million for area charities.

In cooperation with the PGA European Tour, BMW hosts the most prestigious tournament on the European Tour -- the BMW Championship in Wentworth (Surrey, England). For the world's top tier players, the BMW International Open (hosted in Munich, Germany) and the BMW Asian Open (hosted in Shanghai, China) are also among the most recognized professional tournaments on the European and Asian Tours. Furthermore, BMW will have the honor of being the "Official Car" of the 2006 Ryder Cup.

BMW is committed to enhancing the overall consumer PGA TOUR experience tied to BMW's events and plans to announce further details regarding consumer involvement and benefits in the coming months.

BMW will honor the Western Golf Association's legacy of significant charitable involvement, working directly with the Evans Scholars Foundation, the largest privately funded college scholarship program for caddies in the nation. Since the first two Scholars enrolled at Northwestern University in 1930, nearly 8,000 outstanding young adults have participated in the program, which provides financial assistance to caddies around the country seeking opportunities to pursue higher education.

In 1950, there were only 84 Scholars enrolled in the Evans Scholars Foundation, but the program grew dramatically thereafter. By the end of the decade, the number of participating Scholars rose to 440. Today, 820 Evans Scholars are enrolled in college. The Foundation, which is referred to as "Golf's Favorite Charity," has more than 100,000 annual contributors through the Western Golf Association.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the ROLLS-ROYCE brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car centers, 334 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 80 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Car 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:

  www.bmwgroupna.com
  www.bmwusa.com
  www.bmwmotorradusa.com
  www.miniusa.com
  www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
  www.bmwcharitygolf.com

NOTE TO EDITORS: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address: www.press.bmwgroup.com. Broadcast quality video footage is available via The NewsMarket at www.thenewsmarket.com