Brief Introduction.
40 years ago BMW became the first carmaker to offer drivers the
chance to hone their skills at the wheel, and it has continued to do
so ever since. In 2011, what began as a “driving school” was
repackaged under the “BMW and MINI Driving Experience” banner to serve
up driving experiences of a very special variety. From drifting on ice
and snow and the pursuit of the ideal line on the race track all the
way to tours through picturesque landscapes – the BMW and MINI Driving
Experience offers a broad spread of training courses to suit novices
and advanced drivers alike. The basic idea behind the courses has
remained the same for the last 40 years: learning how to work
effectively with the car in a wide range of – sometimes critical –
driving situations will allow participants to go beyond their daily
driving with well-trained skills and supervision.
Portfolio.
The BMW and MINI Driving Experience offers a broad spread of training
courses to suit novices and advanced drivers alike. As well as the
diverse range of courses in the latest BMW cars, MINI training courses
and courses for motorcyclists are also available. BMW Customised
Experience also offers the opportunity to put together a tailored
individual event from the complete range of cars, venues and training content.
The BMW and MINI Driving Experience is split into the following elements:
- BMW Driving Experience
- BMW Safety Experience: Driver safety training courses – also for
novice drivers. - BMW i Experience: Training courses with the BMW i cars BMW i3 and
BMW i8. - BMW M Experience: Race track and drift training courses with BMW M cars.
- BMW Snow and Ice Experience: Snow and ice training courses in
Austria and Sweden. - BMW Tour Experience: Exclusive trips through Namibia and South
Africa in the BMW X5. - BMW Professional Driver Experience: Specialist driver training
courses for professional drivers.
- BMW Riding Experience
- BMW On Road Experience: Driver training courses for street bikes
- MINI Driving Experience
- Driver training courses in MINI cars
- BMW Customised Experience (incl. Personal Coaching)
- Corporate events, incentives, tours or personal coaching
tailored to individual customer requirements.
- Corporate events, incentives, tours or personal coaching
Instructor Training.
Prospective BMW and MINI Driving Experience instructors first have to
complete an extensive part-time training programme, for which there is
a rigorous selection process. After all, the demands on qualified
instructors will be high. In addition to technical knowledge, high
levels of driving skill and experience in handling the products of the
BMW Group, the aspiring instructors must also have the necessary
personal skills for efficient communication of their expertise.
Participants in the instructor training programme are therefore
familiarised in detail with the educational and instructive philosophy
behind the training courses and tours. They learn how to identify the
individual strengths and weaknesses of course participants and how to
ensure a successful learning outcome as effectively as possible.
Internationalisation.
BMW currently offers active driving programmes in over 30 countries
on five continents. BMW M supports local Driving Experiences around
the world by providing training guidelines, as well as the buildings
and premises required to create homogenous safety and quality
standards for the BMW Driving Experience. In the international BMW
Instructor Academy, it has been training its instructors according to
global standards since 1997 and putting them through their paces in an
intense process. If successful, they receive the official
certification “Official Partner of M”. The BMW Driving Experiences in
the Netherlands and the USA are currently certified centres of
excellence. The Netherlands led the way in 2015, followed by the
American BMW Performance Center East in Spartanburg and West in Palm
Springs at the beginning of 2017. More BMW Driving Experiences all
over the world are currently in the process of being certified.