Innovation in the automotive industry hasn’t always emerged from physical products, but rather from unique experiences catered to an evolving customer base. A few months ago, we’ve learned that BMW is looking at new ways to present their portfolio of hard and soft products, even if that meant cutting back on certain auto shows. The first of its kind is called #NextGen and kicks off in Munich on June 25th. Over the course of two days, hundreds of selected journalists, stakeholders and influencers will be hosted by the BMW Welt in what could be labeled as “BMW’s own auto show.”
2018 and now 2019 has seen one of the most daring and aggressive BMW product offensives in the automotive industry, therefore a regular auto show format became somewhat restrictive. By opening the doors of its breathtaking Welt building, BMW now has an opportunity to introduce new and exclusive products (more on that in a second) through a series of of exhibits and workshops (called Content Hubs) where the automotive world can learn about its transformation as a company.
D+ACES stands for “Design, Autonomous Driving, Connectivity, Electrification, Services” and with just five words it explains the future of the brand. Every single one of those pillars will have its own presentation at the BMW Welt and will give everyone, and us, a chance to learn about the upcoming changes in the car world, and implicitly, BMW’s world.
Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of BMW AG, said recently: “We clearly defined our claim and the path we will take with Strategy Number ONE > NEXT in 2016 already. Our product initiative and our investment into the D+ACES topic of the future are proof of this. With #NEXTGen we are also treading new communication paths with the focus on conducting a dialogue about individual mobility topics. We want to shape the future together and provide solutions.”
But no show would be exciting without the introduction of new models and there are quite a few at #NextGen. The all-new BMW 1 Series and the X1 Facelift will highlight BMW’s investment in the front-wheel drive architecture, the new 3 Series Touring completed the refreshed 3 Series family, while the 8 Series Gran Coupe will showcased the upper class from Munich. The M brand is well represented as well with the all-new M8 Coupe and Convertible, some of the most powerful M cars ever built.
In a typical Steve Jobs “There is one more thing” moment, we anticipate that BMW will also have some exciting product announcements for its emotional customer and fan base.
So how can you follow the event?
Firstly and foremost, through a BMW-hosted live stream which can be found here. Secondly, BMWBLOG will be on-site and will provide live and recorded content on our social media channels (this is the chance to subscribe to them – Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter). Also follow the #nextgen and #bmwblog hashtags.
Thirdly, several stories will be posted on our website throughout the day, with the complementary photos and videos.
Kick-off time? 9:30AM Central European Time / 3:30AM EST
