From the March 2015 issue of Car and Driver
If you’re planning to order a new BMW and your passport is up to date, the most exciting option on the order form might be European delivery. Instead of just picking up the car at your local dealership, use European delivery to meet your BMW in its ancestral home. Think of it as a European vacation in your new car with BMW defraying some of the costs of the trip. I went there in October to pick up my 428i xDrive Gran Coupe, and I lived to tell the tale.
Vehicle delivery occurs at the BMW Welt exhibition and delivery center, across the street from BMW’s headquarters in Munich. Located next to the Munich Olympic Park, BMW Welt (German for “world”) is a striking piece of cyclonic, space-station architecture that is a must-see for any Bimmerphile. After a snack of white sausage and brown pretzels in the customer lounge, I was ready for the auto show to begin. I walked out onto a large elevated platform and laid eyes upon my Estoril Blue 428i Gran Coupe, which was parked on a turntable. A spotlight hit it, and a lump settled in my throat.
BMW Welt, like Epcot Center, but cool.
A product specialist appeared to give me a thorough briefing on the car and its features. Even leaving is memorable: A 1-series M coupe dressed as a MotoGP Safety Car fired up and led me on a lap of the second floor before descending toward the exit. Depending on your level of enthusiasm, consider spending a full day at this BMW-Disney when you take delivery, visiting the museum and taking the factory tour to watch an M4 being assembled.
A trip to Europe isn’t exactly cheap, and flights and hotels are the buyer’s responsibility, but picking up your car in Europe saves enough money to help offset those costs. European delivery knocks roughly 7 percent off a BMW’s base price. That’s a significant $2195 reduction on a base 228i coupe, and a sumptuous $9835 off the 760Li. Since the cars are not delivered here, BMW North America doesn’t need to kick back cash to a U.S. dealer.
Instead, it passes this savings on to you, the buyer. Place the order at your dealership—most incentives and rebates still apply, and the price is still very much negotiable. You can pick up your car in Europe even if you’re leasing it. It’s no surprise that the made-in-America X5 and X6 are not available for European delivery.
BMW provides a temporary tourist registration and license plates and throws in insurance for 14 days (up to five months’ additional coverage may be purchased). You can cruise the Continent at your leisure and rip through a few unrestricted autobahn sections before dropping off your BMW at one of 12 European locations. After six to ten weeks, during which the vehicle sails across the Atlantic and passes through customs, your car finally arrives at your dealership. All transportation fees and shipping insurance are included in the vehicle’s price.
First-hand experience bears out the claim that European delivery is the best no-cost option on a BMW. After the manual transmission, of course.
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Signed, Sealed, Delivered
• Audi’s euro delivery program offers a 5-percent savings off the Car’s MSRP, 15 days of insurance, shuttle service from the airport, free shipping, and a one-night hotel stay.
• Mercedes-Benz lowers the cost of the car by 7 percent, throws in 15 days of insurance, free shipping, and a night at a hotel.
• Porsche offers no discount but provides 16 days’ insurance, one night’s Hotel stay, Free shipping, and cab fare from the airport to the factory.
• Volvo includes two AIR tickets to Sweden from the U.S., a 3- to 10-percent discount off the vehicle’s MSRP, 15 days of insurance, free shipping, and accommodations for one night.