BMW Motorrad Welt opens in Berlin
Oliver Zipse, the Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, and Dr. Markus Schramm, the Head of BMW Motorrad, opened BMW Motorrad Welt in Berlin on 28 September 2023 as the highlight of the brand’s anniversary celebrations. Attending the ceremony were Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, The opening of BMW Motorrad Welt took place exactly 100 years to the day after the first BMW motorcycle, the R 32, was presented at the Berlin Motor Show on 28 September 1923.
The ceremony was attended by 150 guests from politics, business and the press. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of BMW Motorrad and the opening of the BMW Motorrad Welt, the company makes a donation of 100,000 euros. As an international brand with a production site in Berlin, this amount benefits both an international institution such as UNICEF and local and regional charities in Berlin and Brandenburg.
The highlight of the opening ceremony was not only the presentation of the best custom bikes based on the BMW R 18 model family as part of the BMW Motorrad Customizing Championship, but also the world premiere of the new BMW R 1300 GS, which continues the success story of the GS series.
Zipse said, “Today, BMW Motorrad is more innovative and diverse than ever. BMW Motorrad Welt perfectly embodies and presents our claim: Technological innovations that inspire people. Over the past eight years, we have invested more than half a billion euros in training and further education as well as state-of-the-art production technologies at the BMW Group Plant in Berlin. This is not only an endorsement of Berlin as a traditional location, but even more a clear commitment by BMW to Germany as an industrial location.”
Scholz added, “When we celebrate 100 years of BMW Motorrad today, we are of course celebrating 100 years of German industrial history, 100 years of development and innovation, 100 years of global competition. The industrial country of Germany thrives on women and men who choose a career in industry. I was able to get an idea of how they work here last December. Craftsmanship meets high-tech, digitalization in education and training, employees with a wide variety of backgrounds, all of whom are passionate about 100-year traditional crafts, that impressed me. I am happy that with today’s opening of the Motorrad Welt, BMW is also enabling many curious people to discover what is being created here in Berlin thanks to your work.”
BMW Motorrad Welt is located adjacent to the BMW motorcycle plant in Berlin-Spandau and thus exactly where the heart of the BMW Motorrad brand beats. BMW motorcycles have been manufactured in Berlin since 1969. Every day, 900 motorcycles and premium e-scooters roll off the assembly line on almost 230,000 square metres and in partly listed buildings. BMW Motorrad Welt now moves into its new home in one of the historic brick buildings.
Helmut Schramm, Head of the BMW Group Plant Berlin, said, “The BMW Group Plant in Berlin is one of the most steeped-in-tradition and at the same time most innovative industrial locations in Berlin and the region. It is an essential part of the BMW Motorrad success story. Almost the entire BMW Motorrad model range is manufactured in Berlin. From here we control the manufacturing in our international production network. It fills us with pride that we are reaffirming our commitment to Berlin with the opening of BMW Motorrad Welt at the production site.”
BMW Motorrad Welt is open every day except public holidays, from 10 AM until 7 PM. More information can be found on the website at www.welt.bmw-motorrad.com. Download the entire press release (PDF reader required).
