CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON NEW
BMW GROUP ENGINEERING AND TESTING CENTER

Approximately 100 New Jobs Move to Oxnard, Joining Nearly 140 Workers Now There

Oxnard, CA, ...Construction began on BMW Group's $28 million North American engineering and vehicle emission testing center on Arcturus Avenue near the Port of Hueneme. The new center, which will serve the product engineering needs of both BMW and Land Rover in North America, will be built on an 11-acre site next to the company's Vehicle Preparation Center and will replace the current facility in Marina del Rey, California. At the same time, the BMW Group began a $1.2 million expansion and renovation of the existing Vehicle Preparation Center. When complete next spring, BMW Group employment in Oxnard will increase by an additional 100 jobs, making it the largest BMW Group site in California and one of the largest in North America. Currently, about 140 people - full time and temporary - work in the existing Vehicle Preparation Center in Oxnard. "We are expanding our operations in the U.S. to meet increasing customer demand for BMW and Land Rover vehicles, and our additions here in Oxnard will provide both direct and strategic support as we move into the 21st Century," said Victor Doolan, president of BMW of North America, Inc., who was in Oxnard for the ground breaking ceremony this morning.

Both BMW and Land Rover just reported the best first quarter U.S. sales in their respective histories. Oxnard Mayor Manual Lopez welcomed Doolan and the BMW construction project noting that Oxnard continues to be recognized by a number of world-class companies as an excellent place to work, live and play. "With its easy access to the deep water Port of Hueneme, proximity to Los Angeles and competitive land costs, Oxnard is an ideal site," said Mayor Lopez. "And our Mediterranean climate and eight miles of uncrowded beaches make it a place families like to call home," he added. "We are excited along with BMW and Land Rover and look forward to sharing in the benefits of the advanced automotive technology that is coming to Oxnard."

SATELLITE ENGINEERING CENTER
The new engineering center, the North American satellite of the main BMW Group research and development center in Munich, will be the base for all Group engineering in the U.S. It will house engineering and research functions and perform vehicle emissions testing related to engine development and long-term engine performance. Earlier this year, Rover Engineering North America moved its engineering operations from Phoenix to the existing BMW Group engineering facility in Marina del Rey. "Our decision to locate this facility in Oxnard underscores the importance of California to the automotive industry," Doolan said. "Many companies have engineering and emissions testing operations in the Midwest, but California is setting nation and worldwide trends in vehicle emissions, design and other areas, so we believe it is important to be in the midst of such integral progress."