Aid Initiative "AIDS and Children" - The BMW Group presents the German AIDS Foundation with a BMW 318i signed by Nelson Mandela

Munich/Düsseldorf. In the presence of the Federal State Minister for Health,
Social Welfare, Women and Families in North Rhine-Westphalia, Birgit Fischer,
the BMW Group has presented a BMW 318i signed by Nelson Mandela as a donation
to the German AIDS Foundation and the support project "AIDS and Children".

The car originates from a special edition of ten so-called "Democracy Cars",
which Nelson Mandela signed in 2004 in celebration of the ten-year anniversary
of democratic elections in South Africa. The "Democracy Cars" represent a
company wide donation of material, time and manpower and are being handed out
worldwide. The greater part of the target proceeds are for the benefit of the
Nelson Mandela Children's Fund in South Africa. The BMW Group will also release
a donation to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund for the German AIDS
Foundation's car.

Aids is already the greatest killer in South Africa. The extent to which AIDS
has had an impact worldwide is not yet known and has become one of the greatest
challenges of our time. As has emerged from the recent United Nations World
AIDS Report, approximately forty million people are infected with the AIDS
virus. More than three million people died of AIDS in 2004. Beyond the human
tragedy, which cannot be conveyed by the statistics, AIDS also destroys
deep-rooted structures and communities in many countries. It mostly impedes
social development in exactly those places where - as in South Africa - an
increased standard of living and social security is urgently needed. The BMW
Group sees itself summoned, in the light of this alarming situation, in its
identity as "Corporate Citizen", to take responsibility and to make a
contribution to combating the problem. An example is the programme against
AIDS/HIV in South Africa. The BMW Group offers comprehensive support there to
its employees, their families and communities in the form of education,
prevention and medical care in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Corporate and social commitment is a worldwide concern for the BMW Group.
Children and young people traditionally receive a high rating of importance in
this respect. The presentation of the "Democracy Car" to the German AIDS
Foundation and to the project "AIDS and Children" will build a bridge between
involvement for children and young people, commitment in South Africa and the
fight against HIV/AIDS.

The German AIDS Foundation is the largest HIV/AIDS support organisation in
Germany. It provides not only educational and information services, but also
supports many specific projects and supporting measures. One of is main aims is
to make it possible for people who are HIV positive or who are suffering from
AIDS to be able to determine their own lives for as long as possible. The AIDS
Foundation and the BMW Group are donating the "Democracy Car" to "AIDS and
Children" for mobile intervention. This supportive initiative assists families
with small children and young people who are HIV positive throughout North
Rhine-Westphalia.
The BMW 318i from the Mandela series will help "Aids and Children" to improve
the limited mobility of mothers and children concerned and to organise
transport to the doctor's, to the hospital or to the authorities. Mobility will
thus become an important component of day-to-day social integration. After all,
it is a fundamental human need and essential for maintenance of social
relationships.

"The BMW Group has great respect and admiration for initiatives such as the
German AIDS Foundation and "AIDS and Children" which support improvement in the
lives of children and young people who are HIV positive or suffering with AIDS.
These projects need your support. To this end, the BMW Group wants to make a
contribution with the donation of the car", said Martin Thiel, director of the
BMW subsidiary in Düsseldorf on the occasion of the handing over.

Photos of the delivery will be available on Monday, 11 April 2005, after 3 pm.

For questions please contact:

Corporate Communications

Konstanze Carreras, Public Relations, Gesellschaftspolitik
Telephone: +49 (0)89 382 52894, Fax: +49 (0)89 382 28017

Michael Kirsch, Public Relations
Telephone: +49 (0)89 382 25111, Fax: +49 (0)89 382 28017

Media Website: www.press.bmwgroup.com
e-mail: presse@bmw.de