BMW to Take Part in Fleet Week at the Coronado Speed Festival on September 21-22, 2013 in San Diego, Ca.

BMW Offers Public Ride and Drive and Leads Special Race Track Events at Festival.

San Diego, Ca. – September 19, 2013… BMW will take part in the 16th annual Coronado Speed Festival on September 21-22, at San Diego’s Naval Air Station North Island.  The military base opens its door to the public and gives the community the opportunity to meet the officers stationed in the area and thank them for their service.

Race car driver Scott Pruett, who currently races in the Rolex Sports Car Series circuit in the No. 01 Dinan-Prepared BMW Riley, will be at the festival on behalf of San Diego County BMW dealers.  He will be participating in a BMW drive event and signing autographs for fans on Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 am – 1pm.

BMW of San Diego County will also be offering visitors the opportunity to test their driving skills in a variety of the latest BMW models on a professionally designed road course.

The following BMW models will be on hand for test drives:

• 3 Series Diesels: The all-new BMW 328d Diesel Sedan joins legendary 3-Series performance with unmatched diesel efficiency. The robust 4-cylinder engine boasts 280 lb-ft of torque while still using fuel wisely, getting up to 45 mpg. Bringing together a powerful 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine and up to 43 mpg, the all-new BMW 328d Diesel xDrive Sedan, BMW's intelligent all-wheel drive system.     
• Sports Wagons: The all-new 3 Series Sports Wagon will offer the flexibility and utility one would expect from a premium wagon combined with the driving dynamics of the quintessential sport sedan, the BMW 3 Series. The new 3 Series Sports Wagon is slightly larger than its predecessor, most notably its wider track. Inside, the new BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon, rear passengers will appreciate the noticeable increase in space made possible by the larger dimensions. These larger dimensions also pay dividends in utility with nearly ten percent more cargo volume both with the rear seats up and when folded.
• The Gran Turismo 328i and 335i: The all-new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo adds an innovative new concept to the BMW 3 Series line-up. The BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo is, first and foremost, a driver’s car which combines the dynamics that have earned the new 3 Series a spot on “Car and Driver’s” 10Best list for 22nd consecutive years, with luxury seating for four and generous and flexible luggage capacity. 
• 320i Sedan: Constructed with the near-perfect 50:50 balance afforded by BMW rear-wheel drive, the new BMW 320i packs a content-rich punch in the marketplace for premium compact sport sedans. Along with the new 320i Sedan, the BMW 320i xDrive Sedan featuring BMW’s intelligent all-wheel drive system will also be available. The broad palette of standard equipment includes Bluetooth smartphone integration and BMW’s Auto Start-Stop function.

BMW’s newest model, the i3, will be on display.The BMW i3 is the world’s first premium car designed from the ground up to be powered by an electric drive system with revolutionary lightweight construction. BMW i is BMW’s sustainable brand with a mission to develop visionary vehicles and services that revolutionize individual mobility.

Local dealerships will also be participating in racing events on throughout the weekend in their personal race-prepared vehicles on Sunday at 12:40 pm.  Jeff Gerken from BMW of El Cajon, Tim and Tom Brecht from BMW of Escondido and Craig Hauenstein from BMW of San Diego will all be racing in Group 9, the 1966 – 1972 Historic 2.5 Liter Trans-AM class with over 30 other participants.

Navy base enlisted personnel and wounded warriors can take hot laps on BMW M vehicles on the track.  A BMW M6 Convertible will be used as the pace car for the race events.  

All active duty, active reserve and their direct-dependent military ID-holders will enjoy free admission to this year’s event. Active duty military, active reservists and dependent ID-holders will not need tickets and will enter through a specially-designated gate. Admission is free for children 12 and under, both military and non-military. Thanks to sponsors who have enabled this event to honor the nation’s military in this way.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.coronadospeedfest.com.

Journalist note: Scott Pruett will be available for media interviews on Saturday, from 8:30 am – 10:00 am.  Please contact drabin@rubenstein.com to schedule. BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com. 

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About Coronado Speed Festival and Fleet Week San Diego

The Coronado Speed Festival is Fleet Week San Diego’s preeminent event featuring fast-paced, thrilling auto racing and exhibitions for car enthusiasts of all ages. Staged at one of racings’ most distinctive locations – Naval Air Station North Island, the birthplace of Naval Aviation – it’s the only place to see live racing on an active U.S. Navy runway. Proceeds for the event benefit the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation and the Navy Morale, Welfare & Recreation (MWR) program.

Find Coronado Speed Festival at www.facebook.com/coronadospeedfestival or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SpeedFestSD.

BMW Group in America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 119 MINI passenger car dealers, and 34 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:  www.bmwgroupna.com

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