An installation arranged by BMW Group was one of the most prominent features of the fourth VARY°ZÁŘÍ festival of light. It brings together some of the most captivating modern technologies against a backdrop of the unparalleled architecture of the spa city. In addition to the traditional display of cars and motorbikes bearing the BMW logo, visitors admired an original light installation created by Jan Zdvořák.

BMW Czech Republic served as the official supplier of vehicles for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) for the sixth time. The company delivered a fleet of cars for guests and participants of the 54th edition of the most significant cultural event of its kind in the country. In keeping with tradition, the KVIFF took place in late June and early July (from 28 June to 6 July) in the spa city of Karlovy Vary. The link between BMW and KVIFF has a symbolic dimension since Karlovy Vary Region is an important partner to the carmaker: the company plans to build its development centre in the region.

Safety comes first for BMW. It’s a principle that is not only seen in the high standards of both active and passive safety that the carmaker applies to its vehicles, but also in the company’s involvement in road safety education.

This was demonstrated by BMW Group Česká republika’s development of a two-day educational program, BMW Road Safety Show. It was designed for first and second grade pupils and preschool children. The program teaches children about safety in traffic. As part of the program, company representatives arrived at Staré Square in Sokolov where they provided ten 45-minute educational slots. Some 200 children had an opportunity to acquaint themselves in an interactive form with the basic road safety principles. These included practical training in a traffic playground that assists in teaching how to cross roads safely. The traffic playground was installed in the square.

The BMW Group and Daimler AG are launching their cooperation on automated driving: representatives from the two companies today signed an agreement for a long-term strategic cooperation, which will focus on joint development of next-generation technologies for driver assistance systems, automated driving on highways and automated parking.

Representatives of the BMW Group, the Czech government and the Karlovy Vary region announced construction of a new proving ground today in Prague. The roughly 500-hectare property will be developed in Sokolov in the Karlovy Vary region, close to the German border town of Waldsassen and about two-and-a-half hours’ drive from the BMW Group’s main development site, the Research and Development Centre (FIZ), in Munich. The new BMW Group proving ground, which will create several hundred jobs, is slated to go into operation early in the next decade. Total investment will be in the three-digit million-euro range.