A morning of traffic and what I thought was going to be a speed run of a presentation/ facility tour because we were late, ended up exceeding my expectations completely. The BMW presentation was very interesting and rooted in German history and sustainability. The brand originally specialized in aircraft engine production for the German military during WWI and transitioned to motorcycles before entering the car market. The logo itself is even Bavaria’s colors sticking to the roots where it began, although in Germany the company is pronounced BMV. I learned that they create a product that ties German identity with a brand identity of functionality, cleanliness, sustainability, and technology. BMW is becoming increasingly more sustainable, using renewable energy sources and pushing to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Germany as a whole is a very sustainable county, Augsburg itself uses hydropower for utilities which is a very sustainable way of reducing carbon emissions and making the cost of living cheaper. 

The factory tour itself was so cool to see. I had no idea what to expect. It wasn’t like anything I had ever seen before. There were very few people on the floor, robots outnumbered them. I had thought that there would be people to man and oversee every few robots, but that was not the case. The KUKA robots were working seamlessly picking up parts, welding, and passing them along in order to build the body of the car. The body shop was so futuristic, being able to produce 1000 vehicles per day. I was truly impressed with how the robots worked like a hive mind, knowing exactly what to do for each model made. The plant was also very large, having entirely different areas for each task. The body shop, paint shop, and test area. All of which work together to create the nice vehicles we see on the streets. As we saw the cars getting tested the tour guide made mention of some minor differences in production for cars of certain countries. US cars had a little reflector in the front lights, Australian cars had the drivers seat on the other side, and slightly tinted glass because of how hot it gets, Italian cars had louder horns because they use them a lot, and cars for places like Alaska had a special engine protectant for the cold. Every process is so intricate and carefully done, even down to the specifics of where the cars are produced. 

To finish off the BMW experience, we walked through the museum. The museum was very detailed showing the evolution from over 30 generations of motorcycles and many models of cars leading up to their current design. I am not very knowledgeable of the auto industry so being able to see the development of car parts through different models was a lot of fun.