BMW celebrated the 25th anniversary of its customization department, BMW Individual, in the South of France.
The company built a unique 7 Series model inspired by the luxury yacht-building company Nautor’s Swan.
The one-off model was on display at the St. Tropez marina.
Arab News was given a rare opportunity to drive the 760Li model near Nice and experience the fine handcrafted features in the car, including the wood floor and other marine touches.
Speakers from BMW Individual explained that some buyers prefer to have individual features to personalize their cars and the company makes an effort to fulfill their wishes.
Examples of BMW Individual items were on display while craftsmen were at work on location.
Head of exclusive customer advisory, Mathias Babbel, told Arab News that GCC customers prefer light external colors in their cars rather than black.
He also confirmed that choosing a unique color adds 2-5 percent to the price of the car and takes up to 20 extra weeks to carry out the order.
Most of these orders are given via video conversations but some are conducted face-to-face.
Babbel pointed out that the company never refuses any special request unless it is not viable to produce or contravenes the principles of ethics and sustainability.
He welcomed the recent Saudi royal decree to allow women to drive and said that this was the feeling of the company’s employees too.