4000 BMWs

[Palfrem]

Yes, OK I know it's the DM, but this is a huge number of cars.

VIP car lanes too.



Olympic VIPs will be whisked around London in 4,000 BMWs ¿ so much for the ¿green Games¿! | Mail Online

 

[MOCAŠ]

Wasn't this all announced months ago? Sounds like the DM recycling news on a quiet day...

 

[Palfrem]

First I'd heard of the BMW fleet...

 

[MOCAŠ]

This is how they reported it back in July:

BMW introduces the first vehicle that will form part of its exclusive Olympics fleet | Mail Online

And the BBC's more objective report from the same time:

BBC News - BMW unveils London 2012 Olympics vehicles

Autocar, on the other hand, carried the story as long ago as 2009:

BMW joins 2012 Olympics - Autocar.co.uk

 

[wemorgan]

It's not all bad news for Mercedes.....at least there will be lots of Vito Taxis in London this summer.

 

[Palfrem]

It does make one wonder just how many "VIPs" and assorted hangers-on there are on an event like this.

One of the reports claims 80,000 - what a lot of folk! What do they do I wonder?

 

[nick mercedes]

Yes, OK I know it's the DM, but this is a huge number of cars.

VIP car lanes too.



Olympic VIPs will be whisked around London in 4,000 BMWs ¿ so much for the ¿green Games¿! | Mail Online

Why not Jags?

Why German cars at the British games?

Hopefully the Germans are paying for all these cars?

 

[nick mercedes]

It's not all bad news for Mercedes.....at least there will be lots of Vito Taxis in London this summer.

Leaving trails of rust and breaking down...

 

[trapperjohn]

Why not Jags?

Why German cars at the British games?

Hopefully the Germans are paying for all these cars?

Jaguar - Indian owned, nowt wrong with that. So if its British assembled then the world is your oyster. Is the BMW engine plant not in UK somewhere?

 

[nick mercedes]

Jaguar - Indian owned, nowt wrong with that. So if its British assembled then the world is your oyster. Is the BMW engine plant not in UK somewhere?

Not the point, national humilation that the London olympics cars are German, still so's the Queen I suppose.

 

[trapperjohn]

Not the point, national humilation that the London olympics cars are German, still so's the Queen I suppose.

Not to me its not. Was the first BMW engine not out of an Austin?

 

[MOCAŠ]

Why not Jags?

Ian Robertson, BMW Group’s global head of sales and marketing, told Autocar: “We will predominantly be using Minis, 1-series and 3-series.”

Lord Sebastian Coe, chief of London’s bid, told Autocar: “We made a very firm pledge before we were even awarded the games that the average CO2 emissions of our fleet would be no more than 120g/km. BMW gives us that.”

Jaguar can't meet that brief.

Why German cars at the British games?

“The size of BMW as a global brand, coupled with its presence and investment in the UK, meant that it was a natural fit,” said Coe.

Hopefully the Germans are paying for all these cars?

BMW has reportedly paid around £30 million to secure the deal.

All quotes in blue are from the Autocar article posted above.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Is the BMW engine plant not in UK somewhere?

Yep, Hamms Hall. Not to mention a little car-building operation to the east of Oxford...

 

[gIzzE]

So don't go buying a 2 litre BMW diesel anytime soon, there will be 4000 of them up for sale in September at silly prices!

 

[nick mercedes]

Lord Sebastian Coe, chief of London’s bid, told Autocar: “We made a very firm pledge before we were even awarded the games that the average CO2 emissions of our fleet would be no more than 120g/km. BMW gives us that.”

“The size of BMW as a global brand, coupled with its presence and investment in the UK, meant that it was a natural fit,” said Coe.

BMW has reportedly paid around £30 million to secure the deal.

The crux of it:

"BMW has reportedly paid around £30 million to secure the deal"

So a £30 milion bung did the job.

Meanwhile Seb's on a nice little earner too:

"The Chair's salary of £365,507 is not to be sniffed at, especially as the Lord gets £500 to £1,000 per committee meeting he attends.

He made £7,000 from attending meetings, in the last year for which LOGOC filed accounts at Companies House. It says these payments"

I wonder how many £1000 per go meetings it took for him to decide to take the Germans money?

See noses in the trough....

 

[MOCAŠ]

The crux of it:

"BMW has reportedly paid around £30 million to secure the deal"

So a £30 milion bung did the job.

You can't have it both ways. If we'd paid BMW £30m for them to proivde the cars, you'd have said that BMW should have picked up the bill.

And in no way can this be considered a "bung". It's a sponsorship deal, plain and simple.

 

[@MARK]

The crux of it:

"BMW has reportedly paid around £30 million to secure the deal"

So a £30 milion bung did the job.

Meanwhile Seb's on a nice little earner too:

"The Chair's salary of £365,507 is not to be sniffed at, especially as the Lord gets £500 to £1,000 per committee meeting he attends.

He made £7,000 from attending meetings, in the last year for which LOGOC filed accounts at Companies House. It says these payments"

I wonder how many £1000 per go meetings it took for him to decide to take the Germans money?

See noses in the trough....

I get why BMW are there. Just like Visa, Thomas Cook, McDonalds and others (full list here http://www.london2012.com/about-us/...-games/london-2012-olympic-games-partners.php), they are official sponsors who have paid a lot of cash to have their brand all over the event. In return they get their brand out there PLUS they get HALF of all the available tickets to all the events to use how they see fit but because of the way it has been done (money first) you will see large chunks of empty seats in many of the "sold out" sessions when you watch on TV

Interestingly though, inside the venues themselves whilst the events are on, no advertising of any type is allowed so there will be an even bigger push to make sure that sponsors brands are prominent everywhere else.

But I think Seb and the government should really be ashamed of what LONDON has turned the 2012 Olympics into. It really is all about money and to me represents everything that is bad about our country at the moment. It's this sort of behaviour that has got most of Europe into the mess it is currently in.

Money first, sport second, the public last!

Rant over

 

[nick mercedes]

You can't have it both ways. If we'd paid BMW £30m for them to proivde the cars, you'd have said that BMW should have picked up the bill.

And in no way can this be considered a "bung". It's a sponsorship deal, plain and simple.

Given the games are supposed to be green, there should be no need for 4000 German cars, and the few cars needed should have been British.

After all all the people who have become multi millionaires promoting the Olympics are always using the excuse that the games "showcase Britain's culture, history and creativity".

BMW "Here's a cheque for £30000000, what sort of cars do you think we should have?"

Coe "BMWs!"

BMW "good choice"

Coe "can I have my grand for turning up to the meeting - even though I'm on £360k a year for doing this sort of thing anyway"

Taxpayers/UK 0

Greedy traitors/foreign corperations 1

 

[neilrr]

Why not Jags?

Why German cars at the British games?

Hopefully the Germans are paying for all these cars?

Said the man driving a Mercedes who is in the Mercedes parts business.

 

[MOCAŠ]

BMW "Here's a cheque for £30000000, what sort of cars do you think we should have?"

Coe "BMWs!"

BMW "good choice"

Coe "can I have my grand for turning up to the meeting - even though I'm on £360k a year for doing this sort of thing anyway"

Clearly a fan of Spitting Image (as am I).