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BMW picks up Olympic-sized gold haul

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Ralph (on the right)

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3 August 2012

Ralph (on the right), presents BMW’s Steve Chater with one of a handsome haul of winners in BCM’s Best Company Cars 2012. Ralph’s normally behind the camera in his blog. This is almost an improvement

Blog: RALPH MORTON

I visited BMW HQ prior to London 2012 to search out gold medal winner Steve Chater.

Steve, who is BMW’s corporate operations manager, is the man responsible for selling both BMWs and MINIs to small businesses, large corporates and company car drivers. Well, someone has to do it.

And the reason for my visit?

To present Steve with his very own Olympic sized haul of winners from our best company cars for 2012. In the gold medal rankings, BMW/MINI was clearly on the top step of the podium.

As well as winning our Best Business Car of the Year 2012 – the new BMW 3 Series – there were four more awards to give to Steve:

  • Best Business Car for First Year Allowances (sub 110g/km CO2) – BMW 320d EfficientDynamics
  • Best Executive Car – new BMW 3 Series
  • Best micro business owner’s car – MINI Countryman Cooper D
  • Best SME director’s car – BMW 520d EfficientDynamics

As you can see in our suitably cheesy photograph, I only had hands for one of the prizes (arms not big enough!).

Steve was suitably happy, but as ever keen to see BMW move on further. “These are really important prizes for us – it substantiates our credibility in the small business and SME market. But we want to make sure that our Business Partner programmes really do deliver on service.

“Customers must see service as our differentiator. We’ll be working on that.”

But probably not quite at the moment as we’re in the grips of London 2012 Olympic fever – and there are plenty of BMWs deployed as part of the company’s role as the Official Automotive Partner to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Think of it as LOCOG’s company car policy!

One of the fleet of 4000 BMW’s used by LOCOG. This one’s trying to keep up with Bradley Wiggins at Bushy Park

That means BMW has provided 4,000 low-emission diesel, hybrid and electric cars as well as motorcycles and bicycles to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

Like this BMW at the men’s cycle road race event I witnessed in Bushy Park, near BCM HQ. You can read more about BMW and the Olympics in my business car manager blog by clicking here:

For the full run down of the cars we rate for small businesses and SMEs, read this

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Matt Morton

Matt Morton

Matt Morton is an automotive content writer for Business Car Manager

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