BMW Opens World's Largest Car Showroom in Abu Dhabi

BMW has opened the world's largest automotive showroom in Abu Dhabi for BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles. The building is 35,000 square meters (376,737 square feet). Abu Dhabi Motors, BMW Group's importer into the region, paid €62 million to build the showroom. 

The opening of the showroom was attended by Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing, His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice-Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Arno Husselmann, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Motors, Graeme Grieve, Vice-President for Importer Markets of BMW AG and Adrian Van Hooydonk, Director of BMW Group Design.

The showroom houses separate areas for BMW, Mini, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorcycles. It employs more than 450 people. There are 70 cars and 10 motorcycles on display. That allows buyers to view cars with different colors and option packages. The showroom will also sell used vehicles, and it has a service area that can work on 120 vehicles simultaneously. There is also a boutique area that sells goods, a Formula 1 racing simulator and theater for vehicle launches. 

“The Middle East is an important region for the BMW Group. We sold more vehicles here in 2011 than ever before. There is tremendous future growth potential in many countries in this region and in the United Arab Emirates in particular. The investment in this impressive and unique facility that makes the world’s biggest BMW Group showroom, is testament to the continued opportunities that lie ahead in Abu Dhabi and in the region,” said Robertson. 

There is some question about the necessity of this showroom. BMW AG sold 18,567 BMW and Mini vehicles in the entire MIddle East in 2011, and 8,727 of those sales were from Abu Dhabi. The best selling car is the 7-series, of which it sold 4,511 cars last year.