BMW i may be only a small sub-brand of BMW, but it just jumped into the big time of music performance. This month, BMW i will debut as the official transportation partner of the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival. The annual event, more commonly known as the Coachella Music Festival, is one of the biggest musical events of the year.
The annual Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival, more commonly known as the Coachella Music Festival, is one of the biggest music events of the year. Overall attendance is space-limited, but that space holds 99,000 people, so the crowds are huge.
Held each year in Indio, a city in Southern California's Coachella Valley near Palm Springs (and not too far from the BMW Performance Center West, by the way) the music festival plays on successive three-day weekends in April. This year the event will take place April 14–16 and April 21–23.
BMW i will provide VIP shuttle service and hospitality during both weekends. For transportation on and around the site, BMW will provide BMW i3 electric vehicles and BMW X5 40e iPerformance plug-in hybrids. BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports cars will transport a selected group of festival-bound celebrities and influencers between Los Angeles and Palm Springs. The Coachella i3s and i8s will have a special wrap applied for the event.
BMW i will invite visitors to the innovative BMW i Brand Lounge in the VIP Area where they can see BMW i vehicles in the unique Coachella design co-developed with Garage Italia Customs.
Hilda Wortmann, Senior Vice President Brand BMW recognizes the perfect fit with Coachella and BMW I, saying, “The wealth of ideas the artists bring and the festival’s focus on sustainability create a unique atmosphere; Coachella is the birthplace for many trends, ideas, and movements. BMW i is likewise a driver of pioneering innovations and the joy of sustainable mobility. We are positioning the sub-brand as open-minded, creative and inspiring—and Coachella provides an exceptional platform for this purpose, uniting creativity, passion, and connectedness. We’re looking forward to an inspirational partnership.”
The 2017 Coachella Music Festival will feature headliners Radiohead, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, plus dozens of other top performers.
BMW announced the partnership with the Coachella Festival on social media last month. World-famous composer and music producer Hans Zimmer provided the soundtrack for a video promoting the "Road to Coachella." Zimmer is probably best known for his work on Pearl Harbor, The Lion King, The Dark Knight, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Inception. Here is the video for your enjoyment:
If you like music, art, BMWs, and large crowds, one of the next two weekends in Indio might be perfect for you.—Scott Blazey.
[Photos and video courtesy of BMW AG.]
