BMW will bring to a close its European Delivery Program for customers in the United States this fall.
The program allowed buyers of select BMW models to be handed the keys to their new vehicle at the BMW Welt museum located next door to BMW's headquarters in Munich, Germany.
This way, you could enjoy a European road trip in your new car before having BMW ship it over to the U.S. once your trip was over. Best of all, you could save thousands of dollars off the MRSP via the program. For example, ticking the European Delivery Program option on a 3-Series would save you between $2,000 and $2,500 depending on the model.
Unfortunately, BMWs built in the U.S., i.e. every SUV from the X3 up, aren't eligible for the program, and with more and more new car shoppers turning to these vehicles, demand for the program has been dropping.
BMW driving training center in Spartanburg, South Carolina
It also didn't help that BMW has been offering a delivery program at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, which for U.S. customers is eligible for every BMW model, regardless of where it's built. The U.S. program, known as the Ultimate Delivery Experience, includes a performance driving course with classroom and on-track modules, as well as tours of BMW's plant and museum in Spartanburg.
“After carefully evaluating the changing BMW U.S. customer preferences towards U.S.-built X vehicles and the declining interest in the European Delivery Program, BMW has made the decision to bring the U.S. market European Delivery Program to a close in the fall of 2020,” company spokesman Oleg Satanovsky told Motor Authority in an email Tuesday.
It isn't clear if the program will be canceled in any other markets.
Audi had a similar European delivery program but canceled it at the end of 2018.
