An exclusive look at one of the world's most successful andcontroversial companies, and the mysterious family behind it.
BMW is arguably the most admired carmaker in the world. It'sfinancial performance is the envy of its competitors, and BMWproducts inspire near-fanatical loyalty. While many carmakersstruggle with falling sales, profits and market share, demand forBMWs continues to grow, frequently outpacing production. Now, DavidKiley-Detroit Bureau Chief at USA Today and author of Getting theBugs Out, which covered Volkswagen's demise and rebirth, goesinside the fabled German automaker to see how it does what it doesso well. With unprecedented access to BMW executives, Kiley goesbehind the walls of BMW's famed "Four Cylinders" headquarters inMunich at a time when the company is in its most aggressive, andsome say riskiest, expansion in its history and when some of thecompany's new products, like the 7 Series sedan and Z4 roadster,are for the first time drawing as many barbs from critics asbouquets. Kiley covers intimate details of the boardroom dramasurrounding the company's nearly disastrous acquisition andsubsequent sale of the British Rover Group and its expansion intoselling MINI and Rolls Royce cars. Besides being a world-classcarmaker, BMW is also considered one of the smartest consumermarketing companies and Kiley explores the extraordinary value andmanagement of the BMW brand mystique. He also takes a revealinglook at the mysterious and ultra-private Quandt family of BadHomburg Germany, which owns a controlling stake in BMW: Johanna andSusanne Quandt, two of the wealthiest women in Europe and StefanQuandt, one of the wealthiest bachelors on the continent.
David Kiley (Ann Arbor, MI) is the Detroit Bureau Chief at USAToday who has covered the auto industry for 17 years. He has beenfeatured on Nightline, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, NPR and the Today show. Heis also the author of Getting the Bugs Out: The Rise, Fall, andComeback of Volkswagen in America (0-471-26304-4), also availablefrom Wiley.
David Kiley
BMW Business & Management Wirtschaft Wirtschaft u. Management