BMW Media Site BMW i8 Wins Crown as the 2012 Concept Vehicle of the Year – the Ultimate Driving Machine of the Future. Contact: Matthew  Russell (201) 307-3783 (office) Matthew.Russell@bmwna.com     BMW i8 Wins Crown as the 2012 Concept Vehicle of the Year – the Ultimate Driving Machine of the Future. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – July 12, 2012 2:00pm EDT… BMW takes the 2012 Concept Car of the Year Award with its i8 Concept Roadster. This award marks BMW’s fourth competition as a category finalist and the brand’s second visit to the awards podium at the eleventh annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards announced today. The Concept Car category recognizes those vehicles where passenger carrying is the primary intent. The awards recognize those vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry. This year, more than two dozen jurors participated in a selection process that involved a total of 34 vehicles, each introduced to North America during this season’s auto shows in Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, and New York.The awards are given to the best Production Preview Vehicle, Concept Car, Concept Truck, and Most Significant Concept Vehicle of each auto show season. To be eligible for the awards, a concept vehicle must make its North American debut during the current model year’s auto show season. With the exception of those vehicles in the Production Preview category, qualified nominees must represent an advanced design and /or engineering concept, rather than being a show version of a current production model.These awards are unique in that they are judged by a diverse panel of automotive journalists from throughout North America, and considered in the specific context of the North American market. “With lines that remind me of icy water in a mountain stream, the BMW i8 takes open top driving into a new realm of environmental responsibility, with the mission of the ultimate driving machine firmly embedded,” said juror Bill Schaffer. Juror Chris Poole states, “The i8 concept wraps innovative construction and powertrain technologies in a functional, eye-catching new design language that will be exclusive to the upcoming eco sub-brand it previews. It's an impressive blend of supercar style and speed with future-oriented mpg and emissions performance”.By extending the review to the whole package – design, style, materials, technology, market viability and market responsiveness – and concentrating the focus on the market that the jurors know best, the North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards provide truly valuable feedback to help shape the future of the automotive industry.BMW Group In AmericaBMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 113 MINI passenger car dealers, and 32 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com.Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.