On May 8, 2025, BMW Group Switzerland marked its 50th anniversary with a gala celebration at its Dielsdorf headquarters, capping off a year in which the brand not only commemorated the golden jubilee of its iconic 3 Series but also surged to the top of Switzerland’s overall manufacturer rankings for the first quarter of 2025.
The evening opened with a keynote address by Sergio Solero, President and CEO of BMW (Switzerland) AG, who traced the company’s remarkable ascent from importing fewer than 4,000 vehicles in 1975 to selling more than 25,000 units annually today. Solero paid tribute to Karl Hübner, whose MOTAG enterprise first brought BMW automobiles and components to Switzerland in 1953, and noted how the later introduction of models like the all-wheel-drive 325iX in 1985 responded directly to Swiss driving conditions in the Alpine region. He also thanked the company’s 424 employees, its dealer network, and over 30 local suppliers for their roles in BMW’s success.
Guests were treated to a showcase of groundbreaking automobiles, including the BMW Vision Dee—unveiled in a Swiss-flag E-Ink wrap for the occasion—as well as six landmark BMW Art Cars spanning five decades. Sven Grützmacher, Director of Corporate Communications, led an engaging tour of the Art Car Collection, recounting how visionaries such as Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and more recently Jenny Holzer and John Baldessari have turned BMW vehicles into rolling canvases since 1975.
A high-profile panel followed, featuring Jochen Neerpasch—whose tenure as BMW Motorsport Director helped establish the Art Car program—Le Mans winner Max Heidegger, and JP Rathgen, CEO of Classic Driver. Together, they reflected on the convergence of art, design and performance that has come to define the BMW Art Car legacy.
With BMW Switzerland breaking the CHF 1 billion sales threshold in 2000 and adding the MINI brand in 2001, the company has steadily expanded its footprint. In 2024 it reclaimed its position as Switzerland’s leading premium marque, and in early 2025 it outpaced all manufacturers on the sales leaderboard. The Dielsdorf celebration offered a fitting tribute to that journey—honoring pioneers of the past, achievements of the present and offering a glimpse of the upcoming Neue Klasse.
