BMW Presents BMW Hydrogen 7 to EU Parliamentary President, Hans-Gert Pöttering

Strasburg, 04/23/2008 -- During his visit to the European Parliament in Strasburg on 23 April 2008, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of BMW AG, presented the first series hydrogen saloon in the premium segment to the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering.

BMW Hydrogen 7: Prof. Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, and Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, at the hand over of the BMW Hydrogen 7 (from left)

In line with the European Parliament's efforts to take measures to reduce its own CO2 emissions, President Pöttering agreed to receive this car for institutional use for a limited trial period.

During the presentation, Dr. Norbert Reithofer said: "Our goal is sustained mobility. We can only make this possible together with the help of politicians and under reliable conditions. The Hydrogen 7 shows that we have initial solutions and are on the right track. We are convinced that regeneratively produced hydrogen has the most potential to secure our mobility in the future. We are both delighted and proud, President Pöttering, that we have managed to make this mobility concept reality today."

The BMW Group is one of the leading companies in the international automobile industry that is committed to sustained mobility. Already today, BMW is demonstrating its responsibility by the introduction of EfficientDynamics measures in the current model range. It is expected that 700,000 BMW vehicles with EfficientDynamic measures will be sold this year in Europe alone. The fuel saving of all new BMW vehicles sold in Europe compared to 2006 will be around 150 million litres. In terms of CO2, this means a saving of 373,000 tonnes.

At the same time, BMW has for more than two decades consistently focused on advancing hydrogen technology. In the long-term, hydrogen is to replace petrol as a fuel. Since 2007, the BMW Hydrogen 7 has been presented to selected representatives from Lifestyle, Politics and Industry. A small series of 100 vehicles has initially been produced. The BMW Hydrogen 7 combines the total integration of hydrogen technology with BMW typical driving dynamics, smooth running and comfort features.

Source: BMW