BMW to launch 2019 X5 SUV in Atlanta near Porsche and Mercedes-Benz hq

A new 2019 BMW X5
SUV.
BMW

• BMW is holding the global
  press launch of its all-new 2019 X5 SUV in Atlanta, Georgia
  next month. 
• According to BMW, the decision to hold the event
  Atlanta was based on optimal logistics.
• Atlanta is a couple of hours away from the BMW factory
  that will build the new X5 and is also home to the world’s
  busiest airport.
• However, it is also home turf for BMW’s two largest
  rivals, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. 

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In September, BMW will host the global press launch of its new
2019 X5 SUV on the roads in and around Atlanta, Georgia. For a
week or two, journalists from around the world will descend upon
the Peach State to get their first taste of the new BMW X5 and to
see if has what it takes to challenge rivals from Mercedes and
Porsche.

Normally, mid-September in Atlanta means football and, on a good
year, a playoff run for the Braves. So, the global launch of
one of the most important models in the automotive landscape is
certainly a rarity. After all, product events of this type tend
to take place in more exotic locales like the Swiss Alps or
along the sun-drench Mediterranean coast.  

But Atlanta is a much more strategic choice than it may initially
seem.  The ATL is growing to be a world-class city. It
boasts the busiest airport in the world with an abundance of
non-stop flights around the world. There’s also plenty of
culture, nightlife, and natural beauty to be
experienced. 

More importantly, the city is also in BMW’s backyard. The Munich,
Germany-based car maker’s largest factory is located a couple of
hours northeast of Atlanta in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This
is where the new BMW X5 will be made. 

BMW’s Spartanburg, South
Carolina factory.
REUTERS/Chris
Keane

BMW gave us a similar explanation when asked about their decision
to launch in Atlanta. 

However, I get a sense that there’s a little more to this than
optimal logistics for the company’s staff and guests. Atlanta
might be in BMW’s backyard, but it’s home to its two biggest
rivals, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. 

Porsche Cars North America’s $100 million corporate headquarters
and test track is located at the foot of one of Atlanta airport’s
runways. So for many, it’s one of the first things they see
upon landing.

As for Mercedes-Benz USA, the company opened its shiny new
headquarters in Atlanta earlier this year while the city’s most
talked-about new landmark is the $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz
Stadium complete with a gigantic three-pointed star bolted to its
roof. 

Porsche Cars North
American headquarters.
Porsche

Mercedes’s US factory is also located a few hours drive to the
west in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It’s where the company builds the
rival GLE SUV. 

Some have even jokingly called Atlanta “Stuttgart South” after
the Germany city where the two automakers’ global headquarters
are based. 

So to launch what is arguably its most important product in a
city dominated by its rivals is a small, but important public
relations coup for BMW. It’s a reminder to the people of Atlanta
to not sleep on the Bavarians. 

Mercedes-Benz
Stadium.
Christian Petersen/Getty
Images

We’ve seen car companies do this sort of thing before. Last year,
McLaren launched it’s
ground-breaking 720S supercar in Rome, Italy. So for a whole
month, the English supercars became a fixture on the streets of
the Italian capital. A reminder, no doubt, to the Roman people
that their beloved Ferrari and Lamborghini aren’t the only shows
in town. 

So, did BMW choose Atlanta for its many attractions and
logistical advantages? Probably. But you can’t help but think
there was a part of the Bavarians that didn’t want to stick it to
their rivals. Even if it’s just for a few days.