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BMW's 50th Anniversary Celebration - Chapter 11: "Relocating to Woodcliff Lake: A New Home for a Blossoming Corporation"

BMW North America enjoyed exponential growth in its initial decade. Sales figures doubled within the initial five years, primarily due to the success of the debuted 1976 first-generation 3 Series. This growth led to an expansion in workforce. By the early 1980s, BMW North America found itself...

BMW's 50th Anniversary Narrative - Chapter 11: Establishment of Woodcliff Lake as the Expanding...
BMW's 50th Anniversary Narrative - Chapter 11: Establishment of Woodcliff Lake as the Expanding Company's New Headquarters

BMW's 50th Anniversary Celebration - Chapter 11: "Relocating to Woodcliff Lake: A New Home for a Blossoming Corporation"

In a significant move, BMW of North America officially vacated its long-standing headquarters, the 300 Building in Montvale, New Jersey, on December 13, 2024, and moved into a new state-of-the-art facility at 200 BMW Drive in Woodcliff Lake.

The journey began in 1975 when BMW established its corporate headquarters in Montvale, taking over the Hoffman Motor Corporation and starting operations as BMW's exclusive US importer. This marked the beginning of BMW's North American presence.

However, by the early 1980s, BMW had outgrown the buildings it had leased from Hoffman Motors. In 1988, the company relocated its headquarters from Montvale to Woodcliff Lake, a move that consolidated multiple sites and made Woodcliff Lake the central hub for Development and Design, Training, Marketing, Sales, and other corporate activities for BMW of North America.

The Montvale building, originally Hoffman's, was described as "very over-the-top," and the new headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, designed by CUH2A architects, features a modern layout consisting of three offset cubes, a small lake, and wooded area, built on a former apple orchard.

The old Hoffman building in Montvale was used for BMW NA's Eastern Region handling sales, marketing, aftersales, center development, and other functions for the northeastern US until 2011. The move to Woodcliff Lake was a relocation within Bergen County, with the new headquarters integrating all corporate activities for North America.

The transition was spearheaded by Dr. Günther Kramer, who succeeded Jack Cook as BMW NA's chief executive officer. BMW NA purchased 40 acres of land in Woodcliff Lake for the new headquarters, with additional property and buildings added to the campus as the company expanded.

The new headquarters boasts an abundant number of meeting rooms, a well-equipped auditorium, a state-of-the-art video studio, computer server room, barber shop, dry-cleaning service, and a large cafeteria. The building's exterior has white porcelain enamel panels and grey glass windows.

The move addressed trucking issues, as the Montvale location was far from the freeway, causing difficulties for large trucks delivering parts and vehicles. The first-generation 3 Series, which debuted in 1976, played a significant role in the growth of BMW of North America, with sales doubling within the first five years.

BMW of North America experienced tremendous growth in its first decade, and the new headquarters reflects this success. The company purchased 40 acres of land in Woodcliff Lake for the new headquarters in the 1980s, and the building was completed by the time the company moved in 1988.

The Montvale building, an example of mid-century Brutalist architecture, is a testament to BMW's early years in North America. The new headquarters, on the other hand, stands as a symbol of BMW's continued growth and success in the region.

In light of BMW's growth, emphasized by the doubling of sales with the introduction of the first-generation 3 Series, the company started exploring opportunities in finance and investing, leading to the acquisition of real-estate properties. By the 1980s, BMW of North America expanded its business activities, not only consummating the move from Montvale to a state-of-the-art facility in Woodcliff Lake but also venturing into retail operations, including BMW dealerships nationwide.

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