German luxury carmaker BMW inaugurated Wednesday "BMW Welt," a giant exhibition and auto delivery space designed to boost the brand's prestige in an increasingly competitive market. The steel and glass building covers 10,000 square meters (107,600 square feet) and was designed by Austrian architect Wolf Prix who reportedly used the Acropolis in Athens as inspiration.
It was built in Munich, southern Germany, on the site of the first BMW factory that opened in 1916, close to the company's headquarters and the city's Olympic stadium. The carmaker invested around 500 million euros (700 million dollars) in what Reithofer said was "definitely not" an oversized showroom or museum.
Starting Tuesday, clients will be able to take delivery at the centre, with Reithofer saying that "sheer driving pleasure" would begin with a walk down a spiral ramp to where the car awaits.