Driven (PDF)

An exclusive look at one of the world's most successful and
controversial companies, and the mysterious family behind it.

BMW is arguably the most admired carmaker in the world. It's
financial performance is the envy of its competitors, and BMW
products inspire near-fanatical loyalty. While many carmakers
struggle with falling sales, profits and market share, demand for
BMWs continues to grow, frequently outpacing production. Now, David
Kiley-Detroit Bureau Chief at USA Today and author of Getting the
Bugs Out, which covered Volkswagen's demise and rebirth, goes
inside the fabled German automaker to see how it does what it does
so well. With unprecedented access to BMW executives, Kiley goes
behind the walls of BMW's famed "Four Cylinders" headquarters in
Munich at a time when the company is in its most aggressive, and
some say riskiest, expansion in its history and when some of the
company's new products, like the 7 Series sedan and Z4 roadster,
are for the first time drawing as many barbs from critics as
bouquets. Kiley covers intimate details of the boardroom drama
surrounding the company's nearly disastrous acquisition and
subsequent sale of the British Rover Group and its expansion into
selling MINI and Rolls Royce cars. Besides being a world-class
carmaker, BMW is also considered one of the smartest consumer
marketing companies and Kiley explores the extraordinary value and
management of the BMW brand mystique. He also takes a revealing
look at the mysterious and ultra-private Quandt family of Bad
Homburg Germany, which owns a controlling stake in BMW: Johanna and
Susanne Quandt, two of the wealthiest women in Europe and Stefan
Quandt, one of the wealthiest bachelors on the continent.

David Kiley (Ann Arbor, MI) is the Detroit Bureau Chief at USA
Today who has covered the auto industry for 17 years. He has been
featured on Nightline, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, NPR and the Today show. He
is also the author of Getting the Bugs Out: The Rise, Fall, and
Comeback of Volkswagen in America (0-471-26304-4), also available
from Wiley.