Product Launch BMW Cruiser R18

In autumn 2020, BMW launched the R18 on the market, a motorcycle model in the Cruiser segment featuring a retro design – and a self-proclaimed Harley-Davidson competitor. The original plan was to present the motorcycle by means of a riding demonstration on the highways of the west coast of America. However, due to the pandemic, the event was cancelled at short notice and HAGEN INVENT was tasked with an alternative realisation in local Munich. The challenge was to design, within a very short timespan, a setting in line with the retro look, enabling extensive test drives, two evening events, a press conference and three workshops – and at the same time to provide the experience of a USA Cruiser feeling and the tradition of the BMW Boxer Heritage in the predefined location “BMW Classic”. Not least, of course, all the applicable coronavirus safety measures had to be complied with.

The event kicked off with a press conference and a dinner. The day after, it was possible to try out the model on the serpentine streets in the southeast of Munich and the Alpine foothills. Then the participants returned to the location that had been transformed into a BMW motorcycle Cruiser and Boxer Heritage hub. A heritage exhibition, a workshop hub, a lifestyle hub, a design area and a dialogue lounge, divided into themed islands, could be visited and used. The day ended with a BBQ in the BMW Classic outdoor area. A little BMW R18 world was created in the existing spaces with simple means and a small budget, which allowed the target group to move freely and to experience relevant content. Workshops were held at the product islands for interested journalists who were unable to attend and resented as livestreams, followed by a Q&A session.