Miss Figaro. –
Why did BMW decide to get involved with the Cannes Film Festival?
Vincent Salemon.
– As a leader in sustainable mobility, BMW likes to engage with other leaders.
As the Cannes Film Festival is a benchmark in the world of cinema in France and around the world, this alliance seemed natural to us.
BMW has, since
Fantômas,
with Jean Marais and Louis de Funès, in 1964, been present in more than 30,000 films.
The brand appears in many
James Bonds,
with Pierce Brosnan in particular (
GoldenEye, Tomorrow never dies
or
The world is not enough
).
In the same register, in the United States, BMW Group is a partner of the
Mission: Impossible saga.
I personally have a weakness for
L'Emmerdeur,
by Édouard Molinaro with Jacques Brel, where Lino Ventura drives a 2002 Touring, but it's a very personal choice!
Read also75 years of Croisette in pictures: the stars of Cannes pose for
Madame Figaro
The Festival has decided to reduce its carbon footprint and increase its environmental responsibility. It's also your obsession...
Absolutely.
We appointed a director of sustainable development in 1973, our first electric car was created in 2013. All the vehicles used for the Festival are part of our electrified range, including three 100% electric models launched in 2021. This range already represents a third of our sales – our objective being to reach thirteen models in 2030, and 50% of sales.
The Festival is an opportunity for us to show all of this capacity for innovation that is ours with our showcase vehicle, the BMW i7, which is presented dynamically for the first time on the Croisette.
The first 100% electric limousine in the segment, it offers 625 km of autonomy and a panoramic screen, the BMW Theater Screen, which brings the cinematographic experience into the vehicle.
VS'
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,
Tom Cruise drove the concept car i Vision Dynamics which, it was thought, would never see the light of day – but this model ended up existing for good.
Full screen
Pierce Brosnan, aka 007, and his BMW Z8 in
The World Is Not Enough.
Press service
Can we still embody luxury, dreams and even pleasure, especially when we are a car brand, without innovating twice to protect the environment?
Of course not, and that's why our focus on reducing the mobility footprint spans the entire life cycle of a car, from resource extraction to recycling.
The cobalt we use comes only from Australia, the only country today to respect international standards in terms of extraction and human rights.
30% of the materials we use come from materials already in use – such as our seats and floor mats, made from recycled fishing line.
We work with the main energy suppliers, such as Engie, to offer green energy to our customers who use electric cars.
Finally, developing electric mobility involves reworking the driving experience, which involves sound, among other things.
As the car hardly makes any noise outside, we recreate inside the cabin the sound of the car moving, starting, etc.
And for that, we work with sound designers from the cinema, like Hans Zimmer, composer of Oscar-winning German film music.
