BMW pursues plastic; Carmaker's bank offers Platinum, Ultimate Visas for the first time.(Brief Article)

Advertising Age, July, 2000 by Halliday, Jean

Bmw, advertised as the "Ultimate driving machine," is rolling out its all-new Ultimate Visa card.

The credit card is one of two -- the Ultimate and the Platinum -- that will be offered to pre-qualified BMW owners for the first time this summer. Other car marketers have branded credit cards, including DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz USA, General Motors Corp. and Subaru of America. Those companies team with outside financial institutions; BMW's cards are handled by BMW Bank of North America, a Salt Lake City bank set up by BMW Financial Services North America. The bank opened in May after approval last September from the state of Utah.

ULTIMATE CARD IN TEST

The Ultimate card is being tested on a small percentage of BMW owners through a direct...

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