Woodcliff Lake, NJ - October 18, 2025... After eight grueling days across 1,700 miles of unforgiving desert terrain, the BMW X5 has taken first place in the 2025 Rebelle Rally Bone Stock category and second place overall in the X-Cross category for all-wheel-drive vehicles. The team's exceptional performance demonstrates the true grit and versatility of BMW's best-selling model, which was expertly guided by BMW of North America Product Manager Rebecca Dalski.
BMW returned to the longest competitive off-road navigation rally in the U.S. this year with a vehicle nearly identical to what comes off its assembly line in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In the Bone Stock category, competitors are permitted no modifications beyond aftermarket wheels and tires in the factory size, making it a true test of innate engineering capabilities.
Rebecca Dalski's entry into the competition came as a unique opportunity for real-world product testing and evaluation. Relying solely on compasses and paper maps, Dalski gained firsthand insights into the BMW X5's performance under extreme pressure. The vehicle's all-wheel drive system and potent inline-six engine helped propel the team through diverse desert terrain and across the finish line with remarkable composure. Inside the vehicle, Dalski and Donaghe's extensive preparations, teamwork, and precision allowed for them to blaze through all checkpoints confidentially while outpacing their competitors.
The rally's notorious "dunes day" pushed the X5 to its limits, requiring careful planning and strategic driving to avoid getting bogged down in the soft sand. The team also had to overcome the mental fatigue and pressure of relying solely on maps and compasses to navigate over 1,700 miles, without the aid of GPS.
The following internal and external partners helped make this year's Rebelle Rally win possible:
BMW of North America, LLC was established 50 years ago to support the sales, marketing and distribution of BMW automobiles in the U.S. BMW Motorrad was brought into the fold in 1980. In 1993 BMW Group Financial Services NA, LLC was founded, and one year later BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC began assembling vehicles in South Carolina. In 2002 and 2003, BMW Group established MINI USA, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC relaunching two iconic brands and rounding out its product portfolio.
Today, the BMW Group has a nationwide corporate footprint in the U.S. which consists of nearly 30 locations in 12 different states. Beyond the National Sales Company and Financial Services headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, its manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and numerous other operational facilities, BMW Group in the U.S. also includes Designworks, a strategic design consultancy in Santa Monica, CA, BMW Group Technology Office USA, a technology research and development center in Silicon Valley, and BMW i Ventures, a venture capital fund, also in Silicon Valley.
BMW Group Plant Spartanburg is the largest single BMW production facility in the world, and the global center of competence for BMW Sports Activity Vehicles including the X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, and XM. The plant assembles more than 1,500 vehicles each day, and up to 450,000 annually. Since 1994, Plant Spartanburg has assembled more than 7 million BMW vehicles in the U.S.
The BMW Group sales organization in the U.S. is represented through a network of 351 BMW retailers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 105 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. The company's activities provide and support over 120,000 jobs across the U.S. and contribute more than 43.3 billion to the U.S. economy annually.
Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.comwww.miniusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com