It’s gloves-off with Andi McCann as he gives us the low-down on the concept of luxury — and no, it isn’t about the price tag
When the devil is in the details, the concept of luxury is best exemplified by a thousand, niggly little things, as opposed to flamboyant flourishes. Some folks find this hard to digest because they have come to associate flashy, over-the-top theatrics with luxury, when in many cases, it is anything but.
It is seldom the hard empirical elements that bowl over discerning clients, but soft skills like empathy and an attentive touch, which are hallmarks of truly bespoke service.
Unlike most of BMW’s other activities, you can’t just pay to play in the BMW White Glove Experience. We are at Performance Motors Limited to attend a condensed version of the event, which is conducted with aplomb by the affable Andi McCann.
McCann is a seasoned trainer, not just of driving slowly and sedately, but also of driving fast and furious, with a liberal dose of anecdotes and behavioural tips sprinkled in between, all gleaned from his decades of coaching in the realms of motorsports, driver training and competitive sports.
Derived from the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chauffeur development programme that McCann also conducts, it is an exclusive, invitation-only course targeted at owners of BMW’s top-tier GKL (Grand Klasse Luxury) models (7er, X7 and 8er variants), although it is also open to their chauffeurs, if desired.
In the rarefied realm where the GKL models operate, one can’t merely go through formulaic motions and follow a script; instead, a degree of creative improvisation is required, depending on the circumstances.
On the surface, the BMW White Glove Experience seems like a routine driver training course. However, in reality, it develops and hones one’s state of mind, which determines how you drive, act, react and comport yourself, in addition to the thorough grounding you will receive in kinesiology, or the study of movement.
Sounds simple? Except it isn’t because it is the interdisciplinary study of human movement encompassing anatomy, physiology, neuroscience and biomechanics, and how the movements relate to the real world.
Kinesiology’s impact can be seen in how one goes about opening the car door (in one sweep, no less) for a client, the effect of holding a phone in one’s hand while driving (no) or something as seemingly innocuous as material type and thickness of one’s clothing or vehicle upholstery.
When the term “luxury” is bandied around so much, it starts to have a diminished impact. McCann says: “The term is overused in this region, so as an introduction to the course, I often recalibrate the participants’ idea that luxury is not necessarily cost-related."
He explains: "For instance, luxury can take the form of an exceptional surprise, which can be distilled into tiny details such as an unprompted gesture of opening someone's door, personalised details or remembering someone's birthday.”
He adds: “Anticipation is key to any progress in traffic or life, because if you're waiting to react, it's already too late. When one learns to anticipate needs, this shows proper care and a meticulous attention to detail, or as we call it, ‘a high touch’, hence the reference to the white glove.”
