"Assistants." Right.

The CEO of BMW fainted on stage today at his first Frankfurt Auto Show. That's rough, and I hope he will be able to have a sense of humour about it ("I was momentarily overcome by the excellence of our 2016 models," or something) but I was interested by this picture of the event photo. Autoblog says that he was helped off the stage by two "assistants." Well, the assistant on the right can barely fit his arms into his suit, and that doesn't look like a wallet under his jacket at the back. I don't think they were there to run the PowerPoint.

They were assisting.

Not only is that not a wallet, but it looks not unlike a mac10

I guess BMW has made a lot of enemies...cooling systems, Bangle styling, iDrive, the list of potential grievances is endless

I would imagine the CEO of any company that size has a couple similar assistants hanging around.

People really hate iDrive. Just sayin.

Sticker shock?

WTF is with the square fit of the guy on the right's jacket around the waist? Looks like a square box behind him. Ammo?

Here's what it looks like to me:

Could also be a radio in there.

G. P. Snorklewacker wrote: Could also be a radio in there.

That's no fun.

Actually, whenever these presentations are made, everyone is wearing a wireless mic.

I heard he said "It was something i8."

David S. Wallens wrote:

G. P. Snorklewacker wrote: Could also be a radio in there.

That's no fun. Actually, whenever these presentations are made, everyone is wearing a wireless mic.

That, and if I were professional security already wearing a suit - I'd carry my dangerous implements in a shoulder rig.

If I were facing the crowd as a fellow presenter who happened to be standing nearby when the swoon occurred... I'd probably hide the radio equipment behind my back, under my jacket.

I have already thought way too much about this. I'm sure I must have better things to do.

Mr. Spangler gets 10 points for cleverness. I would deduct 5 points for keyboard inundation, but I had already swallowed that sip of coffee.

G. P. Snorklewacker wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote:

G. P. Snorklewacker wrote: Could also be a radio in there.

That's no fun. Actually, whenever these presentations are made, everyone is wearing a wireless mic.

That, and if I were professional security already wearing a suit - I'd carry my dangerous implements in a shoulder rig. If I were facing the crowd as a fellow presenter who happened to be standing nearby when the swoon occurred... I'd probably hide the radio equipment behind my back, under my jacket. I have already thought way too much about this. I'm sure I must have better things to do.

Yup.. It's a radio. Chill. Also, European fit suits will make anyone with a slight build to look muscular in that pose. Though, I think that's a musuclar body guard.

take off the tin foil hats.

And who cares if they are security. Every CEO of a big company has bodyguards...

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:

They're probably members of the German Labor party....

The "assistants" are most likely heavily armed. In 1997 or 1998 I flew Robert Eaton, president of Chrysler, from Pellston MI to Mackinac Island MI for a 2 day meeting. His "assistant" was wearing a suit. It was a hot, humid summer day. When we got in the airplane he took off his jacket revealing a shoulder holstered H&K MP5 with a very short barrel. When I asked is that was all you are carrying he replied no, he also had a pistol.

I've heard the CEOs of oil companies bring a security detail that's in a different league to anyone else, even heads of state. Cartoonish, Matrix-level gun-toting.

pilotbraden wrote: ..a shoulder holstered H&K MP5 with a very short barrel..

Concealed machine gun? How do you get a permit for that?

Regarding the "assistants": they're police, but they're secret, shhhhh (it's a German thing)

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Yup.. It's a radio. Chill. Also, European fit suits will make anyone with a slight build to look muscular in that pose. Though, I think that's a musuclar body guard. take off the tin foil hats. And who cares if they are security. Every CEO of a big company has bodyguards...

they want you to beleive its a radio... but look closer... I enhanced the image and this is what this is what i found...

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theres more to the story then they are telling us... wake up sheeple!

Also, for a little more behind-the-scenes excitement, at events like this they sometimes have real-time language translations going on. You can wear a headset and hear the language of your choice. BMW does a very nice job of this when welcome press from other countries. Basically, everyone there is wearing a mic.

If that was Mary Barra in that same 'assisted' situation people would be goin' bat E36 M3 crazy.

In reply to aircooled:

I asked that same question. I was told that corporations can own machine guns in the state of Michigan and many other places. I imagine that it is all about dollars to the right bureaucracy/bureaucrat.

^Worst-case scenario, your boss put his money into getting you off the hook for performing your job as required.

This is what I see...

Meh...they all skip leg day.