BMW Remains world's leading premium automobile company

BMW Group: Positive group earnings in sight for 2009. Group revenues down moderately in past year Remains world’s leading premium automobile company Reithofer: sales volume growth expected again in 2010.

Munich. Despite the ongoing worldwide financial and economic crisis, the BMW Group has, from today’s perspective, achieved the objectives for 2009 made known over the course of the past year. “We are confident that the BMW Group will, as planned, be able to post a profit before tax for 2009. This demonstrates that rigorous cost management and other wide-ranging measures to improve profitability in conjunction with our Strategy Number ONE are taking effect“, stated Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, on Friday in Munich.

Despite unfavourable business conditions worldwide, the decrease in group revenues in 2009 was comparatively moderate, dropping to euro 50,681 million (2008: euro 53,197million /-4.7%). Revenues of the Automobiles segment fell to euro 43,737 million (2008: euro 48,782 million /
-10.3%). The Motorcycles segment reported revenues of euro 1,069 million (2008: euro 1,230 million /-13.1%), whilst the Financial Services segment increased its revenues by 0.5% to euro 15,798 million (2008: euro 15,725 million).

The Annual Report 2009 will be presented at the Annual Accounts Press Conference on 17 March 2010. In total, the BMW Group sold 1,286,310 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles in 2009 (2008: 1,435,876 units /-10.4%). This performance enabled the BMW Group to increase its worldwide share of the premium segment and, as previously announced, to retain its position as the world’s leading premium auto manufacturer.