The BMW Group is confident about the current financial year after a record year in 2011. “We are targeting new highs in sales volume and pre-tax earnings for 2012”, stated Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG at the Annual Accounts Press Conference in Munich on Tuesday. The Automotive segment remains on course to achieve an EBIT margin of between eight and ten percent, in line with our long-term profitability targets. Provided that the global economic climate does not take a turn for the worse, the BMW Group forecasts an EBIT margin in 2012 for the Automotive segment at the upper end of this corridor.
“We are starting the new year with a full order book and a highly attractive model range. The BMW Group plans to grow faster than the market as a whole in 2012 and expects to achieve new sales volume records for its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands” continued Reithofer. One important driver for growth will be the new BMW 3 Series, the sedan version of which has been available worldwide since 11 February 2012. Other new and revised models will also be launched in 2012, including the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé in June – the first four-door coupé in the company’s history – and the model revision of the group’s flagship, the BMW 7 Series, in July.
The Motorcycles segment will also expand its product range in 2012, with new vehicles such as the BMW Scooter and Husqvarna street motorcycles providing good momentum for sales volume, revenues and earnings. The strong performance of the Financial Services segment is also expected to continue. The BMW Group forecasts that it will again be able to achieve a return on equity in 2012 of at least 18%. These forecasts are based on the assumption that worldwide economic conditions remain stable.
