Despite record sales volume and revenues, BMW Group expects to report roughly the same earnings for 2005 as it did for the previous year.
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In a statement on Wednesday, BMW chairman Helmut Panke said: “The adverse external factors – unfavourable exchange rates, high raw material prices and intense competition – which we reported from the very beginning of the year have been largely offset by increased sales volume and internal efficiency improvement measures. For the financial year 2005, we will therefore achieve approximately the previous year’s high earnings level.”
Group revenues rose 5.2% to EUR46,656m (2004: EUR44,335m). Revenues of the automobile segment increased 7.8% to EUR45,861m (EUR42,544m). The motorcycles segment recorded revenues of EUR1,223m (+18.9%; EUR1,029m). Revenues of the financial services segment increased 14.4% to EUR9,408m (EUR8,226m).
With 1,327,992 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brand cars sold in 2005, sales volume rose 9.9% (1,208,732).
“We expect the BMW Group to remain on growth course in the financial year 2006. Our aim is to increase sales volume yet again and once again set a new record”, Panke added.
Capital expenditure in 2005, at EUR3,993m, was 8.1% lower (2004: EUR4,347m).
EUR2,597m (-19.5%; EUR3,226m) was invested in property, plant and equipment and in intangible assets.
Production volume rose 5.8% to 1,323,119 cars. Over 50,000 BMW 3 series cars were manufactured at the new Leipzig plant from March 2005.
BMW said it was most successful supplier of premium cars in the world with its 3, 5 and 7 series core models each leading their segments.
1,126,768 BMW brand cars were sold in 2005, up 10.1% year on year.
The group’s best-selling car, with 229,932 units sold, was the new 3 series sedan, which was introduced in March 2005 and accounted for 17% of the total sales volume for 2005.
For the first time, more that 200,000 Mini brand cars were sold in a single year, with the number of cars delivered increasing 8.7% to 200,428.
The top version, the Cooper S, recorded the strongest growth with sales volume rising 25.8% to 56,916. The Cooper remained the most popular model with sales of 89,079 units (+1.4%) or 44.4% of total volume.
Rolls-Royce delivered 796 Phantoms, four more than in 2004.
Motorcycle sales rose 5.6% to 97,474.
The volume of new retail customer contracts issued by the financial services division rose 13.2% to EUR23,507m, a new record. But, at 41.1%, the proportion of new BMW and Mini cars financed by the division in 2005 was marginally lower than in the previous year.
