Dr. Ian Robertson
(HonDSc), Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and
Brand BMW, Aftersales BMW Group
Good morning ladies and gentlemen!
It’s great to be here and we’re delighted you could join us at the
BMW Group.
It’s great cars like this – the BMW 530e
iPerformance – that demonstrate why we sell more plug-in
hybrid vehicles than anyone else in the premium segment. Fuel
consumption is only 1.9 l/100 km and CO2 emissions just 44 g/km. These
figures are very impressive! The 530e is the sixth member of our
growing and very successful portfolio of iPerformance models.
The 5 Series is the heart of the BMW brand – we’ve sold 2.4 million
of the outgoing generation. Building on that success is the new 5
Series, which has had a great start, since we launched it a month ago.
Today, it’s my pleasure to present the world premiere of the latest
member of the 5 Series family!
The BMW 5 Series Touring has a long tradition of
being the ideal car for business, family, sports and leisure
activities alike – or any combination of these things. We are certain
that this new generation will impress even further. Now why do I say
that? Because it is the most innovative vehicle in its class. It has
an exceptional display and operating concept. It is the most connected
vehicle in its segment. We know that many of our customers are busy
people on the road and that they truly appreciate the seamless
communication and infotainment options. And furthermore: This car
offers the most advanced driver assistance systems available, just
like the 5 Series Sedan and, of course, the 7 Series.
Being a BMW, it is the sportiest car in its segment, and also the
most efficient. We’ve redesigned the suspension and reduced the weight
by up to 100 kg.
Fuel consumption has been lowered by up to 11 per cent! On top of all
of this, the new model has become more spacious. And we’ve increased
the boot and load capacity significantly.
I am sure that the fifth generation of the BMW 5 Series Touring will
be a great success. Sales start in June.
This is just one of the many new exciting BMWs coming in 2017…
And now ladies and gentlemen, to one of our most emotional products
in the BMW portfolio.
What a thrilling car! Alongside the sleek M4 Coupe,
I’m delighted to present the seductive Convertible, and the stunning
Gran Coupe! They all have one thing in common: dynamic design matched
by thrilling power. Pure emotion – that’s the
BMW 4 Series!
That number four is significant: We have sold over 400,000 BMW 4
Series cars since we introduced them in 2013. And when it came to
updating them, we focused on refining four aspects: More presence,
more elegance, more exclusivity and even sportier!
With new LED head and rear lights, an unbroken front air intake and
streamlined rear apron – the new 4 series makes even more of a
statement. And we not only gave the BMW 4 Series a sportier look, we
also completely updated the suspension: Performance is sharper and
more dynamic.
Dynamic is a word you can apply to any car with the BMW badge,
including the BMW i vehicles. Here in Geneva, we’re delighted to
reveal the latest i8 Special Edition – the BMW i8 Protonic
Frozen Black Edition you can see over there.
And speaking of black, my colleague, Peter Schwarzenbauer, has
brought a very special “black” car too – please welcome him!
Peter Schwarzenbauer,
Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, MINI, Rolls-Royce,
BMW Motorrad, Customer Engagement and Digital Business Innovation
BMW Group
Thank you Ian,
Boldness and pioneering spirit paired with the perfection of luxury:
This is Rolls-Royce. Customers in the luxury class
expect more than mere perfection: They expect something unique,
individual, and exclusive. That’s the reason why most of our customers
use our Bespoke programme to create their very own
special sanctuary. I invite you to come and get an impression of the
bespoke possibilities at our Rolls-Royce stand.
But there is also a new generation of independent pioneers,
uncompromising in their choice of lifestyle. Their vehicle of choice
must break the mould. Our answer to this is a new kind of Rolls-Royce
– you might say the brand’s tempting dark side – we call it
Black Badge.
Currently, there are two Black Badge models: the Wraith and the
Rolls-Royce Ghost you see here. More will follow.
Black Badge models have more edge. They feature a gleaming black
Spirit of Ecstasy, cutting-edge materials such as carbon-fibre
interwoven with aircraft-grade aluminium. Subtle modifications mean a
power and torque increase to give Black Badge customers a more
spirited driving experience.
I am pleased to tell you that Rolls-Royce had a very successful year
in 2016. As did MINI and BMW Motorrad.
We just finished updating our MINI model line-up
with the new MINI Countryman. Clubman and Countryman are MINI’s
spearheads in the fast-growing premium compact segment. This summer
will see the start of the electrified era for MINI with the Countryman
Plug-in Hybrid. In 2019, an all-electric MINI will follow.
All this shows that MINI is in a stronger position than ever before.
With our new and young models we aim to build further on last year’s momentum.
BMW Motorrad also had a record year – actually six in a row now. In
those six years, deliveries climbed around 50%. And we are expanding
our model line-up further. This coming season, our customers can look
forward to 14 new BMW motorcycles. We remain on track – in fact, ahead
of plan – to reach our goal of 200,000 motorcycles by 2020.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have shown you some of our current BMW Group vehicles. But how do
we see the future? To tell you more about that, I would now like to
hand over to our Chairman of the Board, Harald Krüger.
Harald Krüger, Chairman of
the Board of Management of BMW AG
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We offer our customers emotional products: From BMW Motorrad to the
pinnacle of luxury with Rolls-Royce. With this strong line-up, we are
starting the NEXT 100 years.
Strategy NUMBER ONE NEXT is our guideline for the future. As we
move forward, we want to lead in all these areas:
- Automated driving
- Connected mobility
- Electrification
- And Mobility services.
Already today, we are setting the pace in e-mobility. For example,
BMW i3 sales are doing very well. This year, we want to deliver
100,000 electrified cars to customers worldwide.
Also this year, we will test our fleet of forty highly autonomous
cars in cities.
Connectivity will be key in shaping the future of mobility.
For more than fifteen years, we have offered connected services in
our cars. Today, BMW has around 8.5 million connected cars on the road.
All of these new technologies and trends show how much the world is changing.
During change, people need orientation, values and emotions. And this
is what the BMW Group stands for: Emotional mobility.
One major part of our strategy is success as a global player. We call
many places in this world our home. Our production network spans the
globe: Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. We believe free trade
and open markets play a central role in creating a better world. The
free exchange of goods and ideas is fundamental for world progress.
This is what we stand for.
And now: I invite everyone to come and take a closer look at our
great products.