BMW Marketing Chief Ian Robertson’s Speech at the Paris Motor Show

BMW Sales and Marketing chief Ian Robertson addressed the press on a speech he gave at the Paris Motor Show 2010. Here’s the full transcript of the speech:

Welcome to BMW. My name is Ian Robertson.

We’re very pleased to be here in Paris. It’s been a really good year so far for BMW – we have great new products in 2010 and our sales figures are testimony to this.

By the end of August, the worldwide sales of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce had risen by 12.5 percent to close to 920,000 vehicles in comparison with the same period in 2009.

September saw further positive development and we experienced solid double-digit growth for the BMW Group. We announced back in April that we would sell 120.000 BMW Group vehicles in China this year. Due to the extremely positive development in this market, we are currently revising these figures upwards.

Worldwide, we plan to sell over 1.4 million automobiles by the end of the year – 10 percent more than in 2009. Our goal is to once again be the world’s number one premium car company this year.

We attribute the good sales figures to three reasons:

Along with the recovery of the markets after the financial crisis, there was a rise in demand for premium vehicles worldwide. At the BMW Group, we had already brought our company and product strategy into line with the future before the crisis. Our processes are highly efficient across the entire organisation.

But above all, it’s our products.

This brings me to the third reason: We develop our vehicles according to EfficientDynamics – which means that they are both powerful and fuel-efficient. We have highly attractive new products which have been well-received by customers throughout the world. For example:

Well over 45,000 BMW 7 Series have been delivered to customers this year and it is the segment leader. We have already sold around 65.000 units of the new 5 Series Sedan since its market launch in March. And the brand new X1 has also more than exceeded our expectations: We have already sold over 70,000 units And with more than 100,000 X5 and X6 models sold this year, we hold worldwide leadership in this segment.

We have just launched another attractive new model – the BMW 5 Series Touring, to complement the new 5 Series range. And of course we have a real highlight for our customers as we go into autumn: The new BMW X3.

Here in Paris, the BMW X3 is celebrating its world premiere.

Back in 2004, the first BMW X3 established a new segment and quickly became a bestseller. It’s only logical that the second generation continues this success.

What distinguishes the second generation of this sports activity vehicle? It’s larger than its predecessor and blends in perfectly between the BMW X1 and the BMW X5 Series.

From the first glance you can see that the new BMW X3 has an attractive new design and offers more room. As soon as you drive it you feel that the suspension technology has been significantly improved to offer an even more agile driving experience. It goes without saying that Efficient Dynamics is standard on this car. As an example, let’s take this model with a 2.0 litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine. At a top performance with 184 horsepower, its fuel consumption is only 5.6 litres per 100 kilometres with CO2 emissions of just 149 grams per kilometre. This makes it more dynamic and efficient than all comparable competitors.

The new BMW X3 is produced in Spartanburg, where we have just completed an investment of 750 million USD to accommodate the production of this vehicle as well as the increase in capacity to 200,000 vehicles per year. We’re really excited about this car, which will be available to European customers at the end of November. And now the new BMW X3 is going to leave us to make room for more highlights from BMW.

At BMW, we ensure that every BMW is highly efficient.

And here on the stage you can see the very best example of Efficient Dynamics.

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics exhibits the characteristics that are typical of BMW: It is dynamic through and through. You can see the 356 horsepower just by looking at it. But through the intelligent combination of new engine technology and lightweight materials, it has a fuel consumption of only 3.76 litres.

The innovative design symbolises future mobility.

Design and aesthetics have always played a key role at BMW and they always will. Here’s a short film on that topic I think you’ll enjoy.

Take a look at this BMW Coupé from 1971!

This new coupe design was initially created by the BMW designer Wilhelm Hofmeister for large sport coupes like this one here. The style of this coupe generation embodied an elegant flair: the slender pillars and the light roof construction, the small BMW kidney radiator grille and the kink at the base of the C-pillar – we still call this the “Hofmeister kink” today. The BMW 3.0 CSL was one of the most beautiful coupes of its time. It triumphed on the race track and on the streets. If you look back through the history of BMW models, the sport coupe is the epitome of performance-based driving pleasure. If you now take a closer look at this new BMW 6 Series concept car, you’ll recognise the classic features of a coupe from BMW. The long bonnet, the short front overhang, the set-back passenger cabin, the smooth silhouette and the famous Hofmeister kink. In this car, our designers combined traditional values with trend-setting style.

The BMW 6 Series continues the sport coupe tradition. It is the coupe for ambitious, performance-based driving. The interior is luxurious, progressive and stylish with expertly-crafted top-quality materials.

We will bring it to the roads in a similar form to what you see here. And of course we will develop it according to BMW EfficientDynamics. I’m often asked, “What can we expect from BMW EfficientDynamics in the future and, above all, when?” For the BMW Group, the next logical step in Efficient Dynamics is electric drive trains. Many of you are familiar with the MINI E.

The next step in our study of electric mobility is the BMW Concept ActiveE. Here it is now:

I’d like to welcome the President of BMW Group France, Philippe Dehennin.

Philippe Dehennin: Here we have the French premiere of the BMW Concept ActiveE. It is unlike anything I’ve ever driven in before. A true BMW, yet no emissions. A short, but very impressive drive.

Ian Robertson: It is a fully electric vehicle based on the BMW 1 Series coupe and is a four-seater. The drive train is a forerunner to that which will be used in the Megacity Vehicle. Next year we will begin a pilot project with the BMW ActiveE, similar to what we have been doing with the MINI E. Philippe, you will begin testing with the MINI E very soon in France.

Philippe: Yes, that’s right. We will have 50 MINI Es and we will work together with both companies and private individuals over a period of six months. In December we will hand the first cars over to EDF, Veolia Environnement, and INRETS. And we will share our findings with French authorities.

Ian: The findings from our tests with the MINI E and the BMW ActiveE will flow into the development of what we call the Megacity Vehicle – which will be launched in 2013 and will represent a milestone for future mobility. There are also other approaches as to how electric mobility could look.

At the BMW Group, we’re able to create some completely surprising solutions. Especially with the MINI brand, unconventional approaches are in good hands. We’re looking forward to telling you more about this at the MINI press conference next door.

Thank you.