BMW Group plans plant in Brazil

Start of production scheduled for 2014

Planned capacity of approx. 30,000 units per year

Planned investment of more than 200 million euros

Munich/Brasilia, 24-10-2012 — /europawire.eu/ — The BMW Group plans to build a new plant in Brazil. “We welcome the new framework for investments in Brazil, based on the recently adopted “Inovar Auto” legislation. We have submitted an investment proposal for our planned new plant to the Brazilian Government,” said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management, responsible for Sales and Marketing BMW, at a meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in the capital, Brasilia, on Monday.

Subject to final approval of the plans by the Brazilian Government, the goal is for production to begin in 2014. Investments over the next few years will total more than 200 million euros. Plans call for a production capacity of approximately 30,000 vehicles per year. More than 1,000 new jobs will be created at the new production site – as well as additional jobs within the supplier network as a result of the new plant. Negotiations with the State Government of Santa Catarina are already well underway for the new facility in the Joinville region.

“Brazil is a market with tremendous potential for the future for the BMW Group. For that reason, we are strengthening our long-term commitment to this country,” Robertson explained. “This will create the necessary conditions for us to maintain the balance of sales between Europe, Asia and the Americas – and, therefore, for the long-term success of our company. With this move, the BMW Group is applying its strategic principle of ‘production follows the market’, which has already proved successful in markets such as the U.S., China and India.”

The new plant in Brazil will extend the BMW Group’s production network which currently comprises 29 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries. The company has been manufacturing BMW motorcycles at its Manaus location since 2010.

The BMW Group has had a local sales company in Brazil since 1995. A total of 15,214 vehicles were sold in Brazil in 2011. This represents a growth rate of almost 54%. BMW Motorrad also increased its sales by 55% in 2011 to reach a total of 5,442 motorcycles.

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 29 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2011, the BMW Group sold about 1.67 million cars and more than 113,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2011 was euro 7.38 billion on revenues amounting to euro 68.82 billion. At 31 December 2011, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 100,000 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last eight years.

###

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing BMW (right), presents a BMW Art Car model to the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (left) on the occasion of the announcement of a plan to build a new plant in Brazil (ctr. Raimundo Colombo, Governor of the State of Santa Catarina) (10/2012).

If you have any questions, please contact:

Corporate Communications

Micaela Sandstede, Business Communications

Email: micaela.sandstede@bmw.de, Telephone: +49 89 382 – 61611

Markus Sagemann, International Business Communications

Email: markus.sagemann@bmw.de, Telephone: +49 89 382 – 68796

Media website: www.press.bmwgroup.com

Email: presse@bmw.de