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.October 13, 2004
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This Week:

• Ford's F-Series Truck Sets Month And Year-To-Date Records With September Sales Of 99,720

• Three Honda Vehicles Earn Highest Rating in EPA's 2005 Fuel Economy Guide

• GM Showcases Hydrogen and Hybrid Technologies at China's Initial Michelin Challenge Bibendum

• Audi of America, Inc. Announces Voluntary Recall on 1998 and 1999 A6 2.8 Sedans in Cold Weather States

• Nissan Announces Pricing for 2005 Pathfinder

• DaimlerChrysler Board Member Dr. Thomas Weber: "Around €15 million spent on research and development every day"

• Further EUR 3,000 bonus payment for each Porsche AG employee: Executive Board and Group Works Council reach agreement

• BMW Group sales rise by 15% in September

• New MG Rover Corporate Sales Director

• Nissan Europe Reports September Sales

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BMW Group sales rise by 15% in September

Photo: BMW

Munich - The BMW Group continued its successful course worldwide in September with a 15.1% increase in sales. In the month under review, 118,173 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce cars were delivered to customers (prev.yr:102,633). For the year up to and including September, i.e. at the end of the third quarter, the rate of growth was 8.8% to reach 887,293 vehicles (prev.yr.: 815,317).

Dr. Michael Ganal, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for sales and marketing, comments: "The new BMW 1 Series marked a major expansion of our model range in September. Initial customer reactions show that there is not only a demand for a premium vehicle in this segment. They have also, in particular, confirmed the assumption that the public would welcome with considerable interest the vehicle concept - unique in this class - of a rear-wheel drive, which gives greater priority to handling characteristics." In just under two weeks, 5,654 of these cars have already been handed over to customers. The company is expecting to deliver at least 10,000 BMW 1 Series vehicles a month for the rest of the year.

Annual target confirmed: percentage sales growth in the high single-digit range

September impressively confirmed the sustained growth path of the BMW Group. Ganal: "We are assuming that the dynamic development of the first nine months of 2004 will continue in the fourth quarter too. This means that we will reach our target of increasing BMW Group sales on a yearly basis by a percentage in the high single-digit range."

In a comparison between regions, the Asian markets have once again shown dynamic development that is well above average. Here, in the first nine months of the year, the increase at Group level is 13.9% to 70,339 automobiles delivered (prev.yr.: 61,754). In the Chinese markets, sales actually rose by 20.9% to 18,781 (prev.yr.: 15,529) units.

In Europe, the clearest growth impulses were provided in those countries in which the BMW Group has established sales subsidiaries in the last year. The lead is taken here by Greece, with an increase of 56.0% to 4,963 BMW and MINI vehicles delivered (prev.yr.: 3,181). Another example is Ireland, where sales rose by a third (+33,7%) to 5,243 units (prev.yr.: 3,921).

The Motorcycles segment showed an increase on a monthly basis for the fourth time in a row. Sales rose in September by 19.4% to 7,402 units (prev.yr.: 6,198). In a nine-month comparison, the number of deliveries is still slightly below the previous year, due to model cycle factors. For the period up to and including September, 1.9% fewer BMW motorcycles, or 72,186 units, were sold than in the same period last year (73,618).

BMW Group sales in/up to & including August 2004 at a glance

• BMW Group Automobiles 118,173 + 15.1% 887,293 + 8.8%

• BMW 98,200 + 17.0% 743,927 + 9.7%

• MINI 19,903 + 6.7% 142,881 + 4.2%

• Rolls-Royce 70 - 485 -

• BMW Motorcycles 7,402 + 19.4% 72,186 - 1.9%

(Oct 07, 2004)