BMW number one in the Egyptian premium segment for the first time

BMW X3 to be added to production in Cairo from March Cairo. In 2005,
1,757 BMW Group cars were registered in Egypt. This is an increase of
69.6% over the previous year (1,036). Never before so many BMW and MINI
were registered in Egypt. Most of them were BMW automobiles, with 1,683
units (prev.yr.: 1,026/+64.0%). This means that the BMW brand is the
market leader in the relevant premium segment for the first time. The
MINI brand increased its registrations in 2005 to 74 units (previous
year 10). MINI was launched in the Egyptian market in June 2004. At a
press conference in Cairo, Dr. Michael Ganal, member of the Board of
Management of BMW AG responsible for sales and marketing, announced that
the BMW X3 would also be built in Cairo in the future, in addition to
the BMW 5 and BMW 3 Series models. The BMW Group strives to grow even
further in 2006. Egypt will play a role in this. Michael Ganal:
"The start of production of the BMW X3 here in Cairo in March this
year is an important step on the path towards this goal." BMW 3
and 5 Series automobiles have been built in Egypt since 1997. The local
production partner since 2003 has been the Bavarian Auto Group (BAG).
Other models, such as the BMW X5, BMW X3, BMW 6 Series, BMW 7 Series,
BMW 1 Series, BMW Z4 and MINI, are imported. The BMW Group is
pursuing a long-term involvement in Egypt. "We are certain about
the future economic growth of Egypt and want to share in it", says
Michael Ganal. As in Egypt, the BMW Group had an extremely successful
year worldwide last year. The Group's revenue rose by 5.2% to reach
46,656 million euros in 2005. The number of vehicles sold rose by 9.9%
to 1,328 million. For the BMW brand, sales of 1,126,768 vehicles meant
that the previous year's level (1,023,583) was exceeded by 10.1%. There
was a pleasingly high level of demand for the BMW 1 Series, at 149,493
vehicles, in the first full year of production (prev.yr. 39,247). The
most popular BMW Group car, with 229,932 units sold, is the new 3
Series saloon, available since March 2005, which was responsible for
17% of total sales in 2005. In total, worldwide sales of BMW 3 Series
automobiles in 2005 reached 434,342. This means that, in spite of the
model changeover for the highest selling variants, the 3 Series Saloon
and the 3 Series Touring, sales almost reached last year's levels
(-3.4%/prev.yr. 449,732). Last year, the BMW 5 Series, with 228,389
vehicles sold, almost reached the high level of the previous year
(-0.5%/prev.yr. 229,598). With a 10.9% increase in sales to 23,340
vehicles, the BMW 6 Series clearly outstripped last year's sales
(21,040). In the upper vehicle class, 50,062 (prev.yr. 47,689) of the
BMW 7 Series were delivered to customers, marking a rise of 5.0%. The
X3 recorded clear growth. Deliveries of the Sports Activity Vehicle rose
by 20.0% to 110,719 (prev.yr. 92,248) units. Continued high demand was
also recorded for the BMW X5, which, with 101,537 vehicles sold in the
sixth year after its market launch, almost reached the high levels of
last year (-3.3%/104,988). Altogether, nearly 535,000 BMW X5 vehicles
have been sold since the market launch in December 1999. In the year
under review, the Z4, with 28,808 vehicles sold, is below the previous
year's levels (-25.1%/38,483). Last year, more than 200,000 MINI brand
cars were sold for the first time. Deliveries to customers rose by 8.7%
to 200,428 (prev.yr. 184,357) units. In the absolute luxury class, the
Rolls-Royce brand confirmed its top position last year. With 796
Phantoms delivered, this vehicle slightly exceeded last year's figure
of 792 automobiles. The motorcycles segment was also able to show a
clear increase due to the launch of new models. In the year as a whole,
sales rose by 5.6% to 97,474 (prev.yr. 92,266) units. The BMW Group
dealer organisation worldwide covers 3,400 dealerships and service
operations for the BMW brand, 1,700 for the MINI brand and 71 for
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. In total, the BMW Group is present in around 140
countries. The company's production network currently comprises 21
production plants in 12 countries. This figure will increase yet
further with the opening of a plant in India at the beginning of 2007.
If you have any questions, please contact: Corporate Communications
Michael Rebstock, Business and Finance Communications Telephone: +49 89
382-20470, fax: +49 89 382-24418 Marc Hassinger, Business and Finance
Communications Telephone: +49 89 382-23362, fax: +49 89 382-24418I
Media website: www.press.bmwgroup.com E-mail: presse@bmwgroup.com