BMW Motorcycles Reports 1999 to be the 7th Record Year in a Row

1999 was the most successful year in the 76-year history of BMW
Motorcycles: with 65,168 deliveries to customers, the best figure of
60,308 deliveries in 1998 was surpassed by eight percent. For BMW
Motorcycles this is the seventh record year in a row and represents a
continuous growth in new motorcycles sales for the tenth year in a row.
28,134 motorbikes were delivered in 1989; this figure has been more
than doubled since then. As far as production is concerned, 1999 is
also a record year. 69,157 motorcycles signify an increase of 15 percent
compared to the previous year (60,152). 58,946 motorcycles were
manufactured in Berlin and 10,211 single-cylinder machines were built
at Aprilia in Noale, Italy. "BMW Motorcycles continues its success
and has further extended its position as Europe's leading manufacturer
for motorcycles above 500 cc. Our product offensive, which began in
1993 and still continues today, of presenting innovative and attractive
models has paid off", said Marco v. Maltzan, director of the BMW
Motorcycles division, at a press conference today in the Berlin BMW
motorcycle plant at which these figures were presented. At the press
conference the new F 650 GS, to be launched in March, was also
presented. This 50 hp single-cylinder model, which is the first
single-cylinder motorbike in the world with digital motor electronics,
closed-loop 3-way catalytic converter and ABS (optional), will now, like
all the other BMW motorcycles, also be manufactured in the Berlin plant.
The predecessor model F 650 and the model variant F 650 ST were
assembled by the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia in Noale from
the end of 1993 to the end of 1999 when the respective contract of
cooperation ceased. With more than 64,000 units manufactured, the
original expectations have been exceeded by far. For the production of
the F 650 GS, whose engine will continue to be supplied by the Austrian
engine manufacturer Bombardier-Rotax, a completely new assembly line
has been designed at the Berlin BMW plant. As a result 60 new jobs have
been created. At the press conference Marco v. Maltzan also presented
further figures from the BMW Motorcycles 1999 business year. In 1999 the
GS Enduro model was the BMW bestseller worldwide with 9,637 units.
5,890 units of the R 1100 GS model were registered until the end of
production in the summer. 3,747 units of the R 1150 GS, launched in
September, had been sold by the end of the year. In second place again:
the R 1100 RT tourer (9,331). What was especially pleasing was the good
figures achieved by two new models. The sports tourer R 1100 S was sold
7,207 times and the luxury tourer K 1200 LT 6,635 times. 66 percent of
all BMW motorcycles were exported in 1999. In the US, the largest
motorcycle market, BMW increased sales by nearly 30 percent and with
10,088 deliveries was able to report the eighth record year in
succession. A new record mark of 7,845 sales was also achieved in Italy.
Germany, as in the years before, was the main market for BMW again in
1999. With 22,819 deliveries, previous year's record mark (22,132) was
surpassed by 3.1 percent. The market share was 12.2 percent. In the
class above 750 cc, BMW defended its market leadership with 19.8
percent. In 1999 the worldwide authorities business with 2247 units
played an important role once again. The highlights here were the sales
of 302 motorcycles to the California Highway Patrol and 365 machines to
the Italian police force. The record production and sales figures
also had a very positive effect in the Berlin BMW motorcycle plant. In
1999 70 new jobs were created and 18 million deutschmarks were invested
into motorcycle production. By 2002 further investments exceeding 100
million deutschmarks are planned. Apart from the 1,530 motorcycle
production staff in Berlin, an additional 550 staff are employed in the
manufacture of brake discs, camshafts and trailing arms for the
worldwide vehicle production for the brands BMW, Rover and Land Rover.
Like in motorcycle production, 70 new jobs were created here last year
so that the number of staff in the Berlin BMW plant has risen by140 to
a total of 2,080 employees. Including the sales and development
division in Munich, currently 2,150 staff are working for BMW
Motorcycles. In his presentation at the press conference, Marco v.
Maltzan also pointed out the overall economic significance of BMW's
successful motorcycle business: "In the nineties BMW invested more
than half a billion deutschmarks into the Berlin plant. In a time where
jobs were being cut in other areas, we have continuously created new
ones. Our investments and the success of the BMW Motorcycles Division
help secure and expand the BMW plant in Berlin. We stand up for the
Berlin economic location and thus for Germany as a production location."