MINI Press Conference, Beijing Auto Show 2014

Speech Mr. Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, from the MINI Press Conference at the Beijing Auto Show 2014.

Peter Schwarzenbauer:

Ladies and gentlemen,

Ni men hao Ladies and Gentlemen and thank you for your warm welcome! It is great to be in Beijing again.

I am delighted to present the new MINI Paceman, which is celebrating its world premiere here in Beijing. This car is a true MINI through and through – with authentic design that will appeal to those who love the brand, as well as fans who seek the pure go-kart feeling and anyone looking for a really unique driving experience.

Last week we premiered the new Countryman. Both the Paceman and Countryman SAV models are a modern interpretation of the MINI brand. They have quickly established their own fan base and are our top-selling models after the MINI Hatch. Our customers in China love them too. They are both major contributors to the success of the MINI brand. That success story continued last year.

China plays an increasingly important role in MINI’s success. Last year we delivered well over 28,000 MINI cars to customers in this market. That’s almost 10 per cent of our global sales.

China is now MINI’s fourth largest market, behind the US, UK and Germany. But, as I have already discussed with my marketing colleagues here in China, there is still plenty of room for further growth. The prospects look good. In this year’s first quarter, a total of 6,970 MINIs were sold to customers in China – an increase of almost 27% over the previous year.

What a great start to the year for MINI! I am confident we will meet our targets for 2014 and achieve record sales yet again. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Chinese customers for their loyalty. Since MINI arrived in China back in 2003, our products have won more and more fans every year. This market has the highest rate of growth – year after year.

More than any other brand, MINI stands for excitement, individuality and driving fun. The exclusivity - the endless opportunities to make your MINI truly individual - and the exciting and energetic brand are especially appreciated by customers here. All these qualities are also guaranteed by the new MINI Hatch, which makes its China debut here at the show.

The MINI Hatch has been completely redeveloped. The Hatch is the very heart of the brand. It combines well-know brand characteristics with innovative technology.

It offers

-      more safety,

-      more go-kart feeling,

-      more individuality,

-      more comfort,

-      more connectivity,

all with MINI’s signature modern design.

The feedback from all markets and the press has been tremendous.

New orders worldwide have exceeded our expectations and we anticipate strong demand in China. I am delighted that customers here will soon be able to drive these great new cars: the new Paceman, Countryman and Hatch!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

One thing is for sure: MINI is set to keep growing and the success story continues.

Thank you for stopping by.

Ends.