Dr. Michael Ganal dies after severe illness

Munich. Dr. Michael Ganal, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG,
died last week in the night from Thursday to Friday at the age of 54
after a severe illness. He had been a Member of the Company's Board of
Management since October 2000 and was last responsible for the Finance
Division in his position as Chief Financial Officer. Professor
Joachim Milberg, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BMW AG: "The
news of Dr. Ganal's death has painfully torn apart our great hopes that
he would be able to recover from his severe illness and resume his
position on the Board of Management of BMW AG. We are losing not only
an outstanding leader and a strong personality, but also and in
particular a man who in recent years has contributed decisively to the
success and the culture of our Company. Until the end he fought against
his illness with all the power of his strong will and with sheer
unflinching energy. On behalf of the Supervisory Board and the
share-holders of the company I wish to express our deepest, heartfelt
sympathy to Dr. Ganal's family." Dr. Ganal joined BMW AG in 1986
and was appointed a Member of the Board of Management in October 2000,
where initially he was responsible for the Sales and Marketing
Division. At the time he played a leading role in successfully
implementing a product and market initiative quite unparalleled in the
history of the company. Since October 2007 Dr. Ganal had been in charge
of the Finance Division. The Chairman of the Board of Management of
BMW AG, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, has taken notice of Dr. Ganal's death
with great regret: "Dr. Ganal was an absolutely outstanding man
through his profound expertise and his strong power of getting things
done. He was a fascinating leader of people and a top executive in the
most positive sense of the word. This enabled him not only to convince
colleagues, employees and customers of his cause, but rather to
genuinely thrill them and win them over. " Speaking on behalf of
the Employees' Representatives, Manfred Schoch, the Chairman of the
Overall Works Council of BMW AG, expressed an equally clear opinion:
"Through the death of Dr. Ganal we are losing a self-confident and
open partner. In all our professional debates and points of contention
he always remained absolutely straightforward and firmly on the ground
- and even in challenging times he always kept his focus on the
concerns and worries of all the employees of the company." For
questions, please contact: Corporate and Governmental Affairs Michael
Rebstock, Business Communications Tel: +49 89 382-20470, Fax: +49 89
382-24418 Eckhard Wannieck, Financial Communications Tel: +49 89
382-28042, Fax: +49 89 382-24418 Media website: www.press.bmwgroup.com
E-mail: presse@bmwgroup.com