Statement Oliver Zipse, Voorzitter van de Raad van Bestuur van BMW AG, Conference Call Kwartaalrapport tot 31 maart 2026

- Check against delivery –

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

Before I'm talking about the quarter figures, I would like to address a tragic loss that has deeply touched many BMW fans around the world.

On May 1, race car driver, longtime BMW works driver, and company ambassador Alessandro Zanardi passed away unexpectedly.

“Alex” was an impressive personality, an unwavering optimist, and an inspiration to many people worldwide. He demonstrated what is possible in life with dedication, willpower, and ambition.

The BMW Group has lost a fascinating humanitarian representative, and BMW M Motorsport has lost an ambitious and successful works driver.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Walter Mertl has taken you through the results after the first three months of 2026.

As we outlined in March at our Annual Conference, we knew that there would be several headwinds we would face throughout this year.

For us, it is about minimizing their impact, while consistently leveraging opportunities that arise.

At the same time, we remain firmly on course with our long-term strategy – a strategy that has provided clear direction and enabled us to navigate an increasingly unpredictable global business environment over recent years.

Three characteristics in particular define the BMW way:

First: Our strategy of technological neutrality

Second: The BMW Group’s global footprint and

Third: Inspiring brands and fascinating products.

Since 2021, the BMW Group’s long-term product and technology orientation has focused on the NEUE KLASSE.

Building on an exceptionally strong foundation of products and successful technologies delivered to customers over many years through to today, we are now making a huge leap forward in nearly every area of technology with the NEUE KLASSE. This will pay off as we roll these technologies out rapidly across the whole product portfolio.

Last year in September, here in Munich at the IAA Mobility, we presented the BMW iX3*, the first vehicle of the NEUE KLASSE. With this all-new vehicle generation BMW is entering into a new era.

The launch of the iX3 has been extremely successful.

Just a few weeks ago, in March, we handed over the first BMW iX3 vehicles to customers across Europe.

Over the past weeks, the model has also reached showrooms throughout the region.

Pre‑orders in Europe now exceed 50,000 units, underscoring the strong interest in this vehicle.

The iX3 also continues to win notable major international awards.

Most recently, it won two awards at the renowned World Car Awards. An international jury of 98 automotive journalists presented the BMW iX3 two prestigious titles: the 2026 “World Car of the Year”, beating out competitors across all powertrain categories; as well as 2026 “World Electric Vehicle” accolade.

With the first NEUE KLASSE model, BMW has delivered a clear step forward in technology and design – one that is resonating strongly with experts, journalists, and customers alike.

Given the very high market demand, we already pulled forward the second shift of BMW iX3 production at our Debrecen plant in February.

Further rollout across the US and Asian markets is planned for the coming months.

And the iX3 was just the beginning – a lot has happened since our annual conference. The NEUE KLASSE is gradually making its mark across the entire BMW portfolio.

In March, we unveiled the next step with the world premiere of the new BMW i3 at BMW Park in Munich.

Since 1975, the 3 Series has inspired dreams. At the core of the brand, each of the eight generations embodies progress and innovation. And with the BMW i3 we are building our future on this rich legacy.

This event provided a unique opportunity to celebrate this milestone not only with media and other key stakeholders, but especially and perhaps most importantly with our associates.

More than 30,000 employees joined the celebrations over days, underscoring the strong bond our team feels with the brand and their pride in this incredible moment – both for the company and for their achievements in bringing this vehicle to life.

As the second model of the NEUE KLASSE, the BMW i3 perfectly symbolizes the journey BMW has taken over the last years.

It is, of course, a completely new vehicle with a reimagined design and seamless integration of advanced technologies.

At the same time, the BMW i3 represents the progress of the BMW Group itself – from the systematic modernization of our production facilities through new ways of working that enable efficiency, scalability, and our long-term competitiveness.

The i3 will be produced at our main Plant in Munich. With an investment of around 650 million euros, the facility has been completely remodeled following the principles of BMW iFactory – lean, green, digital.

Production of up to 1,000 vehicles a day continued uninterrupted during the shopfloor adaptations over many months.

Beginning in 2027, the plant will exclusively produce electric vehicles.

The plant also continues to make great progress in realizing cost efficiencies. When the i3 rolls off the line for customers, we will have reduced overall production costs at the Munich plant by an additional 10%.

These improvements are driven by optimized production processes, targeted automation and digitalization, as well as the vehicle construction improvements enabled by NEUE KLASSE technologies.

Series production of the BMW i3 begins in August, followed by the market launch in Europe a few weeks later.

Several additional NEUE KLASSE models will soon be manufactured in Munich, including the BMW i3 Touring.

The BMW i3 leverages all the technologies developed for the NEUE KLASSE. From driving dynamics to powertrain, from battery technology to operating concept and the digital user experience.

And of course you can choose between different drive variants. Because we remain technology-open.

Each element is perfectly attuned to the characteristics of the 3 Series – creating a whole new dimension of sheer driving pleasure.

This is also confirmed by initial reviews and feedback from customers and journalists, which have been very positive.

This was also evident just two weeks ago at Auto China in Beijing, the world’s largest automotive trade fair.

We presented not 1, not 2, but 3 new models:

The BMW iX3 and BMW i3 Long Wheelbase for the Chinese market as well as the world premiere of BMW 7 Series model update with NEUE KLASSE technologies and design elements.

The China-specific NEUE KLASSE vehicles have been developed in close collaboration with our local R&D teams and local partners in China – think global, act local.

This enables us to leverage the know-how of leading Chinese tech players and integrate local digital ecosystems and technologies to meet the specific needs of our Chinese customer needs – for example, in voice assistant features and automated driving solutions.

The momentum generated by the NEUE KLASSE in China will provide a powerful impulse for our portfolio and marks the beginning of the next chapter in BMW’s tailored innovation and technology leadership in this key market.

In 2026, the seven millionth BMW vehicle will roll off the lines at our Shenyang production base. This remarkable milestone underscores our long-term commitment to China. And we are constantly strengthening our local footprint to underpin this momentum.

Through deeper localization across the value chain and expanded China-based decision making, we are faster, more robust, and even more synchronized with local customer expectations and market dynamics.

The new BMW 7 Series we unveiled in Beijing will kick off the roll-out of Neue Klasse technologies across all powertrains and into other product lines, and segments.

Coming in the middle of its lifecycle, it is the most extensive model revision in BMW's history and will take the 7 Series to a whole new level.

The technology-open drive offer covers all customer needs. The updated BMW i7 with new round battery cells features up to over 700 kilometers of range according to the WLTP cycle, meaning an increase of 100 kilometers from the current version.

Start of production will begin in our plant at Dingolfing in July.

The new 7 Series exemplifies BMW’s ability to industrialize the latest technologies at speed, integrating them into series vehicles and making them available directly to our customers.

This summer, we will also unveil the next generation of our BMW X5. It will be the first BMW model to be offered with five different drivetrain variants: highly efficient conventional powertrains, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and – from 2028 – also hydrogen.

In this way, we are laying the foundation to successfully meet the diverse needs of our customers around the world, both today and in the future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our products continue to enjoy strong demand globally. We are well positioned to meet the needs of customers across different regions and markets.

In the first quarter we leveraged the strength of our current portfolio in a shifting environment – supported by a broad offering across brands, segments, drivetrain technologies and geographies.

Consistent with our balanced, global approach to sales, the performance in Europe helped to partially offset weaker dynamics in other markets. Sales were particularly robust in Germany, where Group registrations increased by more than 10% year-on-year.

In China and the U.S., the BMW Group performed better than the overall declining market.

BEV orders in Europe were up by around 62%, with European sales of fully-electric vehicles exceeding the previous year’s high level.

For the fifth consecutive quarter, the MINI brand delivered global growth, with sales increasing by 6%.

As we roll out the NEUE KLASSE, we can look ahead with confidence. Its technologies and design language will provide fresh momentum into our already strong BMW products. Offering individual mobility solutions tailored to the needs of customers across markets worldwide.

At the same time, the company is prepared to weather differing dynamics in global markets and to seize opportunities.

That combination is what sets the BMW Group apart.

We have stayed on course, consistently implementing our long-term strategy and are now ideally positioned to reap the rewards.

This is very much part of our DNA. Time and again, the BMW Group has proven resilient from the pandemic through supply chain disruptions and semiconductor shortages and the energy crisis.

Throughout, we have remained true to our technology‑open approach, which has proven its strength as global automotive markets continue to transition and delivered stronger results in new technologies.

As this will be my final quarterly call as CEO of the BMW Group, I want to extend my sincere thanks to the media and capital market communities who have accompanied me throughout my tenure since 2019.

I have always valued our dialogue – at times challenging, but consistently constructive – and I am grateful for the professionalism and engagement you have brought to these exchanges.

I hope you will extend the same openness and warm welcome to my successor, Milan Nedeljković.

I wish you all the best – and look forward to answering your questions one last time.

Thank you.