BMW Group South Africa unveils the second biggest BMW M standalone showroom in the world.

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, 6 April 2016

BMW Group South Africa unveils the second biggest BMW M standalone showroom in the world.

• First standalone BMW M showroom in South Africa.
• BMW South Africa ranked fifth in the world in terms of BMW M market share.

Pretoria, South Africa – As part of the expansion of its retail strategy, BMW Group South Africa today unveiled the second biggest standalone BMW M showroom in the world in Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa. The new showroom will pave the way for additional stand-alone BMW M showrooms in South Africa and the world.

The opening of BMW M at Zambesi follows the BMW Group’s announcement of Strategy NUMBER ONE > NEXT, which sets out the framework for the world’s leading provider of premium products and services for individual mobility to shape the automobile sector in the next 100 years.

“I am delighted to be in South Africa again for the launch of the second biggest standalone BMW M showroom in the world. This fits in well with our Strategy NUMBER ONE > NEXT, which includes the future expansion of both the M product range and our powerful M Performance model range within the higher volume segments. This expansion will enable us to capitalise on the growth of the BMW M brand, reaching out further to BMW M’s strong fan-base of customers,” said Dr Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing BMW, Sales Channels BMW Group.

In 2015, full-year sales of BMW M vehicles worldwide were up nearly 65 percent, totalling around 35,000 units. And sales of the ever-growing range of BMW M Performance vehicles grew over 16 percent to total around 28,000 units.

“South Africa is one of the top performers in the world in terms of BMW M market share and sales. For example, in 2015 BMW South Africa was ranked fifth in the world in terms of overall BMW M market share. A total of 916 BMW M units were delivered to local customers while 1,049 BMW M Performance units were also delivered to customers – this is an increase of more than 40% compared to 2014. It is therefore very clear that South Africans are big fans of our BMW M vehicles,” said Mr Tim Abbott, Managing Director of BMW Group South Africa.

Highlighting their inspiration for investing in the standalone BMW M showroom, Mr Rob Sexton, Managing Director of Legacy Auto Group (and 50% shareholder), and Mr Christo Lindeque, the Dealer Principal of the new showroom and two other dealerships, Zambesi Auto (BMW) as well as Legends at Zambesi (MINI), said; “Zambesi Auto has always been a pioneering dealership in terms of the ‘M’ brand within the southern hemisphere. Our initial independent ‘M’ outlet has been hugely successful. This has been proved by the sales volumes generated. Irrespective of the difficult economic times we are facing, we believe that this particular segment will continue to grow.”

The two shareholders added that the excitement and enthusiasm of customers about the BMW M brand also encouraged them to enhance their experience with the BMW Future Retail concept. “We want to be the ultimate destination for the ‘M’ brand. Our passion and belief in the BMW brand is expressed through this unique ‘M’ showroom. The success going forward is to ensure we maintain and develop the excitement in what we believe is a very unique experience.”

BMW M brand will strive to continue its 40-year-long success story with its range of highly emotional and coveted vehicles. Since it was founded in 1972, the legendary M GmbH has been a pioneer in high-performance vehicles, producing vehicles which offer unparalleled performance, agility precision and the presence to own the road. While the legendary M1 (1978) remains unforgotten, the latest addition to the fold, the BMW M2, is currently impressing both the press and public around the world with its superb driving dynamics and superior performance, broadening the BMW M product range in a segment that is currently growing strongly. Furthermore, the BMW M4 GTS will be added to the BMW M model line-up this year and the BMW M760Li as part of the expansion of M Performance models within the higher volume segment.

In July 2015, BMW Group South Africa began rolling out its Future Retail strategy in all its dealerships. The Future Retail concept comprises of a range of retail initiatives and tools designed to enhance a BMW customer’s premium retail experience. With Future Retail, the BMW Group aims to:

• Increase the number of possible customer contact points;
• Expand the services and benefits offered through retail channels; and
• Enhance the retail experience at dealerships and through initiatives like pop up stores.

For more information on BMW M products visit http://m-power.com

-Ends-

BMW Group South Africa Corporate Communications:

Edward Makwana

Manager: Group Product Communications

BMW Group South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Tel: +27-12-522-2227

Mobile: +27-71-666-2227

Email: edward.makwana@bmw.co.za

Lynette Kamineth

Manager: Business Communications

BMW Group South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Tel: +27-12-522-2417

Mobile: +27-71-666-2950

Email: lynette.kamineth@bmw.co.za

Media websites:

Global: www.press.bmwgroup.com

South Africa: www.press.bmwgroup.com/south-africa

The BMW Group

With its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of cars and motorcycles and provider of premium financing and mobility services. It operates internationally with 30 production and assembly plants in 14 countries and a global sales network represented in more than 140 countries.

During the financial year 2015, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.247 million cars and some 137,000 motorcycles worldwide. Group profit before tax reached € 9.22 billion on revenues totalling € 92.18 billion € 92.18 billion. At 31 December 2015, the BMW Group had a workforce of 122,244 employees.

Long-term thinking and responsible action have long been the foundation of the BMW Group’s success. Ecological and social sustainability along the entire value-added chain, full responsibility for our products and an unequivocal commitment to preserving resources are prime objectives firmly embedded in our corporate strategy.

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