BMW 2001 Annual Report Download - page 19

001 BMW Group in figures
004 Report of the Supervisory Board
008 Supervisory Board
011 Board of Management
012 Group Management Report
029 BMW Stock
033 Group Financial Statements
098 BMW AG Financial Statements
104 BMW Group Annual Comparison
106 BMW Group Locations
108 Glossary
112 Index
18
Production at the highest level
With automobile production amounting to 946,730
units  of which 42,395 were MINI brand cars  the
BMW Group was again able to surpass the record
level achieved in the previous year.
In all, 904,335 BMW cars or 8.4% more than in
the previous year, came off the production lines at
the Groups production plants in Munich, Dingolfing,
Regensburg, Spartanburg and Rosslyn and at the
assembly plants the world over.
This is a new record made possible by the on-
going improvement of efficieny in the production
plants, the targeted expansion of production capaci-
ties and the commitment of our workforce. By taking
advantage of the high standard of flexibility ensured
by its working time models, the BMW Group will
again be able to meet the high demand for its prod-
ucts in 2002 by keeping production capacities at an
adequate level.
The BMW Groups production plants were again
ranked highly in the quality survey made by J.D.
Power Associates in 2001 thus underlining the high
quality and efficiency of the Groups plants. The
Munich plant was awarded the Plant Award in Gold
as the best car factory in Europe. For the fourth time
in a row, the Dingolfing plant also achieved one of
the top places, ranked third. The Regensburg plant
was ranked fifth.
Strong sales of BMW motorcycles were
matched by high levels of production: a total of
90,478 units were manufactured at the Berlin plant,
which was 16,081 or 21.6% more than in 2000. In
addition, 9,735 C1 were manufactured by the Italian
production partner Bertone.
Further expansion of production network
In 2001, several important steps were taken to
expand the capacities of the BMW Group. At the
Spartanburg plant in the USA, production capacity
for the BMW X5 was increased by more than
80%. In Great Britain, production at the new engine
plant at Hams Hall started as planned in January
2001. At the new Oxford plant, MINI brand cars
have been coming off the production line since April
2001. In early November, three shift production was
introduced.
The BMW Group is also investing continuously
in the expansion and technical development of its
plants. Capital expenditure on alterations and exten-
sions at the Dingolfing plant alone totalled approxi-
mately euro 500 million in 2001. This related mainly
to production equipment for the new BMW 7 Series
and other future models. In Goodwood The new
home of Rolls Royce is currently being built.
Making substantial investments as part of its
product and market offensive, the BMW Group will
continue to lay the foundation for continued sales
growth. An important aspect of this is the new plant
in the region Leipzig/Halle, where the BMW Group
will be investing euro 1.3 billion in the next few years.
Series production of the 3 Series is scheduled to
start there in 2005.
In late October 2001, the BMW Group signed
cooperation agreements with Steyr-Daimler-Puch
Fahrzeugtechnik (SFT), a subsidiary of the Magna
Group, in the Austrian town of Graz, for the series
development and production of the new BMW X3
Sports Activity Vehicle. The detailed concept of this
car, developed by BMW Group engineers, was
handed over to SFT for further series development.
Through this cooperation, the BMW Group has
enhanced its dynamism and flexibility, marking yet
another milestone in the consistent implementation
of the BMW Groups product offensive.
Automobile production of the BMW Group by plant
in 1,000 units
Dingolfing
Regensburg
Munich
Spartanburg
Rosslyn
Oxford
241.3
49.0
121.7
42.4 203.1
289.2
New production records for automobiles and
motorcycles. Capital expenditure financed
fully by cash flow. New models and series being
developed.