BMW 2003 Annual Report Download - page 150

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Developing markets
18
The journey of a BMW 530i from the Shenyang plant
to the dealership in Shanghai usually takes about
four weeks. When the cars arrive in Shanghai, the
service staff inspect them thoroughly before deliver-
ing them to the customers.
After all, Chinese customers such as Lilian
Zhang expect nothing but the best. Ms Zhang is a
typical Chinese businesswoman; she runs her
own real estate agency. To her, taking delivery of a
BMW 530i means fulfilling a dream she has had
since her days as a university student. She had
always wanted to own a BMW – and to drive it her-
self. However, twenty years ago, when she was still
astudent and the People’s Republic of China under
Deng Xiaoping launched its reforms in the direction
of a market economy, this goal was almost impos-
sible to achieve. Ms Zhang studied Economics
and English and subsequently worked her way up
to become a management trainer at a renowned
university.
It is particularly important to Ms Zhang that
BMW makes cars in China for the Chinese market.
She did not decide to buy her BMW 5 Series car
until she heard that Brilliance China Automotive
Holdings and the BMW Group had agreed on the
joint venture.
A few years ago, demand on the Chinese car
market came mainly from government bodies and
local authorities.Today, however, it is the private
customers anxious to fulfil their wish for individual
mobility that fuel demand.