BMW 2004 Annual Report Download - page 16

15
due to a delay in the start of production, however,
this momentum could not be translated immediately
into sales volume growth.
The various markets performed very
inconsis-
tently in 2004.The markets providing the best growth
rates for the BMW Group in 2004 were Spain (5,404
units, +27.9%), the United Kingdom (4,462 units,
+6.1%) and France (7,869 units, +7.0%). By contrast,
significant reductions were registered in the USA
(13,323 units, –12.9%) and Japan (2,737 units,
–11.7%).
In Germany, the largest market for BMW motor-
cycles, the BMW Group was able to resist the effect
of the market contraction and remains the market
leader. With a sales volume of 26,485 units, the
previous year’s figure was beaten by 0.4%, so that
BMW’s market share for motorcycles in the 50 cc.
class upwards, rose to 19.5%.
Top-selling model R 1200 GS
The new R1200 GS, which heralded the start of the
Motorcycle segment’s new product initiative, has
successfully established itself in the market and heads
the list of top-selling BMW motorcycles in 2004,
with 18,968 units sold in the period from the start of
sales in March 2004 up to the end of the year. The
F650GS (including the Dakar version) finished second
with 14,478 units sold.Third place was achieved
by the R1150 RT, of which 12,358 units were sold in
2004, which will be the model’s last full year.
Numerous production start-ups in the
Motorcycles segment
Motorcycle production at the Berlin plant in 2004
was fully engaged with the product initiative, in par-
ticular the start of production of the new models,
K1200 S and R1200 RT as well as some life-cycle
impulses for the single cylinder models and for the
K1200 LT . In response to the great success of the
new R1200 GS, the production volume of this model
was increased as a short-term measure with the
aid of additional production shifts in summer
2004.
Overall, 93,836 BMW motorcycles were manufac-
tured at the Berlin plant in 2004, 4.6% more than in
the previous year.
Promising new products in 2005
In 2005, the BMW Group will rigorously pursue its
strategy of launching new products for the Motor-
cycles segment. The new travel touring bike, the
R1200 RT, was launched at the beginning of the
year and the R1200 ST (the successor model to
the R1150 RS) will follow a few months later. The
K1200 R, which received much acclaim at the
INTERMOT trade fair, will become available to cus-
tomers during the second half of 2005.
BMW Group – key motorcycle markets 2004
as a percentage of sales volume
Germany
USA
Italy
France
Spain
United Kingdom
Other
14.428.7
4.8
5.9
8.5
12.4
25.3
Motorcycles segment: Deliveries by series
in 1,000 units
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
00
48.2
02 03
9.5
62.1
10.2
16.1 21.0
R Series
F Series
K Series
61.9
01
10.3
55.6
18.9 11.5
19.5
04
62.6
11.0
18.6