BMW 2007 Annual Report Download - page 25

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Motorcycle production volume at previous
year’s level
Motorcycle production volume in 2007, at 104,396
units, was 0.6 % above the previous year’s level.
96,006 units were produced at the BMW plant Berlin
and 8,390 units by the cooperation partner, Piaggio
S. p. A. in Noale, Italy.
Four years after commencing production, the
100,000th R 1200 GS (including the Adventure
version) left the BMW plant Berlin at the end of July
2007. Never before have so many units of one
model been produced at the Berlin plant in such a
short space of time.
Five new models came off the production line
for the first time in 2007. Production of the BMW
HP2 Megamoto commenced at the beginning of
May. This was followed in October by the BMW
R 1200 GS and the Adventure variant and in Novem-
ber by the BMW F 800 GS and the F 650 GS.
BMW Group acquires Husqvarna
The BMW Group completed the acquisition of the
motorcycle manufacturer Husqvarna on 1 October.
This company operates under the name Husqvarna
Motorcycles S. r. l., Cassinetta di Biandronno.*
The Husqvarna models are mainly intended for
the competitive sports market. With this move, the
BMW Group is therefore expanding its product range
with a view to increasing its appeal to younger buyers
and to covering the off-road and supermoto seg-
ments. The acquisition will also give the Motorcycles
segment access to a worldwide sales network in the
off-road segment.
*
Husqvarna Motorcycles S. r. l., Cassinetta di Biandronno, is not included in the con-
solidated financial statements for the financial year 2007.
Successful year for the Financial Services
segment in 2007
The Financial Services business achieved further
profitable growth in 2007 and again made an impor-
tant contribution to the overall performance of the
BMW Group. The total business volume as disclosed
in the balance sheet increased by 16.5 % to euro
51,257 million. At the year-end, 2,629,949 lease and
financing contracts were in place with dealers and
retail customers, representing an increase of 15.8 %
over the previous year. The proportion of new BMW
Group vehicles leased or financed by the Financial
Services segment was 44.7 %, 2.3 points above the
percentage recorded in the previous year.
Regional presence expanded
The Financial Services segment continued its strat-
egy of regional expansion by acquiring companies
in Germany, Malaysia and Hong Kong, thereby open-
ing up new opportunities for growth.
This was a further demonstration of the BMW
Group’s determination to broaden the international
scope of its financial services business. The Finan-
cial Services segment now provides services to
customers in more than 50 markets, either with its
own companies and divisions or in the form of ven-
tures based on cooperation agreements.
The BMW Group acquired DEKRA SüdLeasing
Services GmbH (renamed to: BMW Fuhrparkman-
agement Beteiligungs GmbH) and that entity’s
sub-
sidiaries at the beginning of April.
In mid-April, the BMW Group acquired Sime-
Lease (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and its subsidiary, Sime-
Credit (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. These entities are
oper-
ating in the meantime as BMW Lease (Malaysia) Sdn
Bhd and BMW Credit (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. In Octo-
ber, the BMW Group acquired 51 % of the shares
of CEC Finance Ltd. (renamed to: BMW Financial
Services Hong Kong Limited), based in Hong Kong.
These acquisitions in Malaysia and Hong Kong
have opened up two further fast-growing markets in
Asia.
The Financial Services segment set up a new
company in Argentina in 2007. This entity offers
financing and insurance products to retail customers
and financing to dealers.
In addition, cooperation arrangements were
put in place in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and
organisational units created in Poland, Hungary and
India during 2007.
BMW motorcycles in 2007 – analysis by series
as a percentage of sales volume
R Series
F Series
K Series
26.1 58.1
15.8