BMW reported fourth straight record year

With its fourth straight record year, the BMW Group’s strong performance continued during the past year despite a challenging economic environment worldwide. The company successfully maintained its position as the world’s leading premium manufacturer.

“In 2013 we achieved new highs for sales volume and profit and have thereby reached the targets we set ourselves for the full year”, stated Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, on Thursday in Munich.

Group revenues for 2013 totalled € 76,058 million (2012: € 76,848 million;
-1.0%) and were thus marginally down on the previous year, with the difference due to exchange rate developments. Group profit before tax (EBT) increased by 1.4% to a new high of € 7,913 million (2012: € 7,803 million) despite increased investment in new technologies, greater competition and higher personnel costs. Group net profit rose by 4.5% to the new record value of € 5,340 million (2012: € 5,111 million).

The BMW Group increased deliveries to customers by 6.4% to 1,963,798 units (2012: 1,845,186 units), with all three brands registering all-time highs.

Record dividend of € 2.60 per share of common stock proposed

BMW AG is committed to sharing its success with its shareholders. The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board will propose to shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on 15 May 2014 that the dividend be increased to a new highest level of € 2.60 (2012: € 2.50) per share of common stock and € 2.62 (2012: € 2.52) per share of preferred stock. Based on these figures, the total distribution will rise to € 1,707 million (2012: € 1,640 million). The dividend rate is unchanged at 32.0% and is within the BMW Group’s target corridor of 30 to 40%.

Automotive segment: EBIT margin at 9.4% in 2013

Automotive segment revenues rose by 0.6% to € 70,629 million (2012: € 70,208). Influenced by the above-mentioned factors – high expenditure for new technologies, increasing the product range and market launch costs as well as increased competition – EBIT decreased to € 6,657 million (2012: € 7,599 million; -12.4%). The EBIT margin came in at 9.4% and was thus in the upper half of the targeted corridor of between 8 and 10%. Segment profit before tax amounted to € 6,561 million (2012: € 7,170 million; -8.5%).

The BMW brand retained pole position in the premium segment in 2013, with worldwide sales volume up by 7.5% to 1,655,138 units (2012: 1,540,085 units). The BMW X1 as well as the BMW 3, 5, and 6 Series all asserted their positions as market leaders in their own segments.

Solid growth was recorded again for the BMW X1, with sales volume up by 9.2% to 161,353 units (2012: 147,776 units). The BMW X3 performed well again and recorded a 5.0% increase to 157,303 units (2012: 149,853 units). Sales of the BMW X5 were only slightly down on the previous year at 107,231 units (2012: 108,544 units; -1.2%) despite the model change (the new BMW X5 has been available since mid-November).

The BMW 3 Series remained a major source of growth in 2013, with sales rising by 23.0% to 500,332 units (2012: 406,752 units). The success story of the BMW 5 Series continued over the twelve-month period, during which 366,992 units (2012: 359,016 units; +2.2%) were sold. The BMW 6 Series was also able to make significant progress, with sales up by 19.4% to 27,687 units (2012: 23,193 units).

MINI similarly set a new sales volume record in 2013, with worldwide sales edging up by 1.2% to 305,030 units (2012: 301,526 units). The new generation of the MINI will make its appearance in the showrooms from spring 2014 onwards. The MINI Hatch, at the end of its model life-cycle, still managed to achieve a sales volume of 128,498 units in the past year (2012: 131,569 units;
-2.3%). Sales of the MINI Countryman were roughly at the previous year’s level, with a total of 101,897 units sold (2012: 102,271 units; -0.4%).

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars remained market leader in the ultra-luxury segment in 2013 and, with sales of 3,630 units (2012: 3,575 units; +1.5%), achieved a new sales volume record for the fourth year in succession.

The BMW Group recorded sales volume growth on nearly all continents in the past year. “The BMW Group’s sales strategy is geared towards achieving an evenly balanced distribution of worldwide sales across the three main regions of the world to avoid overdependence on any single market”, commented Reithofer.

At 859,546 units, sales in Europe – the BMW Group’s largest sales region – were almost at their previous year’s level, despite challenging business conditions in some countries (-0.7%).

For the first time, the number of vehicles sold by the BMW Group in Asia exceeded the half-million mark. Sales in the region grew by 17.3% to 578,678 units, helped by a 19.7% rise on the Chinese mainland to 391,713 units.

The BMW Group continued to perform well in the Americas region, with deliveries to customers up by 9.0% to 463,822 units, including 376,636 units sold in the USA (+8.1%).

Motorcycles segment also sets new sales volume record

Sales volume, revenues and earnings of the Motorcycles segment rose in 2013. Revenues edged up by 0.9% to € 1,504 million (2012: € 1,490 million). EBIT rose to € 79 million (2012: € 9 million) and profit before tax to € 76 million (2012: € 6 million). Segment earnings in 2012 were impacted by expenses incurred in realigning the Motorcycles business. Despite challenging market conditions, a new sales volume record was set for 2013, with the number of BMW motorcycles delivered to customers reaching a new of level of 115,215 units (2012: 106,358 units; +8.3%).

Good progress made by Financial Services segment

The Financial Services segment continued to perform well during the past year. Revenues increased by 1.7% to € 19,874 million (2012: € 19,550 million). Profit before tax amounted to € 1,639 million (2012: € 1,561 million), 5.0% ahead of the previous year.

The number of new contracts within the credit financing and leasing lines of business grew worldwide by 9.7% to 1,471,385 contracts (2012: 1,341,296 contracts). The portfolio of lease and financing contracts in place with dealers and retail customers at 31 December 2013 climbed by 7.4% to a total of 4,130,002 contracts (2012: 3,846,364 contracts).

Workforce size increased – record number of apprentices

In 2013, the BMW Group trained more young people than ever before, employing a total of 4,445 apprentices worldwide. Reithofer commented: “We consider training to be an investment in the future of the company and in society”.

The size of the workforce increased by 4.2% in 2013, reflecting both dynamic growth in business volumes and the rapid pace of innovation. At the end of the reporting period, the BMW Group had a worldwide workforce of 110,351 employees (31 December 2012: 105,876 employees). The increase is due to the growing need for engineers and skilled workers in order to keep pace with continued strong demand on the one hand and to push ahead with innovations and develop new technologies on the other.

BMW Group in fourth quarter 2013

BMW Group revenues in the last quarter of 2013 totalled € 20,210 million and were thus marginally down on the previous year’s figure (2012: € 20,536 million; -1.6%). EBIT for the three-month period increased by 4.2% to € 1,951 million (2012: € 1,872 million), while profit before tax rose by 7.3% to € 1,889 million (2012: € 1,760 million). Profit after tax improved by 9.5% to € 1,306 million (2012: € 1,193 million). The total number of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles delivered to customers in the period from October to December grew by 3.5% to 527,620 units (2012: 509,684 units).

Automotive segment revenues in the fourth quarter were almost unchanged at € 19,325 million (2012: € 19,496 million; -0.9%). EBIT amounted to € 1,770 million (2012: € 2,054 million; -13.8%) and profit before tax to € 1,766 million (2012: € 1,899 million; -7.0%). The EBIT margin came in at 9.2%.

Fourth-quarter Motorcycles segment revenues totalled € 269 million (2012: € 274 million; -1.8%). The segment reports negative EBIT of € 14 million (2012: negative € 73 million) and a pre-tax loss of € 14 million (2014: loss of € 74 million).

Financial Services segment revenues increased by 0.5% in the final quarter of 2013 to € 4,992 million (2012: € 4,968 million). EBIT jumped by 25.5% to € 335 million (2012: € 267 million) and profit before tax by 19.9% to € 325 million (2012: € 271 million).

BMW Group forecasts further sales volume growth in 2014  

The BMW Group is striving to increase worldwide sales volume further in 2014. “We forecast further sales volume growth in the current year which will again bring us a new all-time high. In doing so, we should exceed the threshold of two million vehicles”, stated Reithofer.

Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board will propose to the Annual General Meeting that the Supervisory Board members Franz Haniel, Susanne Klatten, Dr. h.c. Robert W. Lane and Stefan Quandt be reelected for a mandate period of five years each and Wolfgang Mayrhuber for a mandate period of three years.

Further information on the Group Financial Statements 2013 and the outlook for the current year will be available at the BMW Group’s Annual Accounts Press Conference to be held on 19 March 2014 in Munich.

* Prior year figures partially adjusted in accordance with the revised IAS 19

1 Figures exclude dormant employment contracts, employees in the work and non-work phases of pre-retirement part-time working arrangements and low wage earners

2 Earnings per share of common /preferred stock