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than the Leaf. In other words, it is a real BMW as Reithofer likes to stress. According to chief financial officer Friedrich Eichner: “The investment in carbon fibre isn’t about a single vehicle, but about future-proofing our entire portfolio and therefore our entire business. There’s no way around making cars lighter, and steel is reaching its limit.” Reithofer echoes this view. “In this way, we are preparing for the company’s next phase of growth and making the BMW Group more competitive for the future. Anyone who wishes to shape the mobility of tomorrow must make the necessary BMW is able to take a more long-term view than some of its competitors as it is essentially a family-owned company, which makes it more immune to the demands of fund managers and bank analysts focused on short-term profit. About 47 per cent of BMW shares are
CORBIS/ARABIAN EYE
investments today.”
Chairman of Daimler AG Dieter Zetsche (R), Norbert Reithofer (L) and the president of the automobile association VDA, Matthias Wissmann, present the book Automobile Country Germany – A Success Story with a Future in Berlin.
owned by the widow and children of Herbert Quandt, who acquired a majority stake in BMW in 1960 when it was close to bankruptcy, and oversaw its revival. The i3 received 10,000 orders in the first six weeks of being on sale in Germany. After its launch in Detroit earlier this year, around 100,000 people expressed interest in the car. How many of these will turn into actual orders remains to be seen. BMW executives won’t say how many i3s they
“WE ARE PREPARING FOR THE COMPANY’S NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH AND MAKING THE BMW GROUP MORE COMPETITIVE FOR THE FUTURE. ANYONE WHO WISHES TO SHAPE THE MOBILITY OF TOMORROW MUST MAKE THE NECESSARY INVESTMENTS TODAY.” February 2014
Reithofer will be CEO of BMW until 2016.
want to sell in the first year, but Reithofer
“BMW will always stand for dynamic
did say at the car’s unveiling they expected
and fun driving,” said Reithofer, “and
about 10,000 i3 sales in 2014.
to that we can add sporty and efficient.
That is, of course, only a small
BMW naturally stands for futuristic
percentage of BMW’s overall sales. Its
design, the highest production standards
bread and butter remains in the evolution
and innovation.”
of its conventional vehicles, with its model
And that sums up both Reithofer and
range set to triple in the 15 years from
BMW’s challenge in the years ahead. The
2005 to 2020. Last year the company
company, like every other car manufacturer,
rolled out 11 new models. And regardless of
needs to boost its green credentials while
its power train, each BMW is still designed
maintaining its reputation based on
to be the ultimate driving machine.
superlative driving dynamics. n