BMW Half-Year Sales Up 17.9%
BMW says it sold 35,983 motorcycles during the second quarter 2005, 17.5% more than the 30,635 units delivered during second quarter 2004. On a half-year basis, motorcycle sales increased to 57,287 units, 17.9% more than the 48,570 units retailed during the first six months of 2004.
Revenues of the Motorcycles segment for the second quarter 2005 were euro 423 million, up 41.5% from revenues of euro 299 million during the second quarter 2004. Segment revenues for the first half of the year were euro 741 million, up 27.5% from euro 581 million during the first half-year 2004.
Motorcycle segment profit before tax for the second quarter 2005 was euro 53 million, up 20.5% to from a profit of euro 44 million during the second quarter 2004. Segment profit for the first half of 2005 was euro 84 million, up 16.7% from euro 72 million during the first six months of 2004.
“After a slight downturn in 2004, our motorcycle business has clearly returned to the growth course this year,” Dr. Helmut Panke, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said during a telephone conference reporting on the company’s second quarter.
BMW said the above-average growth rate was due primarily to changes in the product mix. It said top-sellers during the second quarter included the K 1200 S, R 1200 GS and R 1200 RT models, all of which have been recently introduced as part of a new product initiative.
