BMW annouces that ALL models will now come fully equipped with Satellite Navigation as standard.

BMW UK is pleased to announce that from September 2015, BMW Navigation will be included as standard equipment across the range. From July onwards, the BMW 2 Series Convertible and 2 Series Active Tourer will receive navigation as a standard feature. 

In addition to this, the BMW Z4 range will receive BMW Professional Navigation also from July production onwards. In September going forwards the BMW 1 Series range and 2 Series Coupé will include navigation as standard.

These broad sweeping enhancements to the already high specification of BMW cars will mean that every BMW offered for sale in the UK will come with navigation as standard by the end of 2015.

BMW has a long lead the way in terms of standard specification, and this latest move makes the Munich manufacturer the only company to offer navigation as standard across such a broad range of market segments. When combined with some of the other standard features, such as BMW Emergency Call, DAB radio and Bluetooth with audio streaming, every BMW offers an extensive suite of advanced communication and entertainment features.

Every model in the company's range will soon come with a 6.5-inch high definition screen, iDrive controller and Traffic Message Channel. Building on this Professional Navigation adds a larger 8.8-inch screen with iDrive Touch controller, Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI) and BMW Online including BMW Remote Services, which allows drivers to send Navigation addresses directly to their vehicle via Google or the BMW My Remote app.

In addition to this news, the cost to upgrade to Professional Navigation for the 1 and 2 Series models has been reduced. Customers of the 1 Series Sports Hatch and 2 Series Coupé and Convertible can enhance their car this way for just £900. The upgrade cost for 2 Series Active Tourer and Gran Tourer customers has also been reduced to £1,395, with this package also including the BMW Head up Display.

Jeff Knight, Forecasting Editor Cars, CAP, said: "BMW introducing navigation across its entire model range is a first for any mainstream manufacturer in the UK and will inevitably pave the way for others to follow. On-board navigation systems now offer so much more technology than previously seen with the likes of 2D & 3D navigation map displays, traffic information and particularly with BMW standard e-call functionality which is a key safety feature. As well as having standard navigation across the range all BMW models will see an improvement on their residual value from between £300 to £600 (model dependant) so this is good news all round for the customer."

BMW ConnectedDrive in 2015

The BMW ConnectedDrive suite of technologies is vast and the key points are outlined below:

BMW Emergency Call

More commonly referred to as ‘eCall’, this provides the peace of mind that in the event of an accident your vehicle can automatically make an emergency call to the emergency services via a BMW contact centre. This can be completed manually by pressing the SOS button in the vehicle head unit. However, in the case of a more serious accident, crash sensors in the vehicle will automatically trigger an emergency call allowing an agent to establish contact with the vehicle. Vehicle details and GPS data are also transferred, pinpointing the precise location enabling the services to respond immediately.

BMW Teleservices

Teleservices provides peace of mind by the car automatically reporting important technical information to the customer’s assigned dealer e.g. service requirements or technical faults.

BMW Online services and apps

The BMW Online portal provides convenient access to web-based information to ensure that you have all the information you need along your journey.

News: World, Business, UK, Entertainment and Sports (including Premier league football results and table). With the text-to-speech function articles can be read aloud to the driver.

Weather: Five day weather forecast for current location or any destination.

Google Local Search: Online POI search from live Google data to ensure the information is up to date.

Send-to-car: Addresses and POIs can be sent to car via Google Maps ahead of journey.

App interface supports BMW Connected applications via compatible mobile device: including Spotify, Life360, Facebook, Twitter and many more. BMW Online also offers support for selected email services directly into the car, including Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Live and Outlook.

Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI)                                                    

RTTI provides up-to-the-minute details on the flow of traffic and potential delays along your journey. The information is presented on the Navigation map by using a colour coding system allowing you to actively monitor how the traffic situation is changing. Road networks can be divided into distances as short as 500m for superior accuracy and dependency. The system also recommends for or against alternative routes based on the potential time saving benefits allowing you to relax in the knowledge that the most time efficient route is being taken.

Concierge service

The BMW Concierge Service provides additional convenience and support should you require location-based information e.g. addresses or phone numbers. The Customer Information Centre is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With the touch of a button you can have a personal conversation with an agent who can discuss a variety of enquiries and then send the required details straight down to your car. Information can then be imported into your Navigation system or you can call the relevant telephone number using your Bluetooth paired device.

Remote Services

BMW Remote Services allows you to contact and control certain features of the car remotely. Services can be performed by calling the Customer Information Centre or simply using your smartphone.

Features include:

- Remote lock/unlock

- Vehicle finder (when within 1,500m of the car)

- Headlight flash e.g. to identify vehicle at night or in large car park

- Google search and send-to-car

4G connectivity and other over the air map updates

Free of charge over-the-air map updates taking place in the background up to 4 times per year. 4G connectivity for faster downloads of applications, media via online entertainment option and map updates. Able to pass these benefits onto second owner as map updates can be purchased over-the-air after free period ends with lower cost than current Retailer updates.

Online entertainment for cars

First direct to car music streaming service in Europe. Using the built-in 3G SIM card, drivers can stream music online, directly from their BMW without the need for a smartphone or MP3 player with access to over 25 million tracks. i–Cloud-based service can be accessed on PC, tablet, smartphone and your BMW for a seamlessly connected personal music library.

UK SALES - BMW GROUP - Like MINI, the parent brand has achieved new records in sales/

BMW and MINI celebrate highest ever UK sales

BMW Group in the UK achieved its best ever sales in 2014 with both BMW and MINI brands setting new UK records. In total, 202,539 BMW and MINI vehicles were registered, an increase of 8.01 per cent over 2013. The BMW brand accounted for 148,878 sales, an increase of 9.81 per cent compared to 2013 and over 13,000 vehicles more than its previous UK sales record in 2013. MINI sold 53,661 vehicles, its best annual sales performance since the vehicle’s UK launch in July 2001, representing a 3.33 per cent increase over 2013.

BMW Group achieved a market share of 8.18 per cent of the total UK car market in 2014 (BMW 6.01 per cent and MINI 2.17 per cent) bolstered by the introduction of 18 new BMW and MINI models including the newly-launched BMW 2 Series range and MINI Hatch 3 and 5-door vehicles.

“BMW Group had a tremendous year in 2014 breaking records with both its BMW and MINI brands in the UK with sales exceeding 200,000 vehicles for the first time in the company’s history. We have seen strong sales growth driven by particularly high demand for the new BMW 2 Series and 4 Series models, said Graeme Grieve, Chief Executive Officer of BMW Group UK. 

“The iconic MINI is also celebrating record sales thanks to strong performances from the new 3 and 5-door Hatch models as it continues to attract new customers in the UK. These results are testament to the strong partnership we have with our UK retailer network. BMW and MINI retailers also sold almost 84,000 Approved Used BMWs and over 30,000 Cherished MINIs last year as well as investing over £20 million in modern, customer-friendly retail facilities during 2014. Although the 2015 economic outlook remains challenging, we have a significant number of new model introductions and are looking forward to another strong year,” concluded Grieve.

BMW brand sales                                               

                                                           

In 2014, sales of BMW vehicles set a new record with the brand outperforming the market. Sales increased by 9.80 per cent to a total of 148, 878 vehicles representing 6.01 per cent of the total UK market. Demand for the BMW 2 and 4 Series ranges has been particularly strong and has accounted for over 22,000 customer deliveries. With more than 21,000 sales, the BMW 5 Series remains a key player in the corporate sector and sales of BMW i3 and i8 models have now exceeded 1,600 vehicles. BMW X Series models have made a significant contribution to the company’s sales growth. With the introduction of the X6 in 2008, X1 in 2009 and new X3, X4 and X5 models, sales of X models have risen to 24,535 in 2014 and now represent more than 16 per cent of BMW’s total UK sales.

MINI brand sales           

                                                                                         

MINI celebrated its highest ever UK sales since its launch in 2001 capturing 2.17 per cent of the market with 53,661 models sold, an increase of 3.33 per cent compared to 2013. The New MINI 3-Door Hatch, launched in March, continued to be the brand’s biggest seller. Alongside its all-new stablemate, the MINI 5-Door Hatch, more than 28,000 were sold last year (3-Door Hatch: 24,200 and 5-Door Hatch: 3,800). The introduction of the first-for-brand MINI 5-Door Hatch in October also saw a significant increase in the brand’s fleet sales which were up 17 per cent year-on-year.

BMW Group UK sales: January to December 2014:

	December 2014	December 2013	% change	Year to date 2014	Year to date 2013	% change
BMW	12,445	11,470	8.50%	148,878	135,583	9.81%
MINI	7,172	4,011	78.81%	53,661	51,933	3.33%
Total BMW Group	19,617	15,481	26.71%	202,539	187,516	8.01%

BMW remains on track with sales and income, in 2013.

• New highs for sales volume and Group earnings figures
• All targets set for year achieved
• Group revenues of € 76.06 billion in 2013
• Profit before taxes increased to € 7.91 billion
• Group net profit for year up to € 5.34 billion
• Proposal to raise dividend to € 2.60 per share of common stock

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 BMWmotorcycles 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 apprenticesworldwide. Reithofer commented: “We consider training to be an investment in the future of the company and in society”.

The size of the workforceincreased 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-quarterMotorcycles 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.

The BMW Group – an overview
		2013	2012*	Change in %
Deliveries to customers		1,963,798	1,845,186	6.4
Automotive
Thereof:
BMW	units	1,655,138	1,540,085	7.5
MINI	units	305,030	301,526	1.2
Rolls-Royce	units	3,630	3,575	1.5
Motorcycles	units	115,215	106,358	8.3
Workforce1		110,351	105,876	4.2
Revenues	€ million	76,058	76,848	-1.0
Thereof:
Automotive	€ million	70,629	70,208	0.6
Motorcycles	€ million	1,504	1,490	0.9
Financial Services	€ million	19,874	19,550	1.7
Other entities	€ million	6	5	20.0
Eliminations	€ million	-15,955	-14,405	-10.8
Profit before financial result	€ million	7,986	8,275	-3.5
Thereof:
Automotive	€ million	6,657	7,599	-12.4
Motorcycles	€ million	79	9	-
Financial Services	€ million	1,643	1,558	5.5
Other entities	€ million	44	58	-24.1
Eliminations	€ million	-437	-949	54.0
Profit before tax	€ million	7,913	7,803	1.4
Thereof:
Automotive	€ million	6,561	7,170	-8.5
Motorcycles	€ million	76	6	-
Financial Services	€ million	1,639	1,561	5.0
Other entities	€ million	164	3	-
Eliminations	€ million	-527	-937	43.8
Income taxes	€ million	-2,573	-2,692	4.4
Net profit	€ million	5,340	5,111	4.5
Earnings per share2	€	8.10/8.12	7.75/7.77	4.5/4.5
Dividend per share of common/preferred stock	€	2.60/2.62	2.50/2.52	-

* 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