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BMW Korea CEO Kim Hyo-joon speaks during a press conference held at a Seoul hotel on Thursday. (BMW Korea) |
BMW Korea hinted Thursday that it might take a breather in 2013 from its aggressive expansion of recent years, unveiling its sales target of at least 10 percent growth for 30,000 cars sold
“We aim to see at least 10 percent growth this year. The year 2013 will be a year for us to prepare for the next big leap,” said BMW Korea CEO Kim Hyo-joon during a press conference in a Seoul on Thursday.
Though the 10 percent figure was described as “moderate,” it still exceeds the estimated 8 percent growth of the nation’s total import car market this year, according to the Korea Automobile Imports and Distributors Association and other carmakers.
Amid fast growth among foreign brand cars here recently, BMW Korea has maintained its market leader position for years.
The German carmaker sold 28,152 vehicles last year in Korea, up 20.9 percent from 2011. Its combined market share with its Mini brand amounted to an unrivaled 26.04 percent among imported car brands in Korea.
During the same period, its German rivals Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen sold 20,389 and 18,395 vehicles, respectively.
Being recognized for its strong performance, Kim said, BMW Korea was recently named the annual champion for balanced growth by its parent firm’s German headquarters.
This year, he said the company would focus more on consolidating its sales and marketing leadership.
A diverse strong lineup, ranging from the New 3 Series Gran Turismo to the facelift version of the BMW Z4 roadster and the fully renovated X5 sport utility vehicle, is awaiting Korean launch to offer more consumer choices.
Especially, the unprecedented 4 Series Coupe designed by Korean designer Kang Won-kyu is expected to hit the Korean market in the latter half of this year.
The seventh-generation Mini, coined the Paceman, is also to be unveiled during the Seoul Motor Show that runs March 28 through April 7.
In the long term, BMW not only aims high in car sales, but also in setting an example for other carmakers on social contribution and shared-growth activities.
“The headquarters has interest in smaller but competitive Korean companies. We will step up efforts in finding good local suppliers for BMW partnership,” Kim said.
Currently, 16 Korean contractors provide auto parts to the German luxury brand with their combined trade volume worth about 3 trillion won ($2.75 billion). The company said it would hold a Korean suppliers’ day event at the Munich-based BMW headquarters in April.
By Lee Ji-yoon (
jylee@heraldcorp.com)
