Change at the helm of BMW Asia

SINGAPORE – From 1st December 2008, Mr. Johannes Seibert will take over as the Managing Director of BMW Asia Pte Ltd in Singapore, the regional office of the BMW Group in Asia.

At the same time, Mr. Roland Krueger, who has been steering the BMW Asia office since 2004, will be appointed as the President of BMW Japan to succeed Mr. Jesus Cordoba. Mr. Cordoba will be retiring by the end of this year.

Mr. Seibert is currently the head of the sales region in East Germany located in Berlin. He will bring with him vast international experience from his previous appointments as Managing Director of the Regional Office in Panama and President of BMW Mexico.

Announcing the change, Dr. Kay Segler, Senior Vice-President of BMW Group Importer Markets, said, “We are pleased to appoint Mr. Seibert as the new Managing Director of BMW Asia. His previous experience as the head of a regional office, as well as a sales subsidiary, makes him the ideal candidate to head BMW Asia”.

“I would like to thank Mr. Krueger for his contributions to BMW Asia. Over the last four and a half years, he has contributed significantly to the growth of the regional markets here and expanded the functions of the regional headquarters of the BMW Group in Singapore”.

Under the helm of Mr. Krueger during his four and a half years tenure in BMW Asia, the BMW Group in Singapore has grown BMW and MINI brand sales by an impressive 74%, making it the most successful premium automotive company in the market for the past four consecutive years. With 4,008 BMW and MINI vehicles sold in 2007, the BMW Group grew by 3.9% from the previous year.

The BMW 7 Series, flagship model of BMW vehicles, became the top selling model in its class in 2005. It was used as the official limousine to transport world leaders during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings held here in September 2006, as well as the 41st ASEAN Ministerial Meetings and 40th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meetings this year.

Other significant contributions that Mr. Krueger has made included overseeing the building and design of the award-winning three-storey, multi-million dollar MINI Habitat, the first MINI centre in Asia to meet latest BMW Group showroom display standards, and the brand new, state-of-the-art BMW facility in Singapore at 303 Alexandra Road.

About BMW Group Asia

BMW Group Asia in Singapore is the regional hub of the Group in Southeast Asia.

Established in 1985, it has two major roles. The first is market responsibility for Southeast Asia, with the management of the BMW Group subsidiaries in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines as well as all importers in the Asia-Pacific region.

Second, the office in Singapore is the regional base for key corporate functions like purchasing, corporate audit, corporate security, corporate sales, direct sales and special vehicles, as well as corporate affairs. In 2006, the regional office added new corporate capabilities to its portfolio: the Asia-Pacific Treasury Centre (one of three BMW Treasury Centres worldwide), the Asian studio for BMW DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy within the BMW Group and BMW Group Financial Services.

In addition, the BMW Group also established an Asia-Pacific regional office for Rolls-Royce cars in Singapore. Since January 1st 2003, the Rolls-Royce brand has been part of the BMW Group, which presents itself with three brands: BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce.

17.10.2008