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News of August 01, 2002

BMW Group expands Thai plant with € 15 million investment

Exports of new 7 Series and the 330i to begin in 2003

Munich - BANGKOK - BMW Group will invest €15 million to expand and equip its first wholly owned plant in Asia. BMW Manufacturing, Thailand Co Ltd, located in Thailand's Rayong province, will manufacture the new BMW 7 Series sedan and start its exports in 2003.

So far, it has been producing BMW 318i and 323i since 2000. It will be the only production facility outside Germany to manufacture the new 7 Series.

"The BMW 7 Series produced in Rayong will be the highest quality automobile ever to be manufactured in Thailand", said Dr. Norbert Reithofer, member of the Board of Management of the BMW AG responsible for worldwide production, at a press conference today.

The BMW 7 Series sedan as well as the 330i will initially be exported to Indonesia, under the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Free Trade Area (AFTA) scheme for cars manufactured in member states.

"Together, Rayong and the BMW Group have taken an important step towards creating a regional hub in our network of premium plants. We look forward to the day when Rayong will be hailed as the center of the premium car industry in Asia, not only because of the BMW Group but also for the suppliers and other companies that will locate here", said Dr. Norbert Reithofer.

"But the key for a successful development of the BMW Manufacturing, Thailand plant will be the AFTA. We are counting on the support of the Thai government to promote the opening of the markets in neighboring countries", he added.

Presently, the investment of €15 million in the plant includes an additional assembly line and body shop. Construction of these two new facilities is to be completed before year-end. The maximum capacity of this plant in the long term remains unchanged at 10,000 units per year. However these new facilities increase the current capacity to approximately 6,000 units, a production figure that is planned to be achieved by 2005.

The plant extension will also create 46 additional jobs, bringing the total workforce in BMW Manufacturing, Thailand to 217 employees. Additional jobs will naturally be created in the supplier industry.

To export cars under the AFTA agreement, the local (defined as ASEAN region) content of the car must reach 40%. By sourcing for components from the ASEAN region, especially the countries that will receive these exports, the BMW Group targets to create a balanced trade in the region.

Worldwide, the BMW Group manufactures products in 22 production sites in 14 countries. Of these, seven production plants are for BMW and MINI vehicles and BMW motorcycles, three are engine plants, four are manufacturing components and eight of them are assembly plants.

(July 29, 2002)

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