Gasgoo.com (Shanghai January 15) - Recently Brilliance BMW has welcomed its millionth automobile, that has rolled off the production lines. According to a report appearing in the National Business Daily today, Brilliance BMW President and CEO Kang Siyuan stated that two-thirds of the BMWs sold in China in the future will be domestically-produced. BMW Greater China President Karsten Engel added that China has long since become BMW’s largest market, with the manufacturer to dedicate over 2 billion euros ($2.36b) in the country over the next five years.
Early last year, BMW China Trading President Xu Zhijun had stated that the sales ratio between domestically-made BMWs and imported ones was 4:6. BMW’s Chinese sales in 2014 totaled 455,000 units, representing year-on-year growth of 16 percent. Over half of those sales came from the Brilliance BMW joint venture.
Brilliance BMW has come a long way since its establishment in 2004, when it only possessed one factory with an annual production capacity of less than 10,000 units. Brilliance BMW’s domestically-produced models now include the 3 Series, 5 Series and X1 SUV. Three new domestic models are in the works, including a brand new entry-level compact. The joint venture has also entered the growing new energy vehicle market with the official launch of the 530Le (pictured) today. Mr. Kang expressed his optimism for the future of the emerging market, adding that Brilliance BMW is fully committed to its development.
