New BMW China president announced

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai December 10) - BMW AG has appointed Karsten Engel to head up the manufacturer's Chinese branch in 2013, Gasgoo.com (Chinese) reported today. Mr. Engel, who is currently president of BMW's German branch, will replace current President and CEO Christoph Stark, who announced his retirement this weekend.

BMW AG CEO Norbert Reithofer praised the accomplishments Dr. Spark (pictured below) made during his eight years at the manufacturer, adding that there were still a lot of opportunities for BMW to grow in China. According to Dr. Reithofer, Dr. Spark's replacement Mr. Engel (pictured above) possesses the rich experience and outstanding job performance to build on the successes made by his predecessor and further advance BMW's development in China. Dr. Reithofer also emphasized the importance of the Chinese market to the German manufacturer.

Mr. Engel has worked at BMW for nearly 25 years now, serving in various regions across the globe. In his current role, Mr. Engel is responsible for overlooking the manufacturer's sales and marketing work in Germany.

China is now one of BMW's most important markets worldwide, with the manufacturer having sold a total of 264,884 vehicles in the country over the first ten months of this year.