BMW may surrender its position as the No. 1 global premium brand by unit sales to rival Audi, although it will retain the title if sales of Mini are included, CEO Norbert Reithofer said."We would like to remain leading premium automaker, also in terms of volume," Reithofer told journalists today at the company's annual results conference in Munich.
However a push by competitors such as Audi into areas of subcompact cars with its A1 model, a segment where BMW does not offer an equivalent vehicle, is making it harder to retain the title, Reithofer said.
If you use BMW Group as a benchmark, and include sales of Mini-branded cars, then the title of being the biggest selling premium automaker will be retained, Reithofer said.
Read Article