16 Feb 09 11:59
BMW has claimed that it is confident it will ride out the recession and can afford to plan top-end, expensive models ready for a recovery.
Speaking at a preview event for the Concept 5-Series Gran Turismo, head of the BMW Group board Ian Robertson said that stringent legislation on vehicle emissions had also 'changed the landscape' of the car market, and led to 'major changes over a short period of time'.
However, he stressed that the company believed that 'the automobile will remain the clear mode of transport as we go into the future', and told 4Car that 'we still see a place for big cars. Consumers will continue to want choice, and will not want to compromise. But BMW can make them [large cars] more efficient'.
The 5-Series Gran Turismo will not be a big-seller, however; BMW sees it as a niche vehicle, albeit one which can attract buyers new to the brand. It's also not even the biggest or most expensive new BMW to be launched over the next year or so: BMW will unveil the new 'RR4' Rolls-Royce at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
So how does it feel to be launching a new Rolls-Royce in the current climate? 'Great! There are a lot of wealthy people still out there. The RR4 is relatively smaller [than the Phantom] and it will again be class-leading. It will set even greater performance benchmarks for economy and C02 in this sector'.
Rolls-Royce customers, BMW thinks, 'are very different' to mainstream BMW buyers. Entrepreneurs, celebrities and sports stars - 'but not necessarily company directors' - they are less subject to the forces of recession. It's all right for some...
