More cars sold, but less sales: BMW felt the high euro exchange rate in the first quarter. Nevertheless, the car company was able to increase the profit slightly.
BMW headquarters in Munich
Friday, 05/04/2018
10:47
There were no good conditions for the start of the year BMW, The strong euro and high costs for models and technologies are reflected in the business figures – yet the Munich-based carmaker has made more profit than expected. Although pre-tax profit fell slightly compared to the previous year to just under € 3.2 billion, the bottom line was a surplus of € 2.3 billion, around one percent higher.
This was due to two special effects: The Chinese joint venture was particularly successful, and BMW also had to pay less taxes.
Because BMW 
many cars sold outside the euro area, the consolidated sales fell despite the increased by three percent car deliveries year-on-year by five percent to 22.7 billion euros. However, the proceeds would have shrunk slightly even without the burden of currency translation.
From January to March, BMW spent just under nine percent more on research and development at € 1.29 billion than the year before. Although prices for raw materials and intermediate consumption have risen, the group was able to increase the yield in the car segment to 9.7 percent. This puts BMW ahead of its competitors Mercedes-Benz with 9.0 percent and Audi with 8.5 percent.
However, in other respects BMW came even further behind in Mercedes-Benz: in the number of cars sold. The Stuttgart could last year still sell 57,000 cars more than the Munich, the distance increased now to 77,000. BMW now hopes for the second half of the year, in which the popular SUV X3 not only in the US, but also in South Africa and China from the tape.