“BMW i3의 올해 한국 판매분 250대 적어 보일 수도 있지만 유럽에서도 그만큼의 수량 확보하지 못한 곳들 있습니다.”
BMW그룹의 이안 로버트슨 영업 및 마케팅 총괄사장은 수요일 코리아헤럴드에 BMW의 친환경 전기차 전략에서 한국시장의 역할을 강조하며 이같이 말했다.
BMW의 첫 전기차전용모델인 i3는 지난 11월 독일에서 출시된 이후 화제를 모으고 있다. 하루 70대라는 한정된 생산량때문에 각 국가들이 판매물량 선점을 위해 치열하게 경쟁중이다.
4월 한국 출시를 앞두고 BMW코리아는 올해 국내판매분 250대를 확보해놓은 상태이다.
얼핏 적은 물량으로 보이지만 올해 정부의 전기차보조금 혜택이 1,000대에 한해 집행되는 점을 감안하면 25%에 달하는 숫자다. BMW의 작년 한국 판매대수는 39,500대로 국내 전체 자동차시장에서 약 3% 점유율을 차지했다.
BMW 회장 노르베르트 라이트호퍼와 이사진은 지난 수요일 뮌헨 bmw 본사에서 연매출액 관련 기자회견에 참석했다 (BMW)
로버트슨사장은 “한국을 비롯해 중국, 일본의 메가시티들은 장기적으로 i3에 중요한 시장”이라며 아시아지역 판매에 기대감을 드러냈다.
그는 “전기차상용화 아직 걸음마 단계이지만 분명한 건 모든 국가들의 정책방향이 저탄소 친환경으로 이동해가고 있다”며 “한국 역시 현대차가 수소연료차를 계발하는 등 선진 시장 중 하나라 눈여겨 보고 있다”고 밝혔다.
로버트슨사장은 다만 보조금, 충전인프라 등과 같은 정부지원을 i3 투입에 있어 가장 중요한 조건으로 꼽으며 “당분간은 유럽과 함께 미국에 역량을 좀 더 집중할 예정”이라고 덧붙였다.
BMW는 i3의 올해 판매목표를 3만대로 언급한바 있는데 수요일 뮌헨에서 열린 연례 기자회견에서는 구체적인 숫자가 발표되지는 않았다. 최근 수요가 전세계적으로 급증하면서 현재 고객들의 출고대기시간은 약 6개월이다.
(코리아헤럴드 이지윤기자 jylee@heraldcorp.com)
Korea expected to play role in BMW’s i3 strategy
German luxury brand aims to sell record 2 million cars this year
MUNICH, Germany -- German luxury carmaker BMW pinned high hopes on Asia, including Korea, for sales of its emissions-free, electric vehicles in the long term, though it is focusing more resources on Europe and the United States for now.
“The i3 cars will definitely have a strong role to play in Asia such as Korea, China and Japan. These countries have the biggest cities in the world, which the i3 is targeting for,” BMW board member for sales and marketing Ian Robertson told The Korea Herald on Wednesday.
The Korean unit of BMW has secured the first batch of 250 units of the i3, the Munich-based carmaker’s first full-electric model that goes on sale in April in Korea. The number may be small but the company’s ambition seems big enough.
The Korean government plans to offer incentives for 1,000 electric vehicles purchased this year, which means BMW aims to claim 25 percent of government support in a market where the powerful Korean duo of Hyundai and its affiliate Kia dominates almost 80 percent of car sales.
BMW, the best-selling foreign car brand in Korea, sold 39,558 units of its Mini, Rolls-Royce and BMW cars in 2013, accounting for about 3 percent of the country’s total car sales. Especially with its flagship 7 Series limousine, Korea is BMW’s fourth-largest market.
“Korea is important for us, with BMW’s sales almost tripling there over the past five years,” said the sales chief of BMW.
“There are some other markets in Europe which haven’t gotten that many yet,” he added, citing government support, including incentives and charging infrastructure, as key consideration to push i3 cars into the market.
The carmaker earlier predicted sales of some 30,000 units of the i3 this year. Due to the high-demand and supply constraints, it takes some six months for the car buyer to receive their vehicle currently.
At the company’s annual results press conference on Wednesday, BMW also reiterated its aim to sell 2 million or more cars in 2014, of which Korean sales are expected to make up some 40,000 units, according to BMW Korea.
“In the first two months of the year, we have already sold around 274,000 cars -- more than any of our competitors. This is the best start to a year we have ever had,” said BMW’s chief executive Norbert Reithofer.
Last year, the carmaker delivered a record 1.96 million cars, hitting the No. 1 spot in the premium segment. For the first time, its car sales exceeded more than half a million vehicles in Asia in one year -- almost 580,000 units.
The legendary CEO also pledged that the carmaker will strive to grow further by enhancing expertise in future technologies such as electric mobility and lightweight construction. To achieve this, the company has invested about 1.5 billion euro ($2 billion) in vocational training and professional development programs.
“In 2016, BMW will mark its 100th anniversary -- a historic milestone. We will not be looking in the rear-view mirror but focusing on the road ahead,” he said. “We will be starting from pole position in creating and defining future mobility.”
By Lee Ji-yoon, Korea Herald correspondent (
jylee@heraldcorp.com)