The boss of the BMW Motorrad Hendrik von Kûnhajmu have something to remember in 2010 year. It celebrated its 50 year anniversary, and his unit increased sales by 12.3%, to 98047 motorcycles. And this despite the crisis affecting major markets.
We are talking about the secrets of success and the plans for the future we are talking about beer on the veranda of our hotel in the presentation of the new BMW K1600GTL Luxury flagship. Hendrick, you led the BMW Motorrad slightly more than two years ago. Is everything going according to plan?Oh, yeah, now I can say yes. Our company has survived the crisis: we were in the plus, and in percent turnover our profit is higher than the car office! But in general, try to schedule a crisis when you're in a survival mode and sometimes you have to change plans every week. But even in the worst times, unlike competitors, we did not reduce investment in the development of new models, and it has borne fruit. We sold more than 10,000 BMW S1000RR sports bikes-we couldn't even dream of such a sale! This is the most popular superbike in Europe, and in fact he has captured a quarter of its segment. We will now withdraw to the market of K1600, and in 6 to 7 months we will release and the scooter. So, your next step is a scooter?And not justI believe that in the near future a significant part of our business will be the production of urban machines-by two, three or four wheels, with a roof and without a roof, with doors and without them-but the first stall in this sector will become a maxi scooter. With the engine of what volume?Well, as long as I can't tell you that. But trust me: we have carefully studied all the machines represented in this market niche and decided that the best of them is Yamaha T-Max. I set the task for our developers: our products should be superior to the Japanese model and dynamics, maneuverability, efficiency, and ease of control. And would you believe it? -we've outdone him. Much better!Is this gonna be one model?No, two, one sports, another kind of luxury tour. But the luxury version of 90% will be urban-drivenShe'll be with the trunk?Yes, we have patented a unique baggage system, so we will provide more baggage than other scooters. And when the BMW's coming up?The first scooters we made in mid-February-a small batch of 20 cars, then another 50 in March-but these are all trial copies. We'll start serial production at the end of the summer. We have not yet decided on the date of the debut, but they will go on sale at the end of winter-early spring 2012. We could start before, but the quality for us is the first place. Sales of BMW's two mxy-scooters will start in early 2012. As long as we're talking about the maxies. Are there any cars or other hatchet-cubes-for example, 250 cm³?I can assure you that the two models will not limit the case. But let us first bring these machines to the market-everything needs to be done graduallyIf we release a 250-cube scooter, then it will be a BMW 2002tii (remember this small but dynamic sedan, the predecessor of M3?)-a small body, but a big heart and a lot of drive. But the BMW brand 50 and 125 cm³ under the mark of Husqvarna are definitely not. Speaking of Husqvarna. You bought it as a brand of off-road machinery, but aren't you going to release under this brand and cars that target young people?Yes, now Husqvarna is an off-road brand, but if we look back 60 years ago, we'll see that the company produced and used road motorcycles. So it's time to get back to the roots! The more that the enduro market has been very much (60%), and the restrictions on away from the roads are becoming increasingly stringent. So in the future we see the Husqvarna as a manufacturer of motorbikes of sport orientation, with the magnificent Italian design and components of the BMWOf course, you will never see the Husqvarna with an opposit or six-cylinder engine, but the "two" is very soon. You already install BMW G450X engines in the Husqvarna chassis. Does that mean that the BMW will no longer do non-road motorcycles?Yes, of course, our off-road brand will be Husqvarna. And because the rules of the Paris-Dakar rally have changed, you will not see the BMW at its start, but Husqvarna may be declared there in the near future. Husqvarna will produce not only non-road motorcycles, but also road sportsNow, for you, the motorcycle number one is BMW R1200GS, and recently there are spy photographs of the prototype with liquid cooling ...I saw these photos, too, and I can't figure out why everybody thought it was a liquid-cooling.But you're working on a liquid-chilled opposit?That's a simple question. We have a lot of work to do: and above the V8 engine, and over a four-cylinder opposit, and over the oppositic liquid coolant-but not necessarily these developments will go into production. For example, we have spent a lot of time and money on the design of a racing three-cylinder engine, and we put this project on the shelf. Another thing is that many ideas of these promising constructions-the form of a combustion chamber, for example-can later find their incarnating in series motorsI'm guessing a three-cylinder racing engine is the 990 box for MotoGP? By the way, there was a lot of rumors that the BMW was going to infiltrate the Supersport sector-from 600-cubs to the "quartet" or 675-cc "troika". How's that going with that?Look at the statistics: this class is now virtually extint. Yes, we developed an engine like that, and it showed swing characteristics -- but one thing to design, the other thing, to get into production. The Suersport sector has occupied a large share of the U.S. market, but during the crisis it just evaporated. How can I make a model that has no sales? That's when the class's position is restored, then we will return to it. A three-cylinder 675-cc project is still shelved on the shelf until the market is restored. I've just tasted your six-cylinder bike; his engine's not only tractive, but also compact. Why don't you make an 800-box turer with half this engine?Sounds good, but there are better ways. This engine is designed to be a six-cylinder-so why ruin it? With the same success we can cut off one cylinder from the motor S1000RR. For us, there are other alternatives. For example, the market does not yet have any diesel-powered motorcycles-and the BMW has gigantic experience in this field. My chief engineer, Herr Mattes, used to be the lead engineer at the Steyr plant in Austria, where we are making our diesel engines. It may be argued that the diesel does not have such a sound, not such an exhaust, at last, but what is the thrust! And if the market is not yet ready for such a machine-but in three to four years?And then you'll be the first with a diesel motorbike! But back to K1600. In order to "beat" the costs of its development, the two models are clearly not enough ...Yes, we invested heavily in the development of the factory in Berlin, where we will do other motorcycle engines-and all this during the crisis! Back in 2009, we introduced the Nekayed-Bayk Concept 6-here you and another possible option. Alas, the nakedas are worth more than 12,000 euros sold out of hand. Price niche for springs-from 7,500 to 9,500 euros. We produced a very expensive neutron K1300R, so I imagine how narrow this market is. I'm under attack from all sides: let' s start Concept 6 into production. I say, "All right, boys, but first, show me the marketing perspective." But for a six-cylinder engine, there are other applications-for example, a cruise ...Six-cylinder cruise-like Honda Valkyrie! Great! You've already been on the cruise-BMW R1200C, now it's a collector's dream ...I bought one last year! He paid a lot of money for him-more than he cost a new one. The market is not only great, but stable: in 2000 it was 37% of the sales of motorcycles with a working volume of more than 500 cm³, in 2007-40%, in 2010-again 37%. Besides, it's a very profitable sector: you sell the bike first, and then a bunch of accessories to it, so the cruise dealers just adore it. And I can assure you that I will not resign without starting the BMW cruisers first. The market of the circles is big, stable and profitable, and the BMW will definitely take its place. Let us now turn to the opposite sector of the market. Your Austrian colleagues released the 125 cc motorbike, designed in Austria, but produced in India ...It's a beautiful bike!Don't you plan something like that under the brand if not BMW that Husqvarna?Yes, for BMW, the 125 cc motorcycle is not suitable. But Husqvarna ... India is a good place for motorcycle production, much better than China. In India, an excellent education system, its engineers speak English and can read drawings! In the last year I have been in this country several times and visited its most important motor companies: Bajaj, working in alliance with CMW, Hero Honda and TVS. This last one made the most favorable impression on me. Her specialists are quite professional-some even speak German-and in the workshops it is so clean that you can eat directly on the floor!Good candidate for the production of Husqvarna!Maybe. Just sell it. We are told that you could do in India and the 650-cubic model-all the more so you're already making cars out there. But the market for motorcycles in this country is not more than 500 cars a year. Harley-Davidson and Ducati, after the market opened for import, were eager to go to India. But few rich people have bought themselves a motorcycle-and the market is gone. I've been around a few local dealers in these companies, so they're already going out of business. That's where the market is. More than a billion people live in the country, and we have sold 8,000 BMW cars here in a year, capturing the first luxury carrots. But in China, we sell as much in four days!You already have experience of international cooperation-so KYMCO makes engines for sports BMW and Husqvarna. Are you not planning to open the world's third-world plants for the production of inexpensive components and possibly a complete assembly of motorcycles?We have very successful experience in the production of motorcycles in Brazil: last year we sold 3,000 units of the local assembly (3% of our total sales), and we plan to sell 5-6,000 units this year. In addition to the one-cylinder, 650-cube model, we have just started manufacturing a two-cylinder 800-cc motorcycle, and a third model will appear before the end of the year. We are also very happy with our strategic partnership with KYMCO-it is a very good company, and in the future we will cooperate more closely with it. A very good production base in Thailand: there are many suppliers of components, and we have received components from there for several years. But it's better to make motorcycles in Berlin. Imagine, for us, KYMCO is going to buy 120 euros cheaper, and to chase people to Taiwan on all emerging issues? I'd better tell you guys, stay in Berlin and work for five minutes longer!Are you going to make the scooter engines on Taiwan?Maybe not at once, but in principle it's a good production base. What about the electronics? Do they have a future-and will BMW become the future?In the next three years, our company will become one of the most important manufacturers of electric transport. Moreover, our products will outperform all our competitors. We have already announced a new brand-BMW i-and present two cars in 2013: i3 and i8. The first one is the city, the other is a real sports car. They will be revolutionary and design, and manufacturing technology: no steel bodies-carbon-plastics, aluminum and magnesium. Naturally, the electrification will be affected by the motorcycle department. But consumer demands are in clear contradiction with technical capabilities. Surveys show that buyers do not agree to a range of less than 100 \   km, although the typical driver of the BMW is passing between 30 and 37 km per day. Furthermore, they are not satisfied with the maximum speed of less than 120 km/h, even if it is a city car. And to fulfill these requirements, you need a large battery with a mass of about 80 kg. However, the development of the accumulators is at a rapid pace: each year they increase the capacity by about 6% with the same size and mass. So in three years we will present a compact machine with a range of 80 to 90 km and a maximum speed of 110 km/h, an excellent vehicle for the city. In the coming years BMW will become one of the leading manufacturers of electric transport. Well, let' s talk about sports. Are you satisfied with the results of the first two years of participation in WSBK?There's no way to predict everything in the race. Sometimes no money, no know-how, no luck enough to win. In the first year of the year in WSBK, everything was fine, but in the second year we came to the podium, everything went bad. And we can't afford to stomper at the end of the first ten-BMW should win. After all, in the Superstock Championship last year, we won all but one of the races. If you can't win this year, continue with your speeches in WSBK.No doubt. If we don't get anything in eight years, then something was wrong, and I'm going to have to resign. And if you win?Well, we'll have to prove that we're not just caliph for an hour. Participation in the race is very important for the promotion of such a bike as S1000RR. The commercial gain from participation in WSBK is obvious: you win the same bike that you sell. But MotoGP does not drive serial bikes, but prototypes. Starting from the next season, according to the new rules, it will be possible to install superbike motor prototypes in the chassis-and the Suter team has already made such a hybrid with the BMW engine. Will you support such attempts-or perhaps you will take part in the MotoGP?First we need to win the WSBK championship. That's when we win two or three times, then we'll see. Participation in the MotoGP is twice as expensive as in WSBK, and if you want to win the three. Ducati is spending 40 million euros a year on his MotoGP program-no one gives me that kind of money. On the other hand, motorcycles for WSBK are not exactly road motorcycles. See, for example, how much the racing engine of racing Aprilia is different from the serial. If there are no clear rules to ensure fair play, it can destroy the entire series. Besides, Dorna is promoter MotoGP-provides the best show on TV, and they have such stars as Rossi, Pedrosa and Lorenzo. So, if you find the sponsors, you're going to go to MotoGP?Well, if any of the Red Bull, Coca-Cola or Marlboro corporations come with 20 million euros and say, guys, let' s race together ... In general, never say never. But for now, the main thing is to win the WSBK. Until then, I won't even talk to MotoGP's potential sponsors. I always tell my guys: business, we need to focus on it 100%. It's going to be a waste of a 95% win ...