Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

[Presentation] Ladies and gentlemen, hello, and welcome to BMW, the 4, the all-new BMW 4 Series Coupe. It symbolizes the essence of a modern and highly emotional coupe in the very core of BMW, an everyday dream car. The 4 references to our heritage and yet presents a progressive and confident interpretation of the iconic design elements of its predecessors, meaning cars like the BMW 3.0 CSi or the BMW 328. These coupes have played a major role in BMW's history, both in contributing to the brand's image and to our design language. From now on, the number 4 will stand for an even more self-confident and expressive series of products. All models will show a complete differentiation to the current 3 Series as we believe in the different individual characters of our customers. While the second-generation 4 Series models keep their focus on exactly this objective, they will emerge with a new, exciting and very distinctive appearance. The front end of the 4 is a clear statement on the road. The prominent vertical kidney and the twin iconic headlights create a daring and confident identity. The 4 displays BMW's signature proportions at their most modern form. The stretch bonnet, long wheelbase and a fast roofline create an elegant and dynamic coupe outline. The body side is dominated by clean sculpted surfaces. A defined core line, which runs between the wheelhouses, emphasizes a low center of gravity. At the same time, it accentuates the wheels and the great stance of the 4. The fast and tapered greenhouse generates strong rear fenders and provides the rear with a very exotic and sporty aesthetic. The slim and sculpted L-shape taillights emerge from the side and emphasize the powerful shoulder even more. The dominant black diffuser underlines the sporty and expressive character of the 4. The interior presents a modern and yet dynamic appearance. All control elements and displays have a strict focus on driving. And of course, the interior offers our customer a high level of luxury. Ladies and gentlemen, dynamic, expressive and luxurious, the 4 embodies all design values of the BMW brand, a true brand-shaper. Stay tuned for more BMW 4 Series insights. And now over to Pieter Nota. Thank you.

Welcome to the BMW Group Classic. Coupes have always played an extremely important role at BMW. They are dream cars and brand-shapers. When I was a boy, I was madly in love with this car, the BMW 3.0 CS. And the new BMW 4 Series Coupe brings back all of those feelings. It's pure joy to look at and to drive and embodies the very essence of the BMW brand. The 4 is a forward-looking interpretation of BMW's enduring DNA. It gives you a good idea of how we want to combine the very latest in technology with a very strong and evocative design at BMW in the near future. The 4 also provides the basis for the all-electric i4, which will go into production in 2021. This second generation of the BMW 4 Series stands for even more aesthetics and dynamics than the first and distinguishes itself even more clearly from its sibling, the very successful BMW 3 Series. This highly emotional coupe is set to delight customers who desire progressive design combined with advanced driving performance. It's a true BMW. A pure driving machine that sets the benchmark in its segment. And for the first time, we will offer an M Performance model in the 4 Series: the M440i xDrive, which I'm sure you're going to have a lot of fun driving. Our Head of Development, Klaus Fröhlich, has been doing just that. He took it out for a spin on the track recently, and now you'll hear firsthand from Klaus all about the superb driving dynamics of the 4 Series Coupe.

We took the already extremely sporty 3 Series and added another injection of sharpness to make the new 4 Series even more dynamic. Let's have a look. For me, the 4 Series is a very important car. It's the essence of BMW. And now, we will see how it performs. Let's rock. Steering has to be precise, and the steering forces have to be quite low, so that it's easy to handle. And of course, very performant brakes is key. And here you see a little bit of oversteering. Wonderful. That's what I like. And also, it's -- the car is very forgiving. For example, here, if you do not find the corner exactly at the beginning, it's so easy to correct. And also good harmony between the chassis and the powertrain. The transmission gives you always a gear you need to perform out of the corners. And this stiff body gives the suspension the ability to be very crisp, very precise; also braking very precise, good pedal feel. And you steer the car through the corners not only with the steering wheel but also with the throttle; very defined, very good. And sheer driving pleasure, I tell you. For me, the 4 Series is the heart of BMW: a very precise compact coupe with amazing dimensions. When we look at already very sporty 3 Series, we have made the car nearly 6 centimeters lower. We have lowered the center of gravity, which helps a lot in cornering and track is wider by more than 2 centimeters. And of course, we have a specific tune of the suspension system and of course, very performant tires, because we have combined this chassis with this wonderful powertrain, 6 cylinder inline, typical BMW, 374 horsepower, 500 newton meters, limited-slip diff, and a four-wheel drive which is always, as you might see, a little bit of oversteering, what I really love. Very good. And this is my last test of the car, giving it to the customers and the press very soon. And I think now it's to the point. During the development phase, I always told my team, "Make it precise, like a scalpel, to drive." And the team delivered a lot of fun, a real ultimate driving machine, a true BMW, and you can drive it yourself from October.

Thank you for joining the world premiere of the all-new BMW 4 Series Coupe.