2019
Mr. Alexander Baraka
Press Release | 2019.08.21

BMW Group names Mr. Alexander Baraka as new President of BMW Group Thailand

Bangkok. BMW Group has announced the appointment of Mr. Alexander Baraka as President of BMW Group Thailand, effective 1st September 2019. Mr. Baraka succeeds Mr. Christian Wiedmann, who is now set to take up a new position as President and CEO of BMW Group Japan.

 

A 14-year veteran of the BMW Group, Mr. Alexander Baraka joined the BMW Group in 2005 and has since served in various functions across many regions around the globe – including Spain, Germany and South Africa. In 2017, he was named as the General Manager, BMW Brand Management and Marketing Services for BMW Group South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa after two years in an overall supervisory role as General Manager for BMW Motorrad in the same market. In his new position, Mr. Baraka’s responsibilities will cover the management of all BMW Group Thailand business divisions – including BMW, MINI, and BMW Motorrad.

 

Mr. Hendrik von Kuenheim, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing Region Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, BMW Group, said, “It is yet another exciting time for us as we welcome Mr. Baraka to his new role in Thailand – a market which has been one of our strategic locations in the region with significant growth potential for the premium automobile segment. Throughout the years, Mr. Baraka has been a figure of exceptional aptitude and leadership in sales, marketing, and management duties within the BMW Group network, and I am certain that he will lead BMW Group Thailand to many more milestone moments in the years to come.”

 

“I would also like to express our appreciation to Mr. Wiedmann for his dedication and contribution to BMW Group Thailand, leading up to record-setting deliveries for all three brands in 2018 with BMW Thailand achieving the highest growth rate across our entire global network for the second consecutive year. I have no doubt that Mr. Wiedmann will go on to accomplish great things in Japan,” concluded Mr. von Kuenheim.

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The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

 

In 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles and more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to € 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a workforce of 129,932 employees.

 

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

 

BMW Group Thailand
BMW Group Thailand, a subsidiary of BMW AG, Germany, was established on the 3rd October 1998. The three entities of BMW Group Thailand are BMW (Thailand) Co., Ltd. with responsibility for wholesales & marketing of BMW Group products, BMW Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. with responsibility for BMW and BMW Motorrad local production, and BMW Leasing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. with responsibility for financial services offerings to both wholesale and retail customers.

 

In 2018, BMW Group Thailand reached new all-time highs with 12,036 BMW deliveries, representing a 20% increase year-on-year and the highest growth rate across BMW’s global networks for the second consecutive year. The sales of BMW plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) also achieved a record-high growth rate of 122% in Thailand over the past year. While MINI and BMW Motorrad also achieved the new record in sales with 1,051 vehicles MINI deliveries (growing sales by 4% year-on-year) and 2,154 BMW Motorcycles deliveries (growing sales by 8% year-on-year).

 

On the production side, the BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand plant was founded on BMW Group’s strong belief in the growth potential of Asian markets and Thailand in particular with its unique location, strong manufacturing base, and ready supply of skilled automotive labor, being an automotive hub for ASEAN. On-going investment has been put into the expansion of plant Rayong in terms of assembling processes, aiming to meet growing customer demand. In addition, with approximately 4 billion Thai Baht representing the amount of annual purchasing in Thailand, the BMW Global Purchasing office has been established in Thailand. This is to source various components from local suppliers in Thailand and the broader ASEAN region, in order to supply the entire BMW production network of 31 production and assembly facilities, located in 15 countries worldwide.

 

BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand produces the following 13 models: BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series, BMW X1, and BMW X3. For BMW Motorrad, the BMW F 750 GS, BMW F 850 GS, BMW F 850 GS Adventure, BMW R 1250 GS, BMW R 1250 GS Adventure, BMW S 1000 R, BMW S 1000 RR and BMW S 1000 XR are also locally assembled at the plant. In addition, BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand now assembles two BMW plug-in hybrid models; BMW 530e and BMW 740Le.

 

For further information, please contact:
BMW Group Thailand
1-800-269-269
www.bmw.co.th
www.mini.co.th
www.bmw-motorrad.co.th

 

Media Contacts:
Carl Byoir & Associates
Suthatip Boonsaeng (08-7685-1695 or0-2627-3501 ext.102)
Thornthawat Thongnab (08-3225-4567 or 0-2627-3501 ext.206)
Pichanan Toonkamthornchai (08-5157-7557 or 0-2627-3501 ext.101)
Nalinuth Sirisombut (08-6977-7881 or 0-2627-3501 ext.155)
sboonsaeng@carlbyoir.com, tthongnab@carlbyoir.com, ptoonkamthornchai@carlbyoir.com, nsirisombut@carlbyoir.com

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