The restructure also includes the appointment of Khun Sethipong Anutarasoti as General Manager – Regional Brand and Thailand Sales, BMW Motorrad Southeast Asia and Importers APAC. As a 16-year veteran of the BMW Group, Khun Sethipong joined the BMW Group Thailand in 2004 and has since served in various roles – including 5 years as General Manager Marketing of BMW Thailand and 5 years as Director of Corporate Affairs, BMW Group Asia in Singapore – before taking up the new position at BMW Motorrad Thailand. In his new role, Khun Sethipong will be responsible for the development of the BMW Motorrad Brand and Customer Experience across all markets in the region. Together with his team, he will also be in charge of BMW Motorrad sales in Thailand.

Mr. Alexander Baraka, President, BMW Group Thailand, said, “This transformation towards greater synergy within the region will allow us to realise BMW Motorrad’s potential across many key markets in East Asia. The new structure brings with it in-depth knowledge of the individual market dynamics and capabilities of the respective teams. We are delighted to welcome Mr. Llabres-Pohl to the BMW Group Thailand family. His regional experience along and professional background will strengthen a solid team in Bangkok and power BMW Motorrad Thailand as well as East Asia towards the next chapter in its success story. It is also exciting for us to see Khun Sethipong in his new role at BMW Motorrad. His 16 years of experience at the BMW Group has proven his exceptional aptitude in marketing and management duties. I am certain that, together, we can look forward to many more achievements to come for both Thailand and the East Asia region.”

“I would also like to express my appreciation to Mr. Christian Samlowski, who has played a key role in leading a team through challenging market conditions over the year and strengthened BMW Motorrad brand for future growth. There is no doubt that Mr. Samlowski is set to accomplish great things in his new position,” concluded Mr. Baraka.

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 2019, the BMW Group recorded new all-time highs with over 2.5 million passenger vehicles, an increase of 1.2% from the previous year, and 175,000 motorcycles, up 5.8% year-on-year, delivered to customers worldwide. Global sales of electrified BMW and MINI vehicles grew by 2.2% to 145,815 cars, taking the total number of electrified BMW Group vehicles on the road to half a million. As of 31 December 2019, the BMW Group had a workforce of 133,778 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 2019, BMW Group Thailand recorded a stable performance with 12,954 BMW and MINI deliveries. The sales of MINI in Thailand achieved the highest growth rate across MINI’s global networks with 1,204 deliveries, growing by 15% year-on-year. BMW’s luxury segment also enjoyed remarkable results from sales volume of the BMW 7 Series, BMW 8 Series, BMW X7, and BMW i8, recording double-digit growth at 39% year-on-year, while the BMW Premium Selection certified used car program grew by 16% 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 15 models: BMW 3 Series sedan, BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series, BMW X1, BMW X3 and BMW X5. For BMW Motorrad, the BMW F 900 R, BMW F 900 XR, 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 and BMW S 1000 RR are also locally assembled at the plant. In addition, BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand now assembles five BMW plug-in hybrid models; BMW 330e, BMW 530e, BMW X3 xDrive30e, BMW X5 xDrive45e and BMW 745Le xDrive.

For further information, please contact: 
BMW Group Thailand  
1397 

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) 
Pawalisa Thanawajeran (08-6564-4726 or 0-2627-3501 ext.125) 
Pichanan Toonkamthornchai (08-5157-7557 or 0-2627-3501 ext.101) 
sboonsaeng@carlbyoir.com, tthongnab@carlbyoir.com, pthanawajeran@carlbyoir.com, ptoonkamthornchai@carlbyoir.com