Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft reported earnings results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013. For the quarter, pretax result on the group level was over EUR 2 billion. With this, the record level of the previous year was nearly reached. Group profit amounts to over EUR 1.3 billion. Again, the company almost achieved the previous year's record level. Group's capital expenditure for the quarter totaled EUR 1.21 billion, twice the amount for the same period last year. The company is maintaining the guidance for 2013. The group is still targeting record sales in 2013. Stronger demand is forecast in the U.S., China and some emerging markets, but European markets are likely to shrink. The group is taking to its strategic course. In the second half of the year, the company anticipates additional costs from the market launch and ramp-up of the BMW i3 and other new models. Improving cost structures and efficiencies still the company's high priority. At group level, consistent with the previous forecast, the company aims to achieve a profit before tax on a similar scale to that reported in 2012. This assumes that conditions do not worsen significantly. At this time, the company is aware of the possibility of a further slow down and decline in car market in Europe. The short-term recovery in the second half of the year seems unlikely. However, despite lasting uncertainty about the budget deficit, the U.S. economy is expected to continue growing. Stable growth is forecasted for China as well. The company is maintaining the target range of 8% to 10% for EBIT margin in Automotive segment. The target for the Financial Services segment is a return on equity of at least 18%. At BMW Motorrad, the company expects to see a positive trend in earnings. The car and volatility and the global market makes long-term forecast challenging. The spread of the debt crisis in Europe, substantially slower growth in China, political hotspots, as well as increasing regulation could affect the business more than the company is able to predict. Due to economic challenges, the group does not expect heavens for its business in 2013. The free cash flow will remain under EUR 3 billion for the full year due to high investments to secure future success.

BMW Group and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) launched the joint Future Mobility Research Lab, the first for BMW Group in Southeast Asia. This new research facility will study and develop key areas relating to future transportation, which includes advanced battery materials for electric vehicles, human-machine interfaces, and mobility patterns and concepts. A key focus will see how research outcomes can benefit the Asian market based on the needs of the region. NTU now joins seven other prestigious universities such as the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Georgia Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as partners to the BMW Group in setting up joint labs. Under the ambit of advanced battery materials and human-machine interfaces, the BMW Group-NTU collaboration aims to find solutions to key transport requirements in the most sustainable way possible, especially in the area of electric vehicles, where battery safety, efficiency and being environmentally-friendly is of utmost importance. The study of mobility patterns and concepts will be focused on consumer behaviour in new mobility offerings for mega-cities, namely for multi-modal transportation and car sharing. One such area is the development of advanced routing algorithms so as to make the daily commute more comfortable.

BMW Group and Nanyang Technological University launched the joint Future Mobility Research Lab. This new research facility will study and develop key areas relating to future transportation, which includes advanced battery materials for electric vehicles, human-machine interfaces, and mobility patterns and concepts. A key focus will see how research outcomes can benefit the Asian market based on the needs of the region. Under the ambit of advanced battery materials and human-machine interfaces, the BMW Group- Nanyang Technological University collaboration aims to find solutions to key transport requirements in the most sustainable way possible, especially in the area of electric vehicles, where battery safety, efficiency and being environmentally-friendly is of utmost importance. Located at Nanyang Technological University’s Research Techno Plaza, the new joint lab will start off with five scientists and six PhD student researchers.