Expressing that BMW is represented in 94 countries through distributorships, Graeme Grieve, German luxurious automobile giant BMW's Global Sales and Marketing Director said that Turkey is the largest and most important market among these countries.  Grieve asserted: "Even in economical crisis, Turkey has increased its performance and sustained its economic growth. For that matter, we have made an extended contract for tenyears with Borusan for the first time in our twenty five years of history."

Leading Position in Turkey for 25 Years

Arriving in Istanbul to celebrate their nearly twenty five years of partnership with Borusan Otomotiv, Grieve emphasized that they are happy to be working with Borusan, a powerful and trustworthy partner; and he continued his speech: "Throughout the world, we carry on business in challenging and equally important countries with local partners who are familiar with the market. Among those countries, Turkey is definitely the most important one. In Turkey, we have been carrying out a very powerful cooperation with Borusan for twenty five years.  Because we have always been the leader in luxurious automobile sales,we have never considered entering into Turkish market  as a separate entity ."

Brazil and Turkey Creates Difference

Reminding that in Turkey, BMW has increased its sales by 20 percent despite global crisis, Grieve said: "Those figures means something. It is beyond any doubt that Borusan is our largest distributor. But other than that, they have clearly shown us what could be achieved during the crisis this year.  This year, the greatest increase in sales despite crisis was achieved in Brazil by 30 percent. Turkey is among a few countries in which we achieved growth. This is an important sign."

With a Decreased Tax Burden, There Would be a Burst in Sales

Grieve said that although Turkish government has given tax incentiveson small motor vehicles due to economic crisis, BMW has increased its sales; and he continued: "We believe we will get back to the leadership position that we lost in Europe and Turkey in the first half. I believe that tax disadvantages against luxurious automobiles will be eliminated in the future. If the heavy tax burden on the vehicles we sell decreases, there will be a burst in luxurious automobile sales in Turkey. Turkey will be one of the countries  in leading positions in BMW sales. I believe that sooner or later, this will come true."

Keeping a Close Eye on Mercedes

Emphasizing that they are keeping a close eye on the course of the new 1.6 liter engine advantage of  Mercedes C Series in Turkey, Grieve expressed: "We will also have some surprises on that subject. We have a 1.6 liter engine. Negotiations on adding an automatic transmission system to that engine continue. At the moment, it is uncertain when it will be manifactured but we also will have an advantageous model like Mercedes."

We are going Through a Strange Period but we do not expect Dramatic Decreases in 2010

BMW AG Senior Vice President Graeme Grieve said that the fact that European governments' grants to increase automotive sales will end this year will not create dramatic decreases in 2010. Expressing that during global crisis period the consumer psychology effected course of the market as well as economic indicators, Grieve said: "I can say that the consumer psychology has improved. They have seen that government incentives have served their purposes. There is a small increase in consumer confidence. " Grieve emphasized that it is hard to make any clear predictions about economic indicators and said "We really are going through a strange period. The moment we say everything is getting better ; suddenly things take a bad turn and take an adverse direction. Because of that, it is hard to make long-term predictions."

Source: www.hurriyet.com