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BMW and Daimler sales surge

German groups BMW and Daimler, the world's leading luxury car makers, said Friday that September sales roared higher, powered by the US and Chinese markets, and added that the outlook for the rest of 2010 was bright too.

Published: 8 October 2010 15:00 CEST

BMW and Daimler sales surge

Photo: DPA

Number three Audi had already presented upbeat results on Thursday as manufacturers in the premium car segment in general benefited from a rebound

in the global economy.

BMW said group sales, which include the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, were 16.8 percent higher than a year earlier at 142,950 vehicles. It said it expected continued growth of at least 10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Daimler posted sales of 128,600 Mercedes and Smart autos in September for a 12-month increase of 12.6 percent.

VW’s Audi said a 16-percent gain took its sales last month to 102,650 vehicles.

“Growth was encouragingly strong in September, with gains on most of our markets,” a BMW statement quoted sales director Ian Robertson as saying. In the final three months of the year, “we expect to see robust growth in the double-digit percentage range,” Robertson added, bringing total 2010 sales to more than 1.4 million vehicles.

Daimler counterpart Joachim Schmidt said he was also optimistic regarding the rest of the year, owing to strong demand from emerging countries like China.

BMW stressed that it pulled ahead of the pack in its domestic market, with a gain in sales of 16.6 percent while the overall market had lost 17.8 percent. Monthly sales were 20.5 percent higher in the United States, BMW’s biggest market, and 89.1 percent stronger in China, its third largest after Germany.

Looking at the first nine months of the year, BMW reported group sales of 1,062,216 vehicles, Daimler delivered 928,900 autos and Audi was third with 829,300.

Audi, aiming to become the biggest selling luxury car brand by 2015, benefits from the strong presence of its parent company Volkswagen in China.

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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