From a press release issued by BMW North America:

BMW NA MOTORCYCLES – DECEMBER SALES 2002: BMW MOTORCYCLES POSTS SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF RECORD SALES

December Sales Rise 40 Percent

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey…BMW of North America, LLC, the importer and distributor of BMW motorcycles in the United States, posted sales of 13,507 units in 2002. This marks the sixth consecutive year of record sales in the US and represents nearly a four percent increase over the previous year. December sales reached an all-time monthly high at 1,625 motorcycles, showing a 40 percent gain over last December.

The top-selling model for 2002 was, once again, the R 1150 RT. The next best-selling bikes were the popular K 1200 LT luxury tourer and the R 1150 GS adventure tourer. States reporting the highest number of BMW motorcycle sales included California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Colorado.

“The United States continues to be the world’s largest export market for BMW motorcycles,” commented Thomas J. Plucinsky, General Manager for BMW of North America, Motorcycles. “Our sustained success speaks volumes about the strength of the brand as we enter our 80th anniversary year.”

According to Mr. Plucinsky, the growth in BMW motorcycle sales can be attributed to balanced strength across the entire model range, with the new Boxer Cup replica — which revved up sales of the R 1100 S up 21 percent — at the top of the batting order.

“There’s no doubt that the Boxer Cup bike was a home run for us,” observed Mr. Plucinsky.

The company also launched four new models in 2002 – the F 650 CS, R 1150 GS Adventure, R 1200 CL and the K 1200 GT – and became the first motorcycle manufacturer to offer a Certified Pre-Owned Motorcycle Program.

Commenting on the introduction of the Certified Pre-Owned Program, Mr. Plucinsky stated, “We thought that the time was at hand to offer value-conscious motorcycle buyers the same opportunities that we offer value-conscious automobile shoppers – the opportunity to purchase a premium vehicle with the latest safety and technological features at an affordable price.”

BMW’s authority motorcycle sales were up nearly 69 percent in 2002 due to continued partnerships with the California Highway Patrol and dozens of other law enforcement agencies around the country that have BMW R 1150 RT-P police motorcycles in their fleets. Internationally, BMW is the largest seller of motorcycles for authority use. More than 80,000 BMW motorcycles are currently in official use in over 150 countries on five continents. In the United States, more than 140 law enforcement agencies use BMW police motorcycles.


BMW GROUP IN AMERICA

BMW of North America has been present in the United States since 1975. Since then, the BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales and financial service organizations for the BMW and MINI Brands; a South Carolina manufacturing operation; DESIGNWORKS/USA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. The BMW Group is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 car, 327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle, 148 BMW Motorcycle retailers and 69 MINI car dealers. BMW US Holding Corp., the Group’s headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW products is available to consumers via the Internet at http://www.bmwusa.com, http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com and http://www.miniusa.com.