Interviews – Interview Nathanaëlle Heinrich (BMW): motorcycles are a must on French roads – Used BMW

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Interview Nathanaëlle Heinrich (BMW): motorcycles are essential on French roads

Interviews - Interview Nathanaëlle Heinrich (BMW): motorcycles are a must on French roads - Used BMW

With 13,603 registrations, BMW posted growth of + 9.2% on the French motorcycle and scooter market. Nathanaëlle Heinrich, Head of BMW Motorrad Sales Department, establishes the German manufacturer’s 2016 report for Site and reveals its 2017 objectives. Interview.

Site: The Euro 4 emission standard has forced you to update your range for 2017 and to remove certain products from your catalog … Costly in two ways, can this standard nevertheless boost your sales next year thanks to to the attraction of the many novelties ?
Nathanaëlle Heinrich, Head of BMW Motorrad Sales: The Euro 4 standard not only provides for lower emission thresholds but also the integration of ABS as standard on all new vehicles. These requirements have long been taken into account by our engineers, who have incorporated them into the technical developments of our models: ABS has been offered as standard in our entire range since 2013, while all our engines switched to Euro4 during 2016. No model has been stopped and this development has not come at the expense of performance: our and even take a few horses in passing !

  • MNC special file : New BMW 2017

MNC: Another restriction that occurred in mid-2016 this time, has it boosted sales of your 35 kW models and kits ?
N. H .: Some regulations are changing, it’s up to us to be innovative to offer new opportunities to our future customers! Motorcycle fun isn’t just about pure power: it’s about delivering fun, agile machines with character. The share of sales of A2 version models is growing naturally, and in 2017 we are offering no less than ten A2 models, ranging from roadster (,) to road () via trail (,, F 800 GS Adventure and soon) and the maxi-scooter (, and electric). We are also strengthening this offensive produced by a "free license" operation on most of these models, which also benefit from canon financing offers: the F 800 R is offered at 99 € / month without contribution, while the new G 310 R appears at 49 € / month with 749 € contribution, the price of a smartphone with 4G subscription !

  • MNC special file : A2 license for all

MNC: Always cleaner and safer (ABS or compulsory combined braking), motorized two-wheelers are still not considered as a solution in town (alternating traffic, ban in town center, etc.). Are there ways to change this ?
N. H .: By observing city traffic, we see that the two-wheeler has already been adopted by many city dwellers who thus regain control of their time, but also by companies which benefit from favorable taxation (no penalty, no TVS) for their business trips. Mentalities are changing, and it is clear that the regulations also as illustrated by which is now offered on electric two-wheelers: the BMW C evolution scooter thus benefits from a state premium. Already more than 1200 C evolution circulate without pollution and noise in our cities, on even and odd days !

  • MNC interview of December 16, 2016 :
  • MNC special file : Motorized two-wheelers in town
  • MNC special file : Electric motorcycles and scooters

MNC: The 2017 Paris Motorcycle Show has been postponed … until when and for what reasons do you think? Would a hypothetical cancellation be penalizing for your activity? ?
N. H .: The Paris Motorcycle Show is in fact postponed and should be integrated from 2018 into a new concept of auto-motorcycle show dedicated to mobility. Which shows that motorcycles are essential on French roads. Until then, we will be focusing our resources on developing new experiences for our customers on, off-road or on the track. In 2017, we are launching a series of themed "Experience Boxes" offering full support for national events such as the GS Trophy, the BMW Motorrad Track Days or the Travel Park, a new site dedicated to off-road and which will open in May in the Tours region. Freed from logistical and organizational constraints, customers then only have to focus on one thing: fully living an exclusive experience on the handlebars of their BMW !

  • MNC of January 17, 2017 :
  • MNC Premium :

MNC: How do you feel about the overall evolution of the French motorcycle market in 2016? ?
N. H .: The year 2016 ended on a rather positive result, with a total market of more than 125 cm3 which returned to above 150,000 units and despite the official lifting of 100 horses which was long overdue on the big cubes.

  • MNC special file :

MNC: What is your assessment of your brand? ?
N. H .: With more than 13,600 registrations, BMW Motorrad now has a 16.2% market share in vehicles over 500 cm3 and recorded growth of + 9.2%, higher than the development of its reference market. Since then, BMW has grown steadily regardless of the launch of new products..

  • MNC Premium :

MNC: Which models have worked particularly well this year? Did your 2016 novelties reach their commercial objectives ?
N. H .: This growth was driven in particular by the success of the tandem / R 1200 GS Adventure which passed the 4,000 units sold bar, which further consolidated its position in the road segment with nearly 1,700 registrations, or even more than 1,100 registrations. On the scooter side, the new and saw their volumes double, while confirmed by its success with more than 500 registrations in 2016.

MNC: Who are those who have stayed behind? Why ?
N. H .: We believe we can further strengthen our presence on mid-size roadsters and trails with our F series (,, and) which has just received new technical and aesthetic developments for 2017.

MNC: What was the pleasant surprise of your year 2016? And the less good ?
N. H .: In fact, 2016 has in store for us nothing but good surprises. First of all from the start of the year, as BMW Motorrad remained number one in the +500cc until the end of March. This dynamic continued throughout the year thanks in particular to the investment and the quality of the work of our dealer network. Finally, 2016 ended with the officialization of the ecological bonus for electric two-wheelers which augurs well for our new scooter C evolution, now available in two versions: one accessible with a simple car license offering 100 km of autonomy, and the other offering 160 km of autonomy with an A / A2 license.

MNC: According to you, what was the highlight of 2016 in the world of two-wheelers? ?
N. H .: The end of the 100 horsepower law is arguably the most significant development for the motorcycle world in France. Like their European neighbors, French motorcyclists can once again fully enjoy the pleasure of the engines developed by our engineers !

MNC: What are your good resolutions for the year 2017 ?
N. H .: With no less than 15 launches on the program, 2017 promises to be very rich in new products for BMW. Our bestseller, the R 1200 GS, is available in three very distinct versions, notably with an Exclusive top-of-the-range definition and a Rallye version that is both sporty and adventurous. In the Heritage range, the R nineT now offers five variations, enriched by the R nineT Pure, the R nineT Racer and the R nineT Urban G / S which recalls the victorious GS of the "Paris-Dakar" at the hands of ‘Hubert Auriol in the 1980s. The new G 310 R and G 310 GS will enhance the accessibility of our range. Finally, before being joined by the exclusive K 1600 Bagger at the start of the school year, the K 1600 GT and GTL are already taking a further step towards the connected motorcycle by now integrating e-Call, a smart call in case of emergency.

MNC: What are your major events in 2017 ?
(No answer)

MNC: To conclude, what did you order from Santa this year? ?
(No answer)

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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