Hanoi (VNA) – The BMW Group Asia said on September 12 that itsigned a letter of intent with Vietnamese automaker Truong Hai Automobile JSC(Thaco), delivering its intention to choose Thaco as a new dealer of its BMW andMINI models in Vietnam from January 1, 2018.
The German automaker will wind up its four-year contract with Sime Darby Motorswhich backs Euro Auto (EAC) - the officially authorised distributor of BMW in Vietnamsince 2006 on December 31.
Sime Darby is the world’s third largest distributor of BMW. The giant alsoholds the rights to sell MINI and Rolls-Royce in many neighbouring countrieslike Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and China.
Managing Director of the BMW Group Asia Paul de Courtois said that customersare the group’s top priority and EAC will continue to provide top-notch qualityservices for current customers of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad in Vietnam.
The BMW is a renowned automobile and motorbike maker with three fascinatingbrands: BMW, MINI and Roll-Royce. It has 30 production and assemblingfacilities in 14 countries and its distributing system covers 140 marketsworldwide.
In 2014, the group earned 80.4 billion euros from selling 2,118 million carsand 123,000 motorbikes. Its profit before tax was 8.71 billion euros.
Meanwhile, Thaco, established in 1997, focuses on the production, assembly anddistribution of commercial cars for Kia (The Republic of Korea), Mazda (Japan)and Peugeot (the EU).
Its production base covers an area of 400 hectares in Chu Lai Open EconomicZone, Quang Nam province with six automobile assembling facilities, 12 supportindustry plants and one Research and Development centre. Thaco has 97 showroomsand 59 distributing agents nationwide.
Thacois currently leading car sales in Vietnam, occupying 40-42 percent of themarket share during 2015-2017.-VNA