[INTERVIEW] BMW Motorrad hopes to build up Koreans' awareness of motorcycles

For the past two decades, BMW Motorrad's biggest priority in the Korean market was not just selling more motorcycles but improving the awareness of Korean buyers.

Markus Mueller-Zambre, head of the Asia Pacific region at BMW Motorrad [BMW KOREA]

For the past two decades, BMW Motorrad's biggest priority in the Korean market was not just selling more motorcycles but improving the awareness of Korean buyers.

The two-wheeler division of the German luxury carmaker's efforts seems to be paying off, with its sales skyrocketing over 300 percent over the past 10 years.

"By putting safety as one of our biggest values, Motorrad has been making efforts to form a healthy and safe motorcycle culture in Korea," said Markus Mueller-Zambre, head of the Asia Pacific region at Motorrad, during a recent interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily for its 100th anniversary.

"Korea is one of the most unique and balanced markets for us, [and] demand does not concentrate on specific segments but customers' purchase patterns are very diversified and wide."

Not more than a decade ago, motorcycles made many Koreans conjure up negative images of daredevil motorists, gangsters or bullies. In 1999, BMW Motorrad started business in the domestic market, and the brand has been running various programs to offer riders training and education on how to ride safely on Korean roads.

"We will definitely extend the programs this year to offer wider opportunities to as many as riders possible," Mueller-Zambre added.

Motorrad sold only 48 motorcycles in Korea in the first year of its entry in 1999. That reached 3,550 in 2022, up by 20 percent on year and over a 300 percent surge compared to 1999. In 2020, when all automakers were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, its sales in Korea still jumped 50 percent on year.

"BMW highly praises Korean customers' open-mindedness and dynamic and diversified taste," Mueller-Zambre said. "For example, a single Korean customer bought S 1000 RR to experience high-performance dynamic driving, but also a K 1600 GTL, a bike designed for touring, at the same time."

"Korea is a very rare market [in which all of] Motorrad's segments from adventure to sports are seeing a rise in sales evenly."

BMW Motorrad displayed R18 100 Years, a special edition for its 100th anniversary, at the Seoul Mobility Show this year, held on March 31 to April 9 at Kintex in Gyeonggi. [BMW KOREA]

But Mueller-Zambre emphasized that Korea must consider lifting regulations for the further growth of the motorcycle market, especially the ban on riding motorcycles on highways.

"Korea still restricts motorcycles to be run on highways, though there are some movements to revise the rule," he said. "We hope the Korean government lifts the regulations to offer mature motorists a proper environment."

When asked about any plans for electrification, Mueller-Zambre said "all upcoming two-wheeler models for short-distance commutes and inner-city riding will be fully electric."

“Motorrad was the world’s first to have showcased the e-scooter C Evolution in 2014,” he said. “And the CE 04 scooter will be the beginning of Motorrad's electrification journey based on BMW's high-quality battery cell technology."

Equipped with the same battery cells used in BMW's iX, the carmaker's first all-electric SUV, the CE 04 can travel 130 kilometers (81 miles) on a single charge.

It only takes 2.6 seconds to reach 50 kilometers per hour from zero, and needs less than 65 minutes to be charged to 80 percent.

But when asked about his plans of following BMW's net-zero target of having electric vehicle sales take up 50 percent of total sales by 2030, Mueller-Zambre remains skeptical.

"Motorrad owners travel all over the world with their motorcycles, but the electric vehicle environment is not yet complete such as charging infrastructure, weight and traveling range," he explained. "So we need more time to shift the majority of our sales to electric models."

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]