(Reuters) – BMW confirmed its annual prospects on Wednesday, declaring anticipating that some of the customs duties imposed in the automotive sector will decrease in July, while warning that the impact will be “notable” in the second quarter.
Most Rivals of BMW, including Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Stellantis have suspended their forecasts for 2025, arguing that it is too complicated to provide specific objectives in the face of savory customs duties imposed by the United States, the second automotive market in the world.
BMW, on the other hand, said that his forecasts provided in March, which had taken into account all the customs duties announced above, were still relevant. The German group anticipates a profit before taxes similar to that of last year and an operating margin located between 5% and 7% for its automotive segment.
BMW said “to estimate that certain increases in customs duties will be temporary, with discounts in July 2025”.
The financial director of the Walter Mertl group, however, warned at a press conference that a “notable” impact on customs duties is expected by BMW in the second quarter.
“Geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty has reached a level that we have rarely seen before,” he said.
Citing the solidity of orders and a certain discipline relating to costs, the group also recorded an operating margin of 6.9% for its automotive unit in the first quarter after 8.8% the previous year. This result is greater than the expectations of analysts, which tamed on 6.3% according to LSEG data.
(Written by Christoph Steitz, Pauline Foret, edited by Augustin Turpin)
Copyright © 2025 Thomson Reuters
I have over 8 years of experience working in the news industry. I have worked as a reporter, editor, and now managing editor at 247 News Agency. I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of the news website and overseeing all of the content that is published. I also write a column for the website, covering mostly market news.
