BMW's aim is 5% increase in productivity; Development time for new models halved to 30...

Byline: Wolfgang Eschment Automobilwoche

BMW will increase productivity at its car plants by 5 percent a year, production head Norbert Reithofer said.

The move is part of the German automaker's drive to cut costs and improve efficiency in response to a slack market, weak US dollar and prices of rising raw materials.

To achieve greater productivity, BMW has:

* Shortened the development time for new models to 30 months from 60

* Cut production ramp-up for new models to five months or less from nine to 12 months

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