OREANDA-NEWS. March 19, 2015. German carmaker BMW AG said it expects 2015 sales volume and group profit before tax to rise by a medium to high single-digit percentage, issuing more subdued guidance than a year ago amid higher investment costs for new technologies.

A year ago, BMW predicted it would achieve significant growth in 2014 pretax profit, which ended up rising 10.3 percent to 8.7 billion euros (\\$9.23 billion), while sales of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce cars increased 7.9 percent to 2.12 million cars.

"As always, our forecasts assume the economic conditions worldwide remain stable and won't deteriorate. However many uncertainties remain: Important markets like China are losing momentum," Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer said at the company's annual results press conference on Wednesday.

At his final annual results conference after eight and a half years as chief, Reithofer said there were challenges ahead for his successor Harald Krueger, who takes over on May 13.

"The team I'm leaving knows very well just how much there is to do in the years to come," Reithofer said. "The future belongs to the next generation. It is for them to shape the company's further development according to their vision."