BMW Group Aiming For Record Profit In 2006- Best year in company?s history in terms of operating results- Profit before tax to increase to euro 4 billion- Strong and successful financial year 2005March 15, 2006Munich. In 2006, the BMW Group is on its way to the best year in the company's history. "Our target is to achieve a profit before tax of euro 4 billion in the current financial year at Group level," Helmut Panke, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG announced at the Annual Accounts Press Conference in Munich on March 15, 2006. This includes the positive impact of a gain arising from the sale of shares in the British aero engine manufacturer Rolls Royce plc., amounting to euro 350 million to date. "We will continue our profitable growth course in the coming years and generate above-average returns compared to the industry as a whole," Panke continued.