BMW luxury bound for Poland
There has not been such a happy man in Warsaw since the snow began to melt away in early June.
Naturally, the object of Mr Papke's affections is an automobile. The new BMW series 6 Coupe was presented to the press on Thursday at the Warsaw Focus building and Papke gave an interview to the Business Journal before the grand uncovering of the €100,000 car.
Of South African origin, Papke has travelled the world with BMW, and is keen to understand the specifics of each new culture he visits. Having spent almost a year in Poland, he is ready to make some assessments. "We know how the society is developing," says Papke. "We have assessed the Polish social milieu, what individuals find repugnant and what they find appealing, what they accept, reject and treasure."
Papke's confidence is not rattled by the fact that BMW's relatively slow drive into the Polish market has given rivals a logistical lead, nor by accelerating sales results from other car companies such as Toyota, up 40 percent from last year. "People have now split how they consume," says Papke. "Hybrid consumption is already emerging in this country. People are saving on value-for-money goods whilst indulging on branded goods that improve their image, their identity."
A key development that Papke looks forward to in Poland's near future is the improvement of highways, and for him, one of the greatest benefits of EU membership is the structural, regional and cohesion money that will help to fund motorway construction and bring better driving conditions. "Congestion makes Poland a dangerous place to drive in. Drivers have to take risks. Risks cause fatal accidents and there are many more in Poland than elsewhere else in Europe because of the relatively bad conditions on roads here."
As a newcomer to Poland and a representative of foreign investment, Papke speaks of a number of pleasant surprises. "People here have great insight into the sector: Not what I expected from an emerging market." Papke points to a strong auto industry tradition in Poland, that continues to be provided for by a non-exclusive education system.
Poland is not like other developing countries, says Papke, where the consumption of branded goods is strongly suppressed. In India, for example, "...the wealthiest 10,000 families tend to drive 1957 Austin Oxfords... by preference. Consumer behaviour in Poland is not far behind that of a fully developed market."
This country is emerging from an environment where the old traditional power brokers are in decline and "...the modern materialists, or the post-materialists, are ascending and they are the ones who say 'I am Polish, but I am European first.'" Papke says that this sentiment is an indication of how the wealthiest Poles will try harder than their western European counterparts "to be European", and much to the delight of Papke, they will do this by buying a car, and hopefully, one of his.
Crucially for BMW, this means market share. Papke points out that Spain, "...a country with a similar background to Poland" has an auto market that is 10 percent dominated by BMW. In far richer Germany, BMW has six percent. Poland is around fifteen years behind Spain, the rule of thumb goes, so by 2020 Poland is set to be one of BMW's stronger markets - provided the groundwork is done now.
Naturally, the object of Mr Papke's affections is an automobile. The new BMW series 6 Coupe was presented to the press on Thursday at the Warsaw Focus building and Papke gave an interview to the Business Journal before the grand uncovering of the €100,000 car.
Of South African origin, Papke has travelled the world with BMW, and is keen to understand the specifics of each new culture he visits. Having spent almost a year in Poland, he is ready to make some assessments. "We know how the society is developing," says Papke. "We have assessed the Polish social milieu, what individuals find repugnant and what they find appealing, what they accept, reject and treasure."
Papke's confidence is not rattled by the fact that BMW's relatively slow drive into the Polish market has given rivals a logistical lead, nor by accelerating sales results from other car companies such as Toyota, up 40 percent from last year. "People have now split how they consume," says Papke. "Hybrid consumption is already emerging in this country. People are saving on value-for-money goods whilst indulging on branded goods that improve their image, their identity."
A key development that Papke looks forward to in Poland's near future is the improvement of highways, and for him, one of the greatest benefits of EU membership is the structural, regional and cohesion money that will help to fund motorway construction and bring better driving conditions. "Congestion makes Poland a dangerous place to drive in. Drivers have to take risks. Risks cause fatal accidents and there are many more in Poland than elsewhere else in Europe because of the relatively bad conditions on roads here."
As a newcomer to Poland and a representative of foreign investment, Papke speaks of a number of pleasant surprises. "People here have great insight into the sector: Not what I expected from an emerging market." Papke points to a strong auto industry tradition in Poland, that continues to be provided for by a non-exclusive education system.
Poland is not like other developing countries, says Papke, where the consumption of branded goods is strongly suppressed. In India, for example, "...the wealthiest 10,000 families tend to drive 1957 Austin Oxfords... by preference. Consumer behaviour in Poland is not far behind that of a fully developed market."
This country is emerging from an environment where the old traditional power brokers are in decline and "...the modern materialists, or the post-materialists, are ascending and they are the ones who say 'I am Polish, but I am European first.'" Papke says that this sentiment is an indication of how the wealthiest Poles will try harder than their western European counterparts "to be European", and much to the delight of Papke, they will do this by buying a car, and hopefully, one of his.
Crucially for BMW, this means market share. Papke points out that Spain, "...a country with a similar background to Poland" has an auto market that is 10 percent dominated by BMW. In far richer Germany, BMW has six percent. Poland is around fifteen years behind Spain, the rule of thumb goes, so by 2020 Poland is set to be one of BMW's stronger markets - provided the groundwork is done now.
