The German carmaker BMW said Wednesday it is looking to expand cooperation with Korea’s competitive parts makers.

“We have two experts who look for prominent Korean companies,” BMW Group Korea president Kim Hyo-joon said.

Speaking at a press conference held after the company donated 15 vehicles to high schools and universities as study aids to mark BMW Group Korea’s 15th anniversary, Kim said, “We have a list of about 100 Korean companies, and BMW’s collaboration with Korean parts makers will expand.”

As for plans for possible collaboration with other carmakers, BMW’s chief for Asia Pacific and South Africa Guenther Seemann said that the company will remain independent.

“We decided as the group that to stay independent is to stay as the number one premium brand,” Seemann said. He added that past collaborations with other carmakers had not worked out and that the company had developed vehicles for a wide range of segments independently in order to field products in all possible segments.

“We will collaborate with parts makers for future parts, but we as a company will stay independent.”

Concerning this year’s sales, BMW executives said that conditions were improving and that the company would see significant improvements from last year.

According to Seemann, the company has seen a 13.2 percent increase in global sales during the first half of the year, and expects its annual sales to come in at about 1.4 million units, up 10 percent compared to last year.

For Korea, where BMW’s first half sales increased by 43 percent from a year ago, he said that previous targets will be exceeded this year. The company had set this year’s sales target at 13,000 units, up 35 percent compared to last year.

“I guess 13,000 units is no longer on the table, we will need more, but it will depend on the supply, not the demand,” he said.

Concerning BMW’s electric car plans, Seemann said that a “completely different technology era” is dawning for the automotive industry and that BMW will bring out electric vehicles that live up to the company’s premium image and that the company’s electric vehicles will come with safety and luxury features matching those found in current BMW vehicles.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)