Christian Ach, the executive who has been leading BMW’s home market in the last few years, is heading to China. Effective April 1, Ach will take over as President and CEO of BMW Group Region China, a major appointment that signals BMW’s determination to stabilize its performance in the world’s most important automotive market.
Ach’s credentials for the role are extensive. Since becoming CEO of BMW Germany in March 2024, he’s orchestrated a remarkable turnaround in Europe’s most competitive premium market. The results have been undeniable: BMW now leads Mercedes and Audi in Germany—a position the brand hadn’t consistently held in recent years. Electric vehicle adoption also accelerated under his watch, with one in five BMWs sold in Germany now fully electric.
Ach also brings two decades of BMW sales experience, having led everything from MINI Germany to regional sales operations across Northern Europe.
A Market Aiming for Stability
The assignment lands against a sobering backdrop. BMW’s sales in China peaked at 846,237 vehicles in 2021—a number that now seems almost fantastical. By 2025, that figure had collapsed to 625,527 units, a decline that mirrors broader struggles facing German premium automakers in a market increasingly dominated by Chinese EV makers and domestic competitors.
For years, China was the growth engine that powered BMW’s global ambitions. The market went from almost irrelevant in 2000 to becoming the single largest opportunity for nearly every major automaker within a single generation. That growth phase is unmistakably over. Now comes the harder work: defending market position in a market growing far more slowly and becoming increasingly hostile to foreign premium brands.
Beltegrmann Takes the Wheel in Germany
Ach’s departure from Germany opens a gap at the top of BMW’s most important European market. Tim Beltermann, currently head of BMW sales to end customers in Germany, will step into the role effective April 1.
Beltermann isn’t an outside hire—he’s a 20-year BMW veteran whose career spans the full ecosystem of the brand’s sales organization. He’s worked in BMW branches, BMW Bank, Alphabet (BMW’s financing arm), and held various managerial positions managing sales operations and retail networks. Since 2019, he’s overseen direct-to-consumer sales for BMW in Germany and managed comprehensive sales management initiatives.
Jochen Goller, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Customer, Brands, Sales: “Under Christian’s leadership, the German market has performed exceptionally well. In addition to profitable sales growth and a clear expansion of our position as the segment leader, the German market has also seen very strong growth in sales of electrified vehicles. Today, one in five BMWs sold in Germany is fully electric. I firmly believe that, with his years of experience and proven sales expertise, Christian will make a decisive contribution to the Chinese market, which is so important to us.”
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
