BMW aims to outsell Mercedes by 2020: CEO tells Manager Magazin

"In 2020 we will be the No.1 in terms of unit sales again. I am holding my team to that target, even if it won't be a walk in the park," the magazine quoted Krueger as saying in an interview published on Thursday.

BMW slipped behind Mercedes in 2016, after holding onto the global luxury sales crown for about a decade.

It reported record sales in 2017 on strong demand for its sport-utility vehicles and the overhauled 1-Series compact but was still outsold by Mercedes, owned by Daimler .

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Andrew Heavens)