Headquarters of German luxury carmaker BMW in Munich, Germany, March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's BMW BMWG.DE will target a group pre-tax profit of more than 10 billion euros ($11.9 billion) this year, finance chief Nicolas Peter told newspaper Handelsblatt on Tuesday, as the carmaker seeks to achieve double-digit margins in the long run.

“We are striving to keep group pre-tax profit (margins) sustainably above 10 percent,” Peter said in a interview in the newspaper. “For this year, that means a result of well over 10 billion euros.”

BMW made record profits last year but delivered a slightly weaker showing in the first quarter as unfavorable exchange rate effects weighed.

The company has set an operating margin target of 8-10 percent in its core car business for this year. The group margin target of more than 10 percent would be accorded equal weight in future, Peter told Handelsblatt.