• Further strong increase in sales and EBIT before special items
• Sales prices increased to reflect higher raw materials costs
• Risks due to high raw materials prices
• Outlook for full year 2004:
− Significant increase in sales and EBIT before special items
− Premium will be earned on cost of capital

BASF continued on its successful course in the third quarter of 2004 and again posted excellent interim results. The successful first half of 2004 ran seamlessly into the third quarter. There were no signs of the usual summer lull in business. Capacity utilization of BASF’s plants improved due to strong demand. The high oil price, which has increased even further, allowed the company to pass on some necessary price increases to the market.

Compared with the third quarter of 2003, sales increased 20 percent to €9.3 billion, and income from operations (EBIT) before special items rose 160 percent to more than €1 billion.

Cumulative sales in the first nine months of 2004 amounted to €27.7 billion. This was an increase of more than 11 percent compared with the same period of 2003. EBIT before special items in the first nine months climbed 55 percent to €3.4 billion.

Outlook for full year 2004: significant increase in EBIT before special items

Dr. Jürgen Hambrecht, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF Aktiengesellschaft, announced that ongoing initiatives and programs to increase efficiency and reduce costs would be continued. “We cannot afford to take a break from our restructuring efforts. Tough global competition means that we have to constantly improve our productivity, especially in those areas with low growth rates,” he said.

Hambrecht summarized his outlook as follows: “For the full year 2004, we confidently expect a significant increase in sales and EBIT before special items. We therefore anticipate that we will earn a premium on our cost of capital.”

Sales and earnings growth

BASF’s Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Kurt Bock, pointed out that the third quarter of 2004 was the thirteenth quarter in succession in which sales volumes had increased compared with the previous year. For Bock, this shows that BASF is growing faster than the market.

The increase in third-quarter sales by about €1.6 billion to a record high of €9.3 billion was due to higher volumes, and for the first time in a while, to price increases for many products in the portfolio.

Negative currency effects were primarily due to the depreciation of the dollar against the euro. Adjusted for the exchange rate effect, sales increased by 25 percent.

The increase in EBIT before special items by €651 million to more than €1 billion was due to higher volumes as well as a reduction in fixed costs.

Special charges of €96 million were primarily due to structural measures to increase productivity and were incurred in particular in the Chemicals and Agricultural Products & Nutrition segments.

EBIT after special items increased by 156 percent to €958 million. The tax rate was approximately 56 percent and was thus slightly higher compared with the previous year. The tax rate was significantly higher than in the second quarter. This was primarily due to noncompensable oil production taxes, which increased to €197 million in the third quarter as a result of the high oil price.

Compared with the same period in 2003, net income climbed €217 million to €337 million. BASF has reduced the number of outstanding shares through its share buyback program. As a result, earnings per share almost tripled.

Chemical activities successful in all regions

In the third quarter of 2004, BASF again increased its sales and earnings in all regions and gained market share worldwide. “I am particularly pleased by the good performance of our entire chemical activities in all regions. This was primarily due to strong volumes, higher sales prices and our global restructuring and cost reduction measures,” said Hambrecht.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company. Our goal is to grow profitably and further increase the value of our company. We help our customers to be more successful through intelligent system solutions and high-quality products. BASF’s portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. Through new technologies we can tap into additional market opportunities. We conduct our business in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. In 2003, BASF had sales of more than €33 billion (circa $42 billion). BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), New York (BF), Paris (BA) and Zurich (AN).

Florham Park, New Jersey
November 11, 2004

BASF's results in North America show continued improvement Regional results demonstrate progress in third quarter, year to date

BASF's financial performance for the North American region continues to show substantial improvement with third-quarter and year-to-date results comparing favorably to the same period a year ago.

BASF Aktiengesellschaft announced its third-quarter financial results today in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Details can be found under www.basf.de/interimreport.

In the third quarter, sales in North America increased by 23 percent over the same period a year ago to EUR 2 billion (about $2.5 billion). Income from operations before special items increased to EUR 78 million (about $96
million) as compared to a loss in the third quarter of 2003 of EUR 22 million (about $27 million). For the first nine months of 2004, sales in North America increased 10 percent compared to the same period a year ago to EUR 6.2 billion (about $7.6 billion). Income from operations before special items increased to EUR 362 million (about $445 million) from EUR 59 million (about $73 million) in the same period a year ago.

"Our third-quarter financial results demonstrate an improved economic environment and the continued success of our restructuring initiatives to improve profitability in North America. All BASF divisions operating in North America have improved profitability as compared to the first three quarters of last year," said Klaus Peter Loebbe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BASF Corporation, BASF's North American affiliate.

"We are continuing to achieve our objectives for fixed cost reductions. We are also benefiting from improvements in volumes and improved portfolio performance resulting from acquisitions and divestitures. However, as a result of continued increases in raw material and energy prices, we must continue to increase selling prices in order to achieve an appropriate return on investment," Loebbe said.

BASF is continuing to successfully implement its North American restructuring program and expects to achieve its goal of reducing costs by at least $250 million by 2006. Based on progress to date, the company expects to achieve $175 million in savings in North America in 2004. The program involves optimizing administrative functions, manufacturing site operations and business processes.

Note: BASF Group reports financial results in Euros. References to U.S. dollars are made using the exchange rate effective on September 30, 2004, of EUR 1.00 = $1.23. This conversion is provided solely for the convenience of the reader.

BASF. The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.(R) BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. We employ about 11,000 people in North America and had sales of approximately $9 billion in 2003. For more information about BASF's North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.