New models to drive BMW sales

BMW Group Malaysia unveiled the first batch of its locally assembled new BMW 320d and BMW 328i at its plant in Kulim, Kedah, yesterday.

With local assembly operations now fully underway, the group is confident that the sixth generation BMW 3 Series will continue to be a core contributor to its business.

BMW Malaysia group corporate communications manager Sashi Ambi said the new BMW 320d and BMW 328i were identical to their imported counterparts.

This, he said, further allowed the group to optimise its supply to customers throughout the country as well as maximising the total cost of ownership value and waiting time for the marques and spare parts for its customers in the country.

"Since the introduction of the all-new sixth generation BMW 3 Series in March, the premium sports sedan has rapidly grown to become the bestseller and key contributor to our growth in becoming Malaysia's number one best-selling premium carmaker as of the first quarter of 2012," he said in a statement.

The new BMW 320d, which is priced at RM248,800, is now available in the Sport Line and the Modern Line models while the BMW328i, priced at RM289.800, offers both the Sport Line and the Luxury Line.

"Now, customers will also have the added option of customising their BMW 3 Series with the highly stylish BMW Lines," Ambi said.

He said the BMW 3 Series had been and continued to be the best-selling sports sedan worldwide, with more than 12 million units delivered since 1975.

Since the car's creation in 1975, the BMW 3 Series has continuously set the benchmark in introducing all-new technological capabilities to the market.

He said the car's sixth generation also introduced all-new advanced assembly processes and techniques to BMW's assembly facilities in the Kulim facility.

"The move is in line with the company's overall goal of achieving full sustainability in the automotive industry through its BMW Efficient Dynamics strategy," he added.

The BMW assembly plant in Kulim has been an integral part of BMW's success in Malaysia with a production run of more than 12,000 units to date. It started operations in 2008.

The plant, which is equipped with the latest in manufacturing technologies, generates variants of the BMW 3 Series, BMW 5 Series and BMW X1 in Malaysia with a workforce of more than 250 employees.

The plant is operated in partnership with Inokom Corporation, a subsidiary of Sime Darby Bhd, at the Inokom factory in Kulim.

Both BMW and Inokom share factory space but operate separate and independent assembly lines at the facility.