BMW Group Malaysia had a successful 2020 despite the economic crunch
It seems that BMW Group Malaysia managed to steady the ship during the pandemic-hit 2020 with an overall sales of 11,016 vehicles across the BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad brands. The feat puts them ahead of the pack in the premium segment with over 52% market share.
Of the total vehicles delivered last year, 8,903 units were BMW vehicles. The 3 Series proved to be a hit among customers with over 2,500 units sold, of which more than half were contributed by the 320i Sport. As for the 5 Series, over 1,600 units were delivered, of which over 900 units were the electrified 530e.
Speaking of electric, the Group says it has managed to strengthen its position as the leader in electromobility with a delivery of over 2,200 units of plug-in hybrid models. The 530e and 740Le xDrive emerged as the two biggest contributors.
On the performance side of things, the automaker sold 80 units of M cars. Last year, the M portfolio was expanded with the launch of six new models, namely the M8 Coupe, M8 Gran Coupe, X3 M, X4 M, M3 and M4.
Meanwhile, MINI Malaysia sold 987 cars last year and almost half of the total sales came from the new Countryman. Sales performance of the Group’s two-wheel division wasn’t too bad either, with a total of 1,126 units handed over to customers throughout last year.
PRESS RELEASE
BMW Group Malaysia successfully delivered 11,016 vehicles from across the BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad portfolios in 2020, of which over 87% were locally-assembled– cementing their leadership in the premium automotive segment nationwide with over 52% of the segment.
BMW Group Malaysia rose above the challenges of 2020 and the slowdown within the global automotive industry by successfully introducing 25 model variants from across the three major brands – BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad; four of which were electrified. BMW Group Malaysia’s position as the leader in electromobility is also underlined by the impressive delivery of over 2,200 units of electrified vehicles nationwide – largely contributed by the electrified BMW 5 Series and BMW 7 Series models.
The local success in Malaysia mirrors the BMW Group’s performance, with the Group recording over 2,300,000 units delivered worldwide; of which over 190,000 were electrified vehicles (EV) from the BMW and MINI brands – charting an increase of over 30% in EV deliveries from the year before.
Harald Hoelzl, Managing Director of BMW Group Malaysia said, “This success could not have been achieved without the support of our esteemed customers, our dealer network nationwide and the Malaysian government who supported the automotive industry with the Sales Tax Exemptions. To them, we extend our utmost gratitude. While our performance last year is also contributed by our operational strength and the ability to perform in a challenging environment as a team, our achievement was especially bolstered by the fervent loyalty of our customers.”
Hoelzl added that BMW Group Malaysia also recorded its highest achievements in its Net Promoter Scoring for its customer satisfaction, achieving over 90% positive satisfaction responses from customers in their feedback regarding their experiences with the BMW and MINI brands in 2020.
In Malaysia, the BMW brand recorded 8,903 new owners in 2020, leading the overall premium segment in Malaysia by over 47%. The deliveries were led by the top-performing BMW 3 Series portfolio which saw over 2,500 units delivered; of which more than 1,400 units were contributed by the BMW 320i Sport. The BMW 5 Series followed close behind with over 1,600 units delivered; of which over 900 units comprised of the electrified BMW 530e.
The BMW X Family, meanwhile, contributed to over 39% of total BMW deliveries in 2020 – charting over 3,200 units of vehicles delivered from within the portfolio in a single year. This success was undergirded by the BMW X1 models, which saw over 1,000 new owners last year. The BMW M portfolio models the brand’s success with over 80 new owners. A fleet of six new model variants was also introduced last year, with a majority unveiled at the highly-celebrated Secret Garage @ M Town in August.
MINI Malaysia, in turn, recorded 987 deliveries last year, taking over 5% segment share of the Malaysian Premium Segment. These deliveries were led by the best-selling MINI Countryman models – with over 47% of total deliveries contributed by the MINI Cooper S Countryman.
BMW Motorrad Malaysia presented an exceptional performance throughout 2020 with 1,126 deliveries recorded, surpassing that of 2019’s. The key contributor to this growth remains the Adventure segment, with over 670 new owners, of which close to 300 customers received the BMW R 1250 GS Adventure.
The Story of Visionary Mobility created yet another remarkable chapter by recording over 2,200 deliveries of electrified BMW and MINI vehicles last year – strongly led by the BMW 530e and the BMW 740Le xDrive models. Other key contributors include the electrified BMW X5, the locally-assembled BMW 330e M Sport, as well as the newly-introduced All-Electric MINI. This is a testament to Malaysia’s fast-evolving mindset towards electrified vehicles, which will further drive the adoption of electromobility in the coming years.
“For the first time ever, we are humbled to announce that our total deliveries were strongly led by our line-up of locally-assembled vehicles from the BMW and MINI brands in Malaysia – which accounted for over 87% of our total deliveries. Having surpassed the challenges presented in 2020, these figures inspire us to remain steadfast in our commitment towards furthering investments in the Malaysian automotive industry,” said Hoelzl.
The Group’s success was also reflected by BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia, who financed over 42% of BMW vehicles, 45% of MINI vehicles and a strong 60% of BMW Motorrad motorcycles delivered last year. The digitalisation of customer touchpoints via BMW Engage – a first-of-its-kind online financing platform – also saw 1 out of 3 financing application being funded digitally towards the end of the year. In collaboration with Allianz General Insurance Company Malaysia Berhad, the new BMW i-Renewal service also saw 5% of owners purchase motor insurance through the online insurance platform – surpassing the current industry benchmark of 2%.
In light of the travel restrictions and social distancing measures implemented in March last year, BMW Group Malaysia quickly adapted to the changing times by also digitalising many existing touchpoints and services to enhance the premium ownership experience for customers in Malaysia. This was underlined by the introduction of the BMW Shop Online and the MINI eShop, alongside BMW Engage and BMW i-Renewal– expediting essential parts of the premium mobility experience to keep the process as seamless as possible.
The year 2020 also saw several community initiatives by BMW Group Malaysia, supporting several Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) including Refuge for the Refugees, Tenaganita, Empire Project, and Malaysia Muda in delivering food and basic essential aid to over 80,000 beneficiaries during the Movement Control Order (MCO) periods. The premium automaker also established its #BMWSupportsLocal initiative to support a multitude of small local businesses, which continues until today.
“We remain hopeful in the recovery of the automotive landscape in Malaysia in the year 2021. As with the year 2020, BMW Group Malaysia will also continue to delight our customers and fans, ensuring the complete Premium Ownership Experience especially in the New Normal is kept to the best standards. We are ever so grateful to all our customers, employees and dealer representatives who have stood by us through the tough times and we welcome 2021 with our network of passionately-driven people.” said Hoelzl.
