since 1976
since 1976
THE day of the fully electrically powered cars isn’t far off as more carmakers are coming out with an increasing range of EV (electric vehicle) models to meet the new demand. In the meantime, hybrid vehicles fulfil a transitionary role and market response is warming up to this scenario.
A reason for the tepid response to EVs and hybrids stem from a lack of charging stations but BMW Malaysia is set on correcting that situation. To start the year, BMW has launched six charging bays at the Bangsar Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur and this is the first of several to come in 2019.
This initiative is deemed necessary as more affluent Malaysian car buyers are opting for premium hybrid vehicles such as those offered by BMW and MINI. In 2018, Harald Hoelzl, managing director of BMW Group Malaysia, hailed the year as another record breaking one for the eighth consecutive year for this German brand.
The BMW Group delivered 14,338 vehicles to achieve a segment-leading growth of 13 per cent. This total includes 12,008 BMW vehicles, 1200 MINIs and 1130 BMW motorcycles. Among the BMW vehicles, the 3 Series was the top selling model with more than 3300 cars moved in 2018, followed by the 5 Series.
For the MINI range, the Cooper Countryman is a favourite with more than 560 cars sold while the BMW Motorrad R 1200 GS Adventure is the top selling BMW motorcycle with more than 330 bikes delivered.
The BMW Group Malaysia is also producing cars at the Kulim factory in Kedah for export to Thailand and the two models currently involved are the MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid and BMW 6 Series GT.
What is just as significant, according to Hoelzl, was that BMW Malaysia’s portfolio of Visionary Mobility vehicles accounted for 57 per cent of deliveries made last year. That is better explained in the more than 7500 Plug-In hybrid models under BMW and MINI being bought by Malaysian customers.
The most popular BMW hybrid variant is the X3 xDrive40e (above 2900 vehicles) followed by the 330e (above 2100), 530e (more than 1700) and 740Le xDrive (beyond 540). The Cooper S E ALL 4 is the top MINI hybrid in Malaysia.
Given this strong response to such vehicles last year, Hoelzl said: “As the country’s leading provider of premium electrified vehicles, we are constantly driving initiatives for innovation, local assembly capabilities, awareness on new and clean technology for the automotive industry as well as helping develop the infrastructure for electrified premium vehicles in Malaysia.
“We began working on these initiatives with the Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (Green Tech Malaysia) as early as 2015 and have also developed projects on our own with our network of dealerships across the country.”
The six new BMW i Charging facilities in Bangsar Shopping Centre is seen as making another important step in fostering the country’s shift to Electro-Mobility. This follows the introduction of similar facilities at Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Melaka, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat in Ipoh, the Iconic Hotel in Penang as well as the WEIL Hotel in Ipoh last year.
Until a commercial network of EV charging facilities is set up across Malaysia, the car companies selling hybrid and electrified cars would have to establish its own network to cater to customers. And so far, the BMW Group Malaysia gets full marks for powering up that initiative.
