Bangkok. BMW Thailand recorded its strongest performance ever for the first three quarters of the year with 8,304 vehicles delivered to customers – a remarkable 18.2% increase from the same period last year and already outpacing full-year sales in 2016. Globally, BMW Group’s growth under its forward-looking vision of mobility continues to gather pace as worldwide sales over the first nine months of 2018 grew by 1.3% to 1,834,810 units.

All in all, BMW Group Thailand saw total BMW and MINI deliveries from January to September rise by 15.6% to 8,903 units to set yet another record for the company and paving the way to a strong finish for 2018. BMW Motorrad likewise enjoyed strong year-to-date performance with 1,425 motorcycles delivered for an increase of 9.4% year-on-year.

Electrification remains a major contributor to BMW Group’s ongoing global success as year-to-date deliveries for electrified vehicles across BMW i, BMW iPerformance, and MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid grew by 42.0% to 97,543 units. Since the launch of the BMW i3 in 2013, BMW Group has delivered more than 313,000 electrified vehicles to customers as the company marches towards the target of reaching more than 500,000 total electrified sales by 2020. In Thailand, BMW iPerformance plug-in hybrid vehicle sales have more than doubled the previous record with more than 100% growth in the first 9 months of 2018 when compared to the same period last year.

Mr. Christian Wiedmann, President, BMW Group Thailand, said, “Our leading position as a premium automaker continues to grow stronger in Thailand and around the world. The exceptional performance we have seen throughout this year is testament to the trust that Thai automotive enthusiasts have placed in our three brands as well as the incredible effort from our network of authorized dealers across the country. In the coming days and weeks, we would like to return the favor by offering our customers new experiences and even greater peace of mind through our enhanced service offering.”

First-ever BMW-MINI-BMW Motorrad Urban Stores by Millennium Auto launch at ICONSIAM with exclusive new experiences

Millennium Auto, an authorized BMW, MINI, and BMW Motorrad dealer under the management of Master Group Corporation (Asia) Co., Ltd., is bringing to life the next level in premium automotive and service experiences with its new ‘Urban Store’ at ICONSIAM – a spectacular global landmark that includes two of the world’s most glamorous retail complexes.

Mr. Christian Wiedmann, President, BMW Group Thailand, said “Millennium Auto has been a strong business partner with us for over 18 years and we continuously strive for the same mission of being customer centric. With the long years of experience together, we are confidence that the new opening of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad Urban Store at the ICONSIAM will be another milestone and a new benchmark in term of customer experience.”

This first BMW-MINI-BMW Motorrad Urban Store, which opens for the first time today on the third floor of ICONSIAM, offers the atmosphere of a luxurious customer lounge with a massive LED screen dominating the sightlines. Joining the Urban Store in extending the reach of BMW Group Thailand’s premium products and services further into the Thonburi side of Bangkok are additional dedicated spaces for MINI and BMW Motorrad – the former inspired by a walk through an art gallery and the latter a biker’s cozy living room.

The Urban Store at ICONSIAM is also the first BMW showroom in Thailand with the HTC Vive VR Headset to introduce a virtual reality experience to customers. This offers the first step towards making virtual reality a very real part of vehicles’ selection and decision making in different trims and colors that the customers can see in fine details.

This headset’s core components consist of two high-resolution screens and a laser-based tracking system that covers an area of 5 x 5 metres in the BMW application. The graphics are computed by software that normally serves to produce the very best computer gaming graphics. BMW uses Unreal Engine 4 from Epic Games for this task. This enables stable rendering of 90 frames per second while achieving photo-realistic quality too. The computation is performed using high-end gaming computers with water-cooled, and state-of-the-art components for unimaginable quality of graphics.

Joy, extended: Up to 10 years / 100,000km of free maintenance for BSI and MSI ULTIMATE package

The convenience and peace of mind offered by BMW and MINI Service Inclusive have risen to new heights to deliver greater driving pleasure than ever before. From today until 31 December 2018, customers purchasing and taking delivery of a BMW & MINI vehicles (excluding BMW i models) with the BSI or MSI ULTIMATE packages will receive an automatic upgrade from 5 years / 100,000 kilometers of free maintenance to a full 10 years / 100,000 kilometers*.

“We have always strived to deliver the very best to our customers – from joy on the road to exclusive experiences off it and everything in between,” added Mr. Wiedmann. “Last year, we refined our service offering with a major revision of the BMW and MINI Service Inclusive program to offer unprecedented flexibility for customers to choose the service package that most fits their specific needs and preferences. For this year, we are taking a more straightforward move to double up on the worry-free ownership experience.”

The 10-year extended maintenance offering for BSI & MSI ULTIMATE customers is available now nationwide.

*Extended maintenance to 10 years/100,000 km. Warranty and BMW Mobility Service membership at 5 years/unlimited mileage.

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles and more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. As of 31 December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

BMW Group Thailand

BMW Group Thailand, a subsidiary of BMW AG, Germany, was established on the 3rd October 1998. The three entities of BMW Group Thailand include BMW (Thailand) Co., Ltd. with responsibility for wholesales & marketing of BMW Group products, BMW Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. with responsibility for BMW and BMW Motorrad local production, and BMW Leasing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. with responsibility for financial services offerings to both wholesale and retail customers.

Within the first 9 months of 2018, BMW Group Thailand achieved a historic sales record with 8,903 BMW and MINI vehicles delivered to customers, an increase of 15.6% year-on-year. BMW Motorrad Thailand also enjoyed strong year-to-date performance with 1,425 motorcycles delivered for an increase of 9.4% year-on-year.
On the production side, the BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand plant was founded on BMW Group’s strong belief in the growth potential of Asian markets and Thailand in particular with its unique location, strong manufacturing base, and ready supply of skilled automotive labor, being an automotive hub for ASEAN.

On-going investment has been put into the expansion of plant Rayong in terms of assembling processes, aiming to meet growing customer demand. In addition, with approximately 4 billion Thai Baht representing the amount of annual purchasing in Thailand, the BMW Global Purchasing office has been established in Thailand. This is to source various components from local suppliers in Thailand and the broader ASEAN region, in order to supply the entire BMW production network of 30 production and assembly facilities, located in 14 countries worldwide.

As of October 2018, BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand produces the following 15 models: BMW 1 Series, BMW 3 Series, BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series, BMW X1 and BMW X5. For BMW Motorrad the BMW F 800 R, BMW F 750 GS, BMW F 850 GS, BMW R 1200 GS, BMW R 1200 GS Adventure, BMW S 1000 R, BMW S 1000 RR and BMW S 1000 XR are also locally assembled at the plant. In addition, BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand now assembles four BMW plug-in hybrid models; BMW 330e, BMW 530e, BMW X5 xDrive40e and BMW 740Le.

For further information, please contact:
BMW Group Thailand
1-800-269-269
www.bmw.co.th
www.mini.co.th
www.bmw-motorrad.co.th

Media Contacts:
Carl Byoir & Associates
Suthatip Boonsaeng (08-7685-1695 or0-2627-3501 ext.102)
Thornthawat Thongnab (08-3225-4567 or 0-2627-3501 ext.206)
Pichanan Toonkamthornchai (08-5157-7557 or 0-2627-3501 ext.101)
Nalinuth Sirisombut (08-6977-7881 or 0-2627-3501 ext.155)
sboonsaeng@carlbyoir.com, tthongnab@carlbyoir.com, ptoonkamthornchai@carlbyoir.com, nsirisombut@carlbyoir.com