BMW’s PH unit seen favoring Asean suppliers

The country’s official distributor and importer of BMW cars is considering getting its units from sources in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), much closer than its production facilities in the US and Germany, to make prices more “competitive.”

Maricar Parco, president of SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp., told reporters at the sidelines of a product launch on Friday that the company was waiting for the marching orders from their regional office.

However, she said they were already preparing to shift to importing from countries closer to the Philippines.

Last year, San Miguel Corp. acquired 65 percent of SMC Car Asia, while the remaining 35 percent remained in the hands of Jose Alvarez, the previous owner of Asian Carmakers Corp.

The introduction to the local market of the all-new BMW X3 last week marked the first launch BMW had under the conglomerate.

“We have yet to hear from the regional office but, yes, we are preparing to see how we can bring synergies in the region so we could bring in our products at more competitive pricing,” she said.