BMW, as the market leader in the luxury segment, certainly did not rest on its laurels in 2011. Asian Carmakers Corp., BMW exclusive distributor in the Philippines, launched four new models this year. These were the all-new X3, the 1 Series M, the 6 Series Convertible, and the all-new 1 Series.
PARCO (second from left) awards to recent BMW Cup Invitational golf tournament champion Steve Naguiat his trophy and symbolic ticket to Singapore as Asian Carmakers Corp. executive director for sales and marketing Glen Dasig (right) and Singapore Airlines general manager Andrew Budiman look on.
The all-new 1 Series and X3 proved popular, increasing their unit sales by 116 and 144 percent, respectively. The 5 Series, launched last year, kept its momentum, registering a 48 percent growth. They helped boost the company’s total unit sales by 14 percent, to 710 units. ACC’s market share likewise grew to 32 percent, from the previous 28 percent.
What is interesting is that BMW’s core product, the 3 Series sedans and coupes, managed to eke out a 2.6 percent growth, despite its nearing the end of its life cycle. BMW will be launching the all-new 3 Series sedan in a major event in 2012. The new 3 is expected to raise the benchmark once again for the compact executive class sedan.
The all-new X3 is notable for having an Auto Start Stop system, which automatically shuts down the engine in traffic jams and at stop lights. The system will instantly start up the engine again when needed. X3 xDrive 20d is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine with common-rail direct injection and turbocharger. With 184 hp and 380 Nm on tap, 0-100 km/h is reasonably quick, at 8.5 seconds.
The 1 Series M is a previous-generation 1 Series body stuffed with a 340 hp/450 Nm, 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six engine. Acceleration is blistering, with 0-100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds.
Another sports car launched by ACC was the new 6 Series Convertible, a Gran Turismo geared for comfort and effortless style. At the launch, Glen P. Dasig, ACC sales and marketing director, himself a new addition to the company, said, “The new BMW 6 Series will add to the tradition of open top cars that embodies the hallmark proportions of a BMW convertible.”
MARS Sota, Jun Francia, Parcor and Ariel de Jesus with world touring car champ Andy Prialux at Nurburgring
It was a very active year of model launches here and abroad for ACC. ACC operated a ten-day BMW expo called the Joyfest in November, celebrating the brand’s market leadership. Maricar Parco, president of ACC, joined Castrol executives Mars Sota and Ariel de Jesus in the Nurburgring Experience as a way to re-affirm their companies’ commitment to motorsports.
ACC also capped the year with the revival of the BMW Cup Invitational golf tournament at the Wack Wack east course and the special screening of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the Tom Cruise movie featuring the BMW Vision Car.