This one is big. BMW Group Malaysia, at a special media briefing, made several major announcements. These included the reduction in price, up to 8 percent, on certain BMW models due to the conferment of EEV status.
In addition, BMW will begin local assembly of the X1 and X4 SUVs in Kulim from May. And finally, Malaysia will be the export hub for the ASEAN region for the BMW Group with BMW 3-Series, 5-Series and 7-Series models to be exported to Vietnam and the Philippines.
Certain BMW 1-Series, 3-Series and 5-Series models will now cost less as they have received Customised EEV Status Incentives as Energy Efficient Vehicles. Prices have gone down between RM15,000 for the BMW 118i Sport, and RM39,000 for the BMW 528i M Sport model. The BMW 5 Series received an upgrade in standard equipment (more details after the chart below). Prices below are on-the-road, inclusive of six percent GST but excludes insurance.
| Model | Current Retail Price | EEV Incentive Price | Reduction |
| BMW 118i Sport | RM188,800 | RM173,800 | RM15,000 |
| BMW 120i M Sport | RM219,800 | RM202,800 | RM17,000 |
| BMW 318i Luxury | RM219,800 | RM202,800 | RM17,000 |
| BMW 320i Sport | RM249,800 | RM231,800 | RM18,000 |
| BMW 330i M Sport | RM319,800 | RM297,800 | RM22,000 |
| BMW 320d GT | RM296,800 | RM278,800 | RM18,000 |
| BMW 328i GT | RM327,800 | RM308,800 | RM19,000 |
| BMW X3 xDrive 20i | RM325,800 | RM296,800 | RM29,000 |
| BMW X3 xDrive 20d | RM345,800 | RM316,800 | RM29,000 |
| BMW 520d M Sport | RM354,800 | RM317,800 | RM37,000 |
| BMW 520i M Sport | RM367,800 | RM329,800 | RM38,000 |
| BMW 528i M Sport | RM417,800 | RM378,800 | RM39,000 |
The BMW 520i, 520d and 528i now come with M Sport Package, Comfort Access and sports seats for the driver and front passenger. Wheels have also been upgraded with the 520i and 520d receiving 18-inch M Light Alloy Wheel Double Spoke while the 528i gets 19-inch M Light Allow Wheel Double Spoke. The 528i now has a glass roof and an M rear spoiler.
Deliveries of the CKD X1 and X4 will begin in the second half of 2016. They will be ninth and tenth models to be manufactured in the country. There will be both petrol and diesel variants of the X1 but BMW have yet to share details of equipment levels and prices. From past CKD vehicles though, expect to see almost the same specs but with a significant reduction in price.
As with all new BMWs, both will come with BMW ConnectedDrive with Driver Assistance systems. The petrol-engined X1 sDrive20i will come with a 2.0-litre twin-scroll turbo engine that produces 192 hp and 280 Nm of torque. Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, acceleration from 0-100km/h is achieved in 7.7 seconds while its top speed is 225km/h. Colours available will be Alpine White, Black Sapphire, Mineral Grey, and Sparkling Storm.
The diesel variants will be available in Black Sapphire, Alpine White, Mineral Grey, Glacier Silver and Mediterranean Blue. Both will have Leather Dakota upholstery in a choice of colours. The current price of the fully-imported front-wheel drive X1 sDrive20i is RM279,800, on-the-road, inclusive of GST, excluding insurance.
The all-wheel drive X4 will have a 2.0-litre 242 hp, 350 Nm twin-scroll turbo petrol engine paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The sprint to 100km/h is done in 6.4 seconds. The X4 will come in Alpine White, Sophisto Grey, Carbon Black, Glacier Silver, and Melbourne Red with Leather Nevada upholstery in Mocha or Black. As with the X1, no details were given of equipment or trim levels. The fully-imported X4 xDrive28i is RM435,800 on-the-road, also inclusive of GST, but excludes insurance.
Exports to Vietnam and the Philippines of the BMW 3, 5 and 7 models will begin in 2018. To accommodate the manufacture of the left-hand drive cars, BMW Group Malaysia will increase the number of production lines at their plant in Kedah. The assembly of the cars for export is in line with the government’s stated objective, in the 2014 National Automotive Policy, to make Malaysia the regional hub for Energy Efficient Vehicles. BMW Malaysia is the first automaker in Malaysia to announce that it will build EEV cars for export to neighbouring countries.
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