The strong contender
In this new segment where we interview the bosses of car distributors, The Ed talks to BMW Asia's new boss, Johannes Seibert. He finds out from the man himself the bare facts about the BMW brand, and what consumers should know and look out for...
At the end of the day, the key success is the experience and attractiveness of the product. We are strong - we have sedans, coupes, convertibles and Sports Activity Vehicles (SAVs) of different styles and sizes. Not forgetting the MINI range, including the Clubman and new Cabriolet.
And of course, most of our models set the benchmark in their respective segments. Combine credible product and good after sales, and you already have the ingredients to be successful.
Customers, generally, are looking at value for money now more than ever before, and our dealers are responding to that demand to maintain BMW's attractiveness.
For sure, 2009 will be a tough and challenging year for the automotive industry - BMW included - so much so, it's hard to predict anything at the moment. The global automotive industry is going through a fundamental shift and that looks set to continue for a while - we have also seen insolvencies and partial nationalisation, mergers and acquisitions within the past few months.
However, emerging markets will play an increasingly important role. Growth will come from China, India, Eastern Europe and other emerging markets.
Our key strengths - not only in Asia - are product, brand and customer care.
What makes the Asian region special is that we identify for each market the individual approach that works. In Indonesia for example, we have an assembly plant and run the wholesale business ourselves. Then in the Philippines, we now have an official importer, Asian Carmakers Corporation, as we believe they can attend the market more effectively. And in Singapore, we have been working with Performance Motors Limited successfully for over 30 years.
"Truly premium automotive retail experience" - those are the best words!
What I'm currently driving - the BMW X5 4.8i. That's the perfect symbiosis of a high-performance sports car and a 7-seater family vehicle. But that might change once the BMW X5 M arrives...
There are more exciting products to come, like the BMW 760Li and the X1. At the Frankfurt Motorshow later, we'll be presenting our first two hybrids - the 7 Series Hybrid and X6 Hybrid - which will both go into production before the end of 2009.
Credits: Story by Azfar Hashim. Pictures by Azfar Hashim & Oneshift.com archive
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