CKD E90 differences

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Beg to differ, Rubik. It's up to AB to sell cars the way they want to sell them. Malaysia is still SEA's biggest car market. The 'Standard options' business model is more profitable, less competitive, and less hard work than the 'Optional options' model, and has been practised by Malaysian car dealers since the beginning of time.

Isn't it time to challenge the status quo and change that modus operandi? Haven't we had enough of limited choices, especially for luxury marques? Even if they continue with the 'Standard options' model, at least give us decent 'standards' for the prices we have to pay. You only have to look at Singapore. The market there is even smaller, but it's a very discerning market and the car companies there have to work much harder or they won't make any sales.
 
I definetely agree witH Schwepps. Car manufacturers like BMW are taking advantage of the low level in sophistication of our customers here.

Pricing at RM298K for E90 325i but without i-drive, use of average radio hi fi systems and other options certainly put Malaysian BMW fans like us at the short end of the stick.

Till now, I still cannot comprehend why BMW must insist in 'shafting' run flat tyres to us i.e. in a market where these tyres are rare and not many tyre shops carry these stocks. While using run flat tyres should be encouraged but not forced upon. Its a sign of arrogance on BMW's part.
:mad:
 
Great points raised by Schwepps. Basically, bottom line, its cheaper and easier to standardize options/packaging. Also don't forget these are CKD. It's a business proposition so I wouldn't go so far to say that they are taking advantage of the customers. Prevailing and past market preferences determines product mix/content and unfortunately for key enthusiasts, the malaysian luxury car market remain conservative generally leaning on the luxury side. I think AB's e90 packaging reflects this. Don't forget they only have 1 6cyl offering for the e90. I can imagine if AB introduced the 325i as a focused sports model, some new owners who buy expecting luxury would complain of hrad suspension and seats and manual transmission. So it really goes back to lobbying AB to slot in a sports pack option or a dedicated sports model to go above the e90 'luxury' spec. They've done this with the e60 so why not the e90...
 
Btw BMW only packages i-drive with sat nav on the e90s (all markets) and since Malaysia does not support sat nav ta-dah ... no i-drive on the e90s, possibly ever. E60s come wth i-drive as a standard interface regardless of sat nav or none, and so do e65/66s. This is not an attempt at extended decontenting on the part of our e90s. If not mistaken, the reasoning why this is from teh very beginning is that the e90s is the volume bread-n-butter model for BMW...
 
Well... I agree very much. There are a lot of people who dislike the way the salespeople treat them when they walk into any of the AB showroom here. They (the saleperson) carry the attitidue of "take it or leave it". Why are they having such attitude is just because they feel that the customers need their cars more than them want to sell the cars. BMW is famous here and so many people like it, so.... why worry... That is the mindset they have.

For example, a BMW saleperson won't follow up with you although you leave them a business card. They will not call you to follow up to see what's your decision. A Merc salesperson will call you everyday without fail to check what's your decision. This shows the hunger that a BMW saleperson have as compare to a Merc saleperson.

Well... this is my feeling but then.... end of the day I am also driving a BMW :)
 
Toffeeman: Supply and cost issues of RFTs prevail in other major market as well, including the US market. As it stands there is a long back order for rear fitment 18" RFT tires in the US right now. Agreed on your views, that the RFT is a half-baked idea/concept...good but not 100% ready for prime time.
 
David, yeah agreed. But this is really not limited to AB, most high end marque sales rep have some sort of attitude, even MB. I am trying to get pricing (non-excise tax) for CKD W203 for a friend but dealership has not been very helpful.

In the US, BMW NA does follow up surveys post sales and these surveys are tied in with additional compensation so most client advisors will try to work for their '5' rating. But this in its self is flawed as the way its set up, anything less than '5' is a failure for the dealership and the sales rep. Even with this system in place, dealership experience can vary as dramatically as night and day in the US.

But I wholeheartedly agree, nothing sours the excitement of a new or potential new car purchase than bad service. I can't stand bad service...
 
The attitude of the salespoeple is only a reflection of the attitude of their bosses. C&C were also getting very complacent until they had the rug pulled from under them. How they've changed! Walk into the new Mutiara Damansara Branch and you feel like you're in a 5-star place getting 5-star treatment. Sure, you pay for it, but what the heck, life is short. And look at their product range now! From the A and B class to the M class to the Smart Cars, with sumptious SLs and CLs thrown in.

It's sad that BMWM and AB haven't smartened up their act for the launch of what is the best 3 series ever. After my fun years with the E36, the E46 never really caught my imagination. But I was so waiting for Chris Bangle's E90!

But they've truly blotched the CBU launch, and now look set to blotch the CKD launch too with their la-di-da attitude towards the market. Look, I haven't seen one single E90 for the past 6 days and I live in Damansara Heights! Here you can spot even the odd Lambo and Veyron on a Sunday.

Perhaps Herr Lerch was SENT here rather than ASKED to come :) Let's see what happens in the coming weeks. If the CKD launch is also a dud, they'll have to make some quick adjustments to the product offering. Being the bread and butter model, a continued flub may cost even the top guys their jobs, even if they're datuks :)
 
Schwepps said:
Look, I haven't seen one single E90 for the past 6 days and I live in Damansara Heights!

Herr Schwepps - check out the school queue at Sri Cempaka - at least four units every day, two 320i and two 325i, all black!! :D
 
KL2DC said:
David, check out the Rogue Engineering Spacers...they are quality pieces and they are the only one out there to supply their spacers with the correct wheel bolts (important!). Don't compromise with spacers, for your safety. If you want part numbers just PM me...

KL2DC - very interesting post, and I am in the 159-camp too - would you please share more information about the spacers?? Are they safe, even with a full load of four adults?? Many thanks!! :)
 
David Yong said:
Well... I agree very much. There are a lot of people who dislike the way the salespeople treat them when they walk into any of the AB showroom here. They (the saleperson) carry the attitidue of "take it or leave it". Why are they having such attitude is just because they feel that the customers need their cars more than them want to sell the cars. BMW is famous here and so many people like it, so.... why worry... That is the mindset they have.

For example, a BMW saleperson won't follow up with you although you leave them a business card. They will not call you to follow up to see what's your decision. A Merc salesperson will call you everyday without fail to check what's your decision. This shows the hunger that a BMW saleperson have as compare to a Merc saleperson.

Well... this is my feeling but then.... end of the day I am also driving a BMW :)


YA WOR

I went to SG B. one with my MIKO..... n see look see E90 ....but really layan me and no need to ask la....wont offer me a test drive on the E90.. i know one

maybe i look too "small fishie" to them... wat to do

:(
 
Schwepps said:
The attitude of the salespoeple is only a reflection of the attitude of their bosses. C&C were also getting very complacent until they had the rug pulled from under them. How they've changed! Walk into the new Mutiara Damansara Branch and you feel like you're in a 5-star place getting 5-star treatment. Sure, you pay for it, but what the heck, life is short. And look at their product range now! From the A and B class to the M class to the Smart Cars, with sumptious SLs and CLs thrown in.

It's sad that BMWM and AB haven't smartened up their act for the launch of what is the best 3 series ever. After my fun years with the E36, the E46 never really caught my imagination. But I was so waiting for Chris Bangle's E90!

But they've truly blotched the CBU launch, and now look set to blotch the CKD launch too with their la-di-da attitude towards the market. Look, I haven't seen one single E90 for the past 6 days and I live in Damansara Heights! Here you can spot even the odd Lambo and Veyron on a Sunday.

Perhaps Herr Lerch was SENT here rather than ASKED to come :) Let's see what happens in the coming weeks. If the CKD launch is also a dud, they'll have to make some quick adjustments to the product offering. Being the bread and butter model, a continued flub may cost even the top guys their jobs, even if they're datuks :)


like tat make my MIKO not look tat "old" ma

but i m tempted to get E90.... just not fast enuff to print the money :(

sigh
 
Equalizer said:
KL2DC - very interesting post, and I am in the 159-camp too - would you please share more information about the spacers?? Are they safe, even with a full load of four adults?? Many thanks!! :)

As mentioned, unless you go for the type 162, e90 wheels always look very tucked in at the back (look at it from front 3/4 angle). Actually, even the OEM 18" wheels benefit from mild 12mm spacers. On my 156s, the 15mm increase in rear track, fills in the rear fenders more convincingly (more flush) and its a decent aesthetic mod for USD 120. They are safe as long as you have the proper length bolts and use quality spacers that are hubcentric. Handlingwise, my butt dynometer tells me my 15mm spacers have added a touch of understeer (makes sense as increased rear track, increases rear grip) but at the same time, the steering response seems a little more livelier (good and bad). I am playing around with different air pressure settings to find the right balance. On the 325i, the factory front air pressure settings are way lower than the rear - to dial in safe understeer, so dialing the front settings up, neutralizes (noticeably) the handling, but at the same time I like the heavier steering feel with the factory settings.

Another reason, I've been playing with the air pressures is to improve fuel economy and I plan to auto-x the car soon.

Fyi: spacers are primarily used to clear wheel fitments and for aesthetics and in the rare case when an increased track is required to tune handling etc.

Info on my Rogue Engineering Spacers here: http://www.rogueengineering.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=WH
 
Schwepps said:
The attitude of the salespoeple is only a reflection of the attitude of their bosses.

It's sad that BMWM and AB haven't smartened up their act for the launch of what is the best 3 series ever.

But they've truly blotched the CBU launch, and now look set to blotch the CKD launch too with their la-di-da attitude towards the market.

Perhaps Herr Lerch was SENT here rather than ASKED to come :) Let's see what happens in the coming weeks.

This is a very well thought out post. I do agree that the sales reps' behavior is attrubutable to the corporate culture at AB. But BMW sales/service has never been synonymous with 1st class service/attention. One would go to Lexus for that...but a recent WSJ article seem to point towards a shift in philosophy at BMW AG and would hopefully trickle down in the short-term.

Brawny BMW Seeks 'the Idea Class'
By NEAL E. BOUDETTE and GINA CHON
August 2, 2006; Page B1

Over the last five years, BMW AG had its foot pressed hard on the gas, increasing sales in the U.S. by 62%, a rate that has outpaced just about every other auto maker. Now the German company is making a bold move in hopes of maintaining its breakneck pace.

For well over a decade, BMW has focused its marketing almost exclusively on its cars' German engineering and technical sophistication, and targeted its message to one very specific customer group -- upscale auto enthusiasts.

In a break with that formula, the company is promoting a corporate culture of independence and innovation. One advertisement in a new campaign that has turned heads in the auto industry highlights the design by architect Zaha Hadid that BMW chose for a striking glass-walled factory in Leipzig, Germany.
BMW hopes the approach will broaden its position in market share and appeal to a group the company calls "the idea class" -- upscale car-buyers who are swayed more by artistic values than horsepower.

Despite its aesthetic nature, the effort is all about business. BMW needs to fend off rising competitors like Nissan Motor Co.'s Infiniti brand and the Acura unit of Honda Motor Co. that offer credible performance vehicles for far less money. The company also aims to grab a bigger share of the U.S. market as part of an ambitious global plan to increase sales of BMW-branded vehicles to 1.6 million a year by 2010, from just over one million this year.

BMW's new ads promote the car maker's innovation.
"Our opportunity to grow exists in the U.S.," says Tom Purves, chief of BMW's North American sales arm, noting the company has less than 2% market share in the U.S. -- about half its share in Western Europe and well below the roughly 10% it has in Germany.

"Why can't we sell more in the U.S.?" Mr. Purves says. "If we doubled our market share, that's a huge volume increase for us and that's what we have in Europe. We thought that was possible, but we had to think about it in a different way."
BMW's new direction reflects the intensifying competition in the luxury-car segment, a key battleground that generates a big chunk of the industry's profit.
The baby-boom generation, which is now in its peak earning years, will drive increasing sales of luxury cars for the next several years, says Michael J. Jackson, chief executive of AutoNation Inc., the nation's largest chain of auto dealerships. "Luxury cars will be a crucial high profit opportunity."

BMW's shift in direction began last year, after an internal study revealed 1.9 million consumers bought luxury cars in 2004, and 1.4 million of them didn't even consider BMW. Of those, about 600,000 said they were looking for cars that are fun to drive -- which should be BMW's forte. "That is low hanging fruit," says Jack Pitney, BMW's head of marketing in the U.S.

Instead, many of these buyers ended up choosing Saab, the Swedish brand of General Motors Corp., or the Japanese luxury brands Infiniti, Acura and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus unit.

One reason these buyers overlooked BMW is that they know little about the brand. Steven Bennett, an optometrist who owns two busy vision centers in Ann Arbor, Mich., admits he likes a car with some kick. "I like power. I like being first off the line," he says. He drives a Lexus LS430, which he bought in 2002 for $54,000. When he bought the car, BMW never crossed his mind. "I've never driven one. I've just never given them a thought."Mr. Pitney says BMW realized it had to do a better job of reaching out to customers like this. Last fall it decided to switch advertising agencies and chose GSD&M, an Austin, Texas, agency. GSD&M suggested BMW target the wealthy group of high-achievers author Richard Florida described in his recent book, "The Creative Class."
This "idea class" is made up of self-motivated architects, professionals, innovators and entrepreneurs, and numbers about 1.5 million people. They typically are not car nuts although they buy luxury automobiles. They prize innovation, authenticity and, above all, independent thinking.
To appeal to them, GSDM crafted a series of ads to show that these values also run deep in BMW's corporate culture. "BMW is known for performance but there's so much more to this company," said Lee Newman, an agency executive who works on the BMW account.
One ad listed other luxury brands and their corporate parents, suggesting rivals like Cadillac and Acura have to make compromises to cooperate with their mass-market sister brands, Chevrolet and Honda. The ad showing the Leipzig plant asked, "Would a parent company let us build this?"
The ads are intended to say that BMW, as an independent company, can put its ideas into reality, Mr. Purves says. "It should appeal to the idea class that we are independent, that we are free to do something."
Going beyond straight advertising, BMW recently said it is now sponsoring a PGA Tour golf tournament that will be called the BMW Championship, one of four tour playoff tournaments. The golf sponsorship completes BMW's three-pillar sports strategy, which also includes sponsorships in Formula One and the America's Cup. The BMW golf tournament will be held at golf courses in Chicago and other cities in the Midwest, where BMW hopes to increase sales, Mr. Purves says.
Write to Neal E. Boudette at neal.boudette@wsj.com1 and Gina Chon at gina.chon@wsj.com2
 
The WSJ article is very US-centric. Market perception in Malaysia is different. But at the same time, it would be good to have BMW AG to sort out the local deficiencies here which is sorely in need as mentioned by Schwepps. (We are heading OT, no?)
 
Minor Correction

KL2DC said:
Schwepps: I just wanted to chime in...the Rosslyn facility in South Africa is a frequent annual winner of BMW AG's internal quality audit survey (for lasts 7 years, I think). As the facility is slight less automated, some production process (like interior fittings) are relegated by hand/manual labor. As a result, there is a noted higher attention to detail. Just about all of east-bound RHD (incl Japan market) e90s come from Rosslyn especially 4cyl model. Also, you might like to know that most 4cyl engine is assembled in the UK and 6 cylinder engine, in Austria....

Just wanted to point out that ALL CBU units brought into Malaysia by BMW Malaysia are from Germany. The state-of-the-art Leipzig plant is where our E90s come from.
 
AlexC: Leipzig plant is awesome and is slated to take over Rosslyn as leader in internal quality audits. We get less leipzig cars coming into the US than Rosslyn (already a very small %).
 
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