This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on February 5, 2020 - February 11, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: Premium carmaker BMW Malaysia Sdn Bhd (BMW Group Malaysia) delivered fewer vehicles last year, down 19% to 11,567 units of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad vehicles from 14,338 units in 2018.

This snapped its eight-year streak of record sales.

In a statement yesterday, BMW Group Malaysia said 2019 sales were underscored by 32 new model variants introduced — four of which were electrified vehicles.

Nevertheless, it continued to reinforce its position as the leading electromobility provider in Malaysia, having delivered 3,148 electrified BMW and MINI vehicles in 2019. This contributed to over 17,000 electrified vehicles delivered by BMW Group Malaysia since 2015.

“A total of 145,815 electrified BMW and MINI vehicles were delivered worldwide in 2019, contributing to half a million electrified vehicles delivered to date,” said BMW Group Malaysia.

“Against a challenging year for the automotive sector, we are proud to have achieved such success within the electrified segment in Malaysia and across the globe — reaffirming our optimism for the year ahead,” its managing director Harald Hoelzl said.

“We are committed to continue leading the charge for electromobility in Malaysia, especially in light of the upcoming National Automotive Policy announcement that will see electrified vehicles playing a prominent role in propelling our automotive sector to greater heights,” he added.

Meanwhile, the BMW brand saw 9,300 new owners in Malaysia last year, led by a delivery of 2,514 units of the BMW 3 Series, of which over 1,000 were the BMW 330e M Sport.

Another key contributor to BMW’s total deliveries in 2019 was the BMW 5 Series with over 2,000 new owners.

MINI delivered 1,142 vehicles last year, with the MINI Countryman contributing to more than half or 685 units of total deliveries. BMW Motorrad delivered 1,125 motorcycles to new owners.

This year, BMW Group Malaysia said it will continue its commitment to drive initiatives for innovation, local assembly capabilities and awareness of new and clean technology for the automotive industry, as well as developing infrastructure for premium vehicles locally.

“This year begins a new chapter for us and the nation in the Story of Visionary Mobility. For 2020, it is building up to be an exciting year of change in the automotive sector and we are thrilled to be part of it,” said Hoelzl.