BMW 7-Series Prices Increased
Cartrade Sdn Bhd, the authorized importer of Completely Built-Up (CBU) BMW vehicles in Malaysia, has announced an upward revision to the prices of the BMW 7-Series, the first since the model was launched in March this year.
The new prices for private registration which exclude insurance (old prices in brackets) are:
BMW 735Li : RM780,695 (RM725,000)
BMW 745Li : RM909,286 (RM850,000)
The increases to the 735Li and 745Li are said to be due to the appreciation of the Euro which was around RM3.30 in March but is now averaging RM3.7, about 9% higher. However, the increases in the prices do not mirror the 9% change in the exchange rate as the 735Li is 7.7% more while the 745Li is 7.0% more.
The prices for Malaysia are still “special” as BMW is said to be giving certain concessions to avoid having an exceptionally high pricetag that would be over a million ringgit. They are being given to Cartrade as a strategy for BMW to grab share from arch-rival Mercedes-Benz in the luxury segment.
According to data compiled by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA), new 7-Series registrations till the month of July were 23 units, with 15 having been recorded in the month of July alone. The 735Li accounts for 17 of the 23 units registered. It is also the best-selling imported BMW model for Cartrade this year.
It is likely that these are the only ‘Li’ models on Malaysian roads as this longer version is unique to Asian markets and not readily available in European showrooms where parallel importers source their cars.
