KUALA LUMPUR: BMW Group Malaysia has announced a price hike for both BMW and MINI cars from 2023, but it hopes to soften the impact by offering feature enhancements to the models.
It said global inflation and rising manufacturing costs has forced the company to raise prices.
The change, based on volume-weighted average pricing, would see an increase of between 4.7% and 2.6% with immediate effect.
BMW and MINI Service and Repair Inclusive (BSRI/MSRI) package prices will also be updated effective Jan 1, contributing to the price increase overview (see table below).
As to what features are upgraded, BMW said smartphone integration (featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), along with the Connected Package Professional will both come as standard for all BMW models in 2023, increasing connectivity between users and their vehicles.
This enables convenient access to familiar functions and applications in all BMW models. The climate menu will also remain accessible to users without having to leave the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto screen.
Exclusive to models with BMW iDrive 8, Apple Maps will be adapted and added into the instrument cluster and head up display.
Remote services will enable owners to remotely control the car by locking their doors, activating the headlight flash or horn and starting the ventilation system using the My BMW App.
Owners will also enjoy a Last State Call (LSC), which provides relevant information about the status of the car, such as the fuel level, mileage, status of doors and windows, Check Control Messages, pending services, among others.
Note that the smartphone integration and remote services features are available on lifetime offer, as long as technical prerequisites are met.
From 2023, owners will also enjoy three years runtime of BMW Maps Connected Charging and Connected Navigation (market availability varies between sub-features and differs between models). Connected Charging guarantees to stay mobile with the BMW EV – whether at home, on the road or at public charging stations.
In addition to providing information to owners via the My BMW App, the Charging Management feature also highlights past and ongoing charging sessions which enables owners to remotely control and check ongoing or upcoming charging sessions.
The app will also notify users should there be any specific charging events.
The cloud-based navigation system in BMW Maps will come with a more intuitive address input and a rich experience in the Point of Interest segment.
Owners will also be able to send their destinations from the My BMW App to their vehicles seamlessly using the Send-to-Car feature.
The Last Mile feature will assist in navigating towards their destination in the event that parking is not available nearby and they are forced to go on foot.
