BMW PH to Hold Facebook Chat Session to Answer Customer Questions

On Monday, May 11, BMW Philippines will host a simultaneous live chat session with select dealer partners, allowing the network to engage with existing and aspiring BMW owners. Select BMW dealers will be standing by to communicate with participants for two hours in the morning (10 AM to 12 NN) and two hours in the afternoon 3 PM to 5 PM).

The BMW Live Chat session will use Facebook Messenger to answer questions, give proper guidance, and assist customers and clients with regards to products, experiences, and service or aftersales initiatives—essentially anything about the BMW brand.

Do note that the BMW Live Chat will be able to address chat messages only

“We want to ensure people that BMW is just a click away despite these difficult times, and will always continue to be ready to help. BMW has always maintained a strong digital presence, and the brand has always found new ways to engage and make itself more accessible for fans and customers,” says SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp. President Spencer Yu.

More information on the specific BMW Live Chat schedules may be found on the Facebook pages of participating BMW dealers:

• Autoallee BMW (EDSA, Quezon City
• Autobahn BMW (Talisay, Negros Occidental)
• Motor Ventures BMW (Alabang, Muntinlupa)
• Premier Cars BMW (San Fernando, Pampanga)
• RSA Motors (E. Rodriguez Jr., Avenue, Quezon City)

BMW Philippines Comes Out With a Viber Sticker Set

BMW Philippines is now giving you the chance to spruce up your Viber app with these special stickers now available for download.

Available for free on the Viber sticker market, the BMW Philippines sticker set makes chatting during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) a bit more fun and colorful. Check it out for yourself through this link.

BMW Judged to Have Easiest to Use Infotainment System, MG the Worst

The “eyes” (and fingers) have it—BMW has easiest to use infotainment and climate control system, while MG has the worst. This is judged by UK-based What Car?.

The leading consumer champion and new car buying platform tested 20 different in-car systems that encompass the majority of the different types of infotainment systems and dashboard layouts on offer in the latest new cars.

Their testers performed six tasks that drivers frequently do while on the move, including changing the temperature, zooming out on a set sat-nav route, and changing from one radio station to another, with each action timed.

Distracted driving can be quite dangerous, notes What Car?. Every second spent looking away can be dangerous, as a vehicle moving at around 50 km/h will travel 13.5 meters every second.

In their research, What Car? says that systems with physical buttons are much less distracting to use on the move than those that can only be altered using a touchscreen.

It took twice as long to adjust climate controls on some cars with touchscreen controls rather than physical dials. And it took up to four times longer to zoom out of the sat-nav map to view a pre-programmed route using a touchscreen than it did using a rotary dial controller. The easiest systems for adjusting the sat-nav map were Audi’s Virtual Cockpit Plus and BMW’s iDrive, while the fiddliest was the Lexus 12.3-in multimedia display. 

The tests also highlighted the benefits of having a range of different ways of doing a task, so the driver can choose the most convenient for each situation. The best systems let you use physical buttons, the touchscreen, or voice control to do a wide range of commands.

Using a sophisticated voice control system is the least distracting way of doing many tasks. The systems in the Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz all recognize natural speech, so you can activate them by talking and then ask them to carry out your desired task and hardly take your eyes off the road at all. However, not all voice control systems are as intuitive or fast to respond; testers were looking away from the road for more than twice as long in cars with the worst systems.

Here’s how every infotainment system ranked with its rank and total score out of a perfect 30:

1. BMW 3 Series with Live Cockpit Professional – 28
2. Mercedes-Benz CLA with 10.25-inch Touchscreen – 27
3. Porsche Panamera with Connect Plus and PCM – 27
4. Audi Q3 with Virtual Cockpit Plus – 26
5. Mazda3 with 8.8-inch and Mazda Connect – 25
6. Volkswagen Passat with 8-inch Composition Media System – 24
7. Ford Fiesta with SYNC 3 and FordPass – 23
8. Hyundai Ioniq with 10.25-inch Touchscreen – 22
9. Vauxhall Corsa with 10-inch Multimedia Navi Pro – 22
10. Skoda Kamiq with 9.2-inch Touchscreen – 21
11. Jaguar XE with 10-inch Touch Pro Duo – 21
12. Volvo S60 with SENSUS – 20
13. Toyota Corolla with Touch 2 – 20
14. Nissan Juke with Nissan Connect – 19
15. Honda CR-V with 7-inch Touchscreen – 18
16. Lexus RX with 12.3-inch Multimedia Display – 18
17. Peugeot 508 with 10-inch Connected 3D Navigation – 17
18. Skoda Citigo-e iV with Color Screen – 16
19. Fiat 500X with 7-inch Touchscreen and Uconnect Live – 14
20. MG ZS with 8-inch Touchscreen - 12

Goodbye, BMW i8

Six years since its introduction, BMW is bidding adieu to its first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the i8.

Designed by Benoit Jacob, the i8 was first unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. A turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-3 was paired with an electric motor giving this futuristic-looking sportscar a total of 374 horsepower and 570 Nm of torque. It was refreshed in 2018, where it debuted alongside a roadster version.

At its market launch, the BMW i8 was the world's first series-produced car to be equipped with innovative laser headlights. This provides better road illumination while consuming even less energy than the already efficient LED headlights.

With more than 20,000 units sold since it went on sale, it has become the world’s most successful sportscar with an electrified drive system. Up to the end of its life cycle, it has held a global market share of more than 50 percent.

Readers of German magazine, “Auto Bild Klassik” also declared it to be the “classic of the future.”

As BMW closes the chapter on the i8, the automaker is preparing to release several battery-powered models as part of ambitious plans to market 25 electrified models by 2023. Production of the iNext crossover will begin in the middle of 2021. That will be followed by the start of i4 sedan output toward the end of 2021.

BMW Has a New Logo and This is What It Looks Like

Forget the giant nostril grille for a minute. Yes, we know it’s hard, but we’re not going to be talking about that right now. We’re not going to be talking about this new EV concept either. Instead, we’d like to let you know that BMW’s getting a new logo and guess what? It’s been staring back at you right in your face.

Just as Volkswagen has done, and Kia’s about to do, BMW’s re-interpreting its trademark blue-and-white propeller badge for the new decade. While it looks remarkably similar to the current one, the execution’s very different.

The new design does away with any chrome and highlights, opting instead for a flat, two-dimensional appearance. More surprisingly, it’s actually “transparent,” removing the black background that’s been so integral to the badge for some time.

BMW says it’s doing this because they want to emphasis the car’s color more than its badge; or maybe they thought that the grille’s already too much in your face. Whatever the case, admittedly the effect on the BMW Concept i4’s Frozen Light Copper color is intriguing. Of course, this begs the question what the effect would be like on more subdued colors like black or white?

UPDATE: BMW clarifies that the new logo is intended to be used only in communications and branding purposes. This will not be used on the vehicles or even in the exterior and interior labeling of their dealerships. In those cases, the existing logo will be used.

Good Boy BMW Owners Are Qualified for a 5-Year / 200,000-Kilometer Warranty

Hey BMW owner, have you been a good boy? Have you followed the prescribed service schedule? Have you kept your Bimmer in stock condition? Well, here’s a reward for you: a three year, 100,000-kilometer extension on your original warranty.

If you purchased your BMW in 2018, accumulated less than 200,000 kilometers, and have their warranties expiring in a month are qualified to get the industry-leading 5-year / 200,000-kilometer warranty—something that’s been standard on Bimmers sold from 2019 onwards.

A prerequisite inspection is necessary to make sure that the BMW’s been correctly driven (and that you use your blinkers—just kidding), and that the maintenance, inspection, and all services have been carried out in full and at the specified intervals as outlined by BMW.

After that, you enjoy the extended warranty that, get this, covers all components minus wear and tear items (brake pads, filters, engine oil, etc.). These vehicles are also covered by a 5-year BMW Assistance program that offers 24/7 roadside assistance powered by IBERO Asistencia (covers major cities nationwide).

BMW Philippines says it is not free, but at least it offers a long-term blanket of protection. Pricing can be inquired through any authorized BMW dealer.

“As the first to introduce the longest and most comprehensive warranty package in the premium
car segment, BMW affirms its commitment to the discerning market and their vehicles. We want all
BMW owners in the Philippines to know that we stand by our products and are always willing to
make sure that we keep their cars in perfect condition for many years to come,” said SMC Asia Car
Distributors Corp. President Spencer Yu.

Ditch Those Charging Cables, BMW is Now Doing Wireless Charging for Cars

Prepare to possibly ditch those bulky charging cables in your EV soon as BMW is widening the pilot test for its inductive charging technology.

First introduced in Germany, then subsequently expanded to the US (where it won the Green Car Journal’s Green Car Technology of the Year), this charging technology does away with having to plug in—similar to today’s smart phones with wireless charging capability.

For its test program, BMW choose the 530e sedan. It requires two things: an inductive charging station (ground pad) and a secondary component attached onto the vehicle (car pad). The contactless transfer of energy can be completed over a distance of around three inches (76 millimeters), and thanks to a charging power of 3.2 kW (85 percent energy transfer efficiency), it can fully charge the 530e in about three and a half hours.

The system helps drivers maneuver into the right spot with the help of a Wi-Fi connection between the charging station and the vehicle. An overhead view of the car and its surroundings is displayed in center Control Display with colored lines that help guide the driver into the correct spot. A graphic icon shows when the correct parking position for inductive charging has been reached. This can deviate from the optimum position by up to 2.75 inches longitudinally and up to 5.5 inches laterally. All components that conduct electricity are protected from rain and snow, and driving over the GroundPad will not damage it in any way.

Oh, and for safety, the inductive charging components generate a magnetic field, which allows for the safe transfer of energy. Foreign Object Detection and Living Object Detection are part of the charging system and will turn off charging if something is detected within the gap between the vehicle and ground pads.

BMW Will Finally Offer Android Auto in 2020

Who says rich bois exclusively use iPhones, eh? In a move that’s seen as “better late than never,” BMW is finally giving in and introducing Android Auto to its vehicles starting mid-2020.

Like CarPlay, its Apple equivalent, Android Auto makes it easy to access music, media, and messaging on devices running on the Android OS system. For BMW’s part, the Android Auto connectivity is done wirelessly using a “extremely user-friendly and simplified interface.”

Moreover, Android Auto will also be fully integrated with the digital cockpit meaning important information isn’t just displayed on the central Control Display, but is also displayed on the instrument cluster’s Info Display and even Heads-Up Display.

A working demonstration of a BMW running Android Auto will be shown at the Consumer Electronics Expo in January.

Android Auto integration is the second piece of good news for BMW owners after the German carmaker has begun waiving its “subscription fee” for using Apple CarPlay.

BMW Philippines to Offer As Much As P 2.5-Million Off at This Weekend's Holiday Deals

Mercedes-Benz isn’t the only premium brand holding a weekend sale this November 22-24, 2019. If you prefer something sportier, the folks at BMW may have the right car just for you.

The 3-day BMW Holiday Deals event kicks off at five BMW dealerships: Autoallee BMW, Premier Cars BMW, Autowelt BMW, RSA Motors, and Motor Ventures BMW.

While BMW is a bit more mum on the sort of deal you’ll be getting, they did say that vehicles including the 218i Gran Tourer, X1 xDrive M Sport, 530d, and a variety of BMW M models will get substantial discounts during the three-day sale. How much off? As much as P 2.5-million they said. This will likely apply to the BMW M5 which saw a P 2 million discount last February during the BMW Joyfest 2019. If that is the case, this discount is even bigger than what Mercedes-Benz is offering for their S-Class sedan which top out at just P 800,000.

It’s clearly a buyer’s market out there, even for premium automotive brands.

BMW Xpo 2019 Slated this September 20-22 at the BGC

This weekend, BMW returns to the Bonifacio Global City Activity Center for the annual BMW Xpo. From Friday, September 20 to Sunday, September 22, SMC Asia Car Distributors Corporation, the official importer and distributor of BMW will hold exciting event-only opportunities that come only once a year.

Among the highlights for BMW Xpo 2019 are: special pricing on select BMW models, test drives of the latest BMW vehicles, and limited-time offers on BMW Lifestyle merchandise. This year, the BMW Xpo 2019 will highlight some of the brand’s most iconic vehicles such as the BMW 5 Series, BMW X Family, and the 2 Series Gran Tourer.

For more information on this event, visit the official Facebook page of BMW Philippines.