Friday, June 12, 2015

BMW launches BMW Safety 360º Program, the new 1 Series for Malaysia and the all-new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer


Maree Haley, Founder & Executive Director of the Safety Educator on the importance of owning a child seat as she shares significant information from how to secure a child seat to child seat positioning in a vehicle.

BMW Group Malaysia have been busy. They've decided to start the second series of the BMW Safety 360º Program and launched two cars - the 120i M Sport and the all-new 220i Gran Tourer at a go earlier today at Publika here in Kuala Lumpur.



Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communications, BMW Group Malaysia and Alan Harris, Managing Director and CEO, BMW Group Malaysia with the all-new BMW 220i Gran Tourer. 


I have to state again how pleased I am that manufacturers today are committed in pushing the need for more awareness on safety. BMW with this program promotes awareness on safety technologies and responsible practices. Previously, the Safety 360º program covered BMW Motorcycles as these segment is hardest hit in terms of road accidents. Statistics from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) reported that road accidents involving motorcycles last year alone was at an all time high with 476,196 incidents of which over 11,000 cases were fatal.

Now this time around BMW Malaysia has decided to focus on child safety. According to Mr Alan Harris, Managing Director and CEO of BMW Group Malaysia the United Nation Status Paper on Road Safety in Malaysia reported in 2009 that at least 61 percent of children under the age of 5 are exposed to the risk of death or serious injury in reportable road accidents. It has also been proven that an appropriately restrained child in a child’s safety restraint can reduce the chance of serious injury or death when involved in a crash. In fact, MIROS also just reported recently that only 7 to 9 percent of people buckle up in the back seat.

That being said, when I was heading towards an event at Setia City Mall I saw a family inside a Proton Satria Neo. The mother was holding her child in her arms in the front seat. Again, this isn't the way. The father who was driving may think that he is extra careful when driving, but sometimes, others aren't as careful. The mother, must be thinking her grip is stronger and cannot be broken in the event of a crash. All of these thoughts should be banished. Buy a proper car seat folks.

So anyway, let's move on to the cars.



BMW launches two of them today. The first is the new, locally assembled BMW 120I M Sport. This is now the new entry level BMW 1 Series as BMW Malaysia have dropped the 116i and the 118i. Somehow, there have been slow sales for the models mentioned so BMW Malaysia have decided to offer just one variant but it gets some sporty bits instead of just plain vanilla.

The BMW M Sport package which includes the M Aerodynamic Kit, the M Leather Steering Wheel, M Sport Suspension and 18-inch M Sport alloy wheels with M Sport Suspension as standard. Aside from that, the 1 Series has also been upgraded with more features. It now has an even more dynamic design with wider kidney grille elements, redesigned headlights, LED daytime running lights, new tailgate with two-part LED taillights, as well as boast an even more comprehensive range of standard equipment including BMW Navigation System Professional with Touch Controller, Comfort Access and a new instrument cluster as standard. It comes with a 1.6liter turbocharged 4 cylinder petrol engine with 177hp and 250Nm torque. it gets that brilliant 8 Speed ZF Automatic gearbox. 0-100kmh in 7.2seconds and a top speed of 222kmh.


It is priced at RM219,000+. You can also spec the car even higher with more performance parts. The white car you see in the photo above has about RM35,000 worth of extras from the M Performance Parts catalouge. It looks its part with all the goodies. Slightly better than the already nice looking 120i. This 120i is a big improvement in terms of what's offered here in Malaysia when it comes to the 1 Series. Previously, the 116i and 118i F20 models left me feeling cold in terms of how they looked. This is juicy. Certain details like the 19 inch wheel and tyre combo cost RM16,999 make the car look even tastier. There also is a very nice to hold suede alcantara steering wheel option for RM6,888 for those that are interested (pic below).


Now we come to something that families can use. A seven seater BMW family car, the BMW 220i Gran Tourer. This car is the first ever premium compact MPV from BMW which is capable of seating up to seven passengers in its rear seats. They've not done this before this folks. I suppose it answers a lot of requests for an MPV of sorts for loyal BMW owners out there.


Three rows of seats....and versatility. 


Good news is that it comes with a normal 2.0liter 4 cylinder turbocharged engine instead of the smaller 3 cylinder in the shorter 2 Series GT model sold here. Call me a traditionalist. Anyway, this comes with 192hp and 280Nm torque coupled to the same fantabulous 8 speed gearbox mentioned above. This makes this one mighty fast MPV. 0-100kmh in 7.6seconds with a top speed of 221kmh.

Prices start at RM279,800.



PRESS RELEASE
June 12, 2015

BMW Group Malaysia introduces the second edition of the BMW Safety 360º Program with the all-new BMW 1 Series and the all-new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer.

Premium automaker calls for the need for more awareness on safety technologies and responsible practices on the road at the Cooler Lumpur Festival 2015.

Kuala Lumpur, 12th June 2015 – BMW Group Malaysia today introduced the second series of its BMW Safety 360º program with the introduction of two new BMW vehicles – the locally assembled all-new BMW 1 Series and the all-new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer in conjunction with the third Cooler Lumpur Festival.

Mr. Alan Harris, Managing Director and CEO of BMW Group Malaysia said, “As a leading premium automotive brand, we are just as comitted to prioritizing the safety of our drivers and passengers as to delivering sheer driving pleasure. With the BMW Safety 360program, we want to create awareness, conversation and action on the need for road users in Malaysia to seek and need the technologies and solutions in their vehicles as well as the right sort of etiquette and behaviour that will ensure their safety when they are on the road.”

Harris added that the BMW Safety 360º program at the Cooler Lumpur Festival 2015 is a follow up to BMW Group Malaysia’s Active and Passive Safety campaign that was introduced last year with BMW Motorrad. He said, “We started our BMW Safety 360º program last year with BMW Motorcyles as it is a known fact that the highest number of road accidents in Malaysia involve motorcyclists. Statistics from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) reported that road accidents involving motorcycles last year alone was at an all time high with 476,196 incidents of which over 11,000 cases were terribly fatal. Now, we are addressing the safety of our children in our vehicles, an issue that is very important and relevant in light of what has been happening on the roads here over the last few months.”

“The United Nation Status Paper on Road Safety in Malaysia reported in 2009 that at least 61 percent of children under the age of 5 are exposed to the risk of death or serious injury in reportable road accidents. It is also proven that an appropriately restrained child in a child’s safety restraint can reduce the chance of serious injury or death when involved in a crash. In fact, MIROS also just reported recently that only 7 to 9 percent of people buckle up in the back seat. The BMW Safety 360º campaign serves to tackle these issues and by extension, help parents and adults in general to prioritize responsible child safety practices on the road.” said Harris.

The BMW Safety 360º program which runs from the weekend of Friday, 12th to Sunday, 14th of June at Publika will feature guest speaker Maree Haley, Founder and Executive Director of The Safety Educator, a non profit organisation responsible for the health, safety and education for children and families.

With over five years experience in Occupational Health and Safety and in the development of safety standards, Haley will be conducting a series of clinics on the topic of child seats to highlight the importance of owning a child seat as well as sharing significant information from how to secure a child seat to child seat positioning in a vehicle, to ensure children are protected when they are in vehicles on the road.

“Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes for serious injury and death in children worldwide. Unrestrained children can easily be thrown out of the vehicle, thrown forward against the front windscreen or dashboard, or against the back of the front vehicle seats. With the use of proper child restraints, we can reduce up to 28 percent of risk for death in children aged 2 to 6 as compared to using just a seat belt,” explained Haley.

The campaign also saw the introduction of two new exciting BMW vehicles to the Malaysian premium automotive market – the all-new locally assembled BMW 1 Series and the all-new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer.

Featuring a new sporty and radical expression with the BMW M Sport package which includes the M Aerodynamic Kit, the M Leather Steering Wheel, M Sport Suspension and 18-inch M Sport alloy wheels with M Sport Suspension as standard, the all-new locally assembled BMW 1 Series was introduced in the form of the BMW 120i M Sport.

The new premium compact segment BMW now also features an even more dynamic design with wider kidney grille elements, redesigned headlights, LED daytime running lights, new tailgate with two-part LED taillights, as well as boast an even more comprehensive range of standard equipment including BMW Navigation System Professional with Touch Controller, Comfort Access and a new instrument cluster as standard.

The all-new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer, meanwhile, is the first ever premium compact MPV from BMW which is capable of seating up to seven passengers in its rear seats. Made available in the form of the all-new BMW 220i Gran Tourer, the new BMW vehicle features signature dynamic BMW design, superior performance and exemplary fuel efficiency.

The all-new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer also provides unique versatility and even more space as a seven seater, making it an ideal car for young families with children. Particularly unique with the new premium vehicle from BMW is its ability of supporting up to three child seats in its second row seating space and up to two child seats in its third row seating, a very unique feature in modern premium vehicles.


The estimated retail prices (on the road, without insurance with BMW Malaysia’s latest 5 Years Unlimited Mileage Warranty and Free Scheduled Service Program.)

The all-new BMW 120i M Sport RM 219,800.00
The all-new BMW 220i Gran Tourer RM 279,800.00

BMW 220i Gran Tourer interior

1 comment:

alia52nalie said...

I believe more companies show their CSR towards users. 360 degree safety program is a novice approach and more programs like this should be held. My cousin works with a DUI attorney Los Angeles and was telling me that the only way to reduce fatalities on road is by creating awareness among drivers.