Today, the 12th of April 2021, I was invited to witness the official launch of Sime Darby Motors' automotive facility, Sime Darby Motors City. While operating for quite a while already in the township of Ara Damansara in Petaling Jaya, it was only officially launched today due to the many pandemic lockdown issues the country is facing. So after an actual postponement of an earlier scheduled official opening, Sime Darby officially launched the automotive complex today. The complex houses six flagship centres featuring many brands represented by Sime Darby Motors in Malaysia, namely BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, MINI, Motorrad, Porsche and Volvo. The automotive centre aims to be an exemplary hub for everything automotive for automotive sales industry.
Sime Darby Motors touts it as being the largest automotive complex in Southeast Asia and is home to a number of the largest flagship showrooms in Malaysia and also Southeast Asia. The Sime Darby Motors City covers a total size of about 8.6 acres with an overall built-up area of 1.3 million square feet over eight levels. It is actually massive if you count all of the brands together. While you see on the ground and top floors as separate buildings, it shares basement level parking which links all of the building underneath.
The complex houses six flagship centres featuring ten flagship brands represented by Sime Darby Motors in Malaysia, namely BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, MINI, BMW Motorrad, Porsche and Volvo. It also has an indoor facility capable of housing close to 100 vehicles under Sime Darby Motors’ pre-owned car business Sime Darby Auto Selection.
The whole complex is integrated with the latest technologies in terms of I.T to enrich the overall customer experience at every touchpoint. In total, the facility boasts almost 200 service bays, approximately 700 customer parking and electric vehicle (EV) charging bays and the capacity to display more than 180 vehicles. More than enough to cater to a heavy volume of customers at any one time. The total investment outlay for the centre is a whopping RM570 million in terms of land costs, building costs and the necessary outlay required to operate a total fully fledged 3S centre for about 10 brands.
There are approximately 60 Auto Bavaria technicians for BMW, MINI and Motorrad and over 110 certified technicians for the other brands. These include technicians who hold the highest level of certification by the principal brands, including the Zertifizierter Porsche Techniker Gold Certification which is streamlined for Porsche technicians worldwide. Brands like Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar and Land Rover also have certifications with the highest being trained as Master Technicians. Well, these are basically authorised dealerships and they have people trained to service the brands.
“As one of the key players in the automotive industry, Sime Darby Motors has always been committed to pursuing excellence as we strive to provide world-class services to our customers. The launch of Sime Darby Motors City is a testament to this steadfast commitment,” said Andrew Basham, Managing Director of Sime Darby Motors.
According to Sime Darby, the new automotive complex features a lot of digitalisation for unparalleled customer experience
Aside from the usual investments in building and equipment, there is also an investment made in terms of information technology. Sime Darby Motors City is Malaysia’s first automotive facility that deploys Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, enabling improved service capacity, and supporting Sime Darby Motors’ growth by accelerating efficiencies to deliver world-class services to its customers.
At the heart of the facility’s digital infrastructure is its Vehicle Tracking Management system which utilises a camera-based parking guide and customisable signages to ensure a higher level of guidance, security and convenience for the customer. It also allows for quicker collection of vehicles upon completion of service. Internally, the facility’s digitalised infrastructure communicates the status of each vehicle in real-time, ensuring greater efficiencies are achieved.
IoT-powered Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras have also been installed, as part of a contactless self-check-in system, which enables customers’ appointment data to be accessed, upon their arrival. Concurrently, a service advisor will be alerted and automatically assigned to thecustomer, allowing for a seamless experience. The deployment of these technologies will be rolled out progressively throughout Sime Darby Motors City.
Once in the showroom, customers can opt for a contactless self-check-in which utilises a QR code system. This will allow customers to be placed immediately in the queue without having to wait to be attended to, allowing for a fuss-free service experience. The introduction of this check-in system will be introduced across all brands at Sime Darby Motors City.
To support these enhancements to the after-sales experience, Sime Darby Motors has also digitalised the business for its sales representatives. This includes the introduction of a mobile application, which has enabled sales representatives to be connected anytime and anywhere with real-time data to better serve customers. With the mobile application, they can now populate and print application forms wirelessly, minimising steps in the administrative process and reducing customers’ waiting time.
Expansion and Commitment to New and Existing Partnerships
Sime Darby Motors City is a reflection of Sime Darby Motors’ commitment to be a partner of choice for both luxury and mass market automotive brands in Asia Pacific both new and old. As such, the facility includes Sime Darby Swedish Auto, a Volvo Car Maalysia dealership managed by Sime Darby Motors. Volvo Car is Sime Darby's latest partner for Volvo Car to its stable of marques in Malaysia. The Volvo flagship store at Sime Darby Motors City features Southeast Asia’s first 3S showroom to be equipped with a Virtual Reality Studio.
Aside from this new addition to the portfolio, Sime Darby Motors is proud of its long-standing partnerships with its many principal brands, such as its 49-year partnership with BMW and its 40-year alliance with Ford and Jaguar Land Rover.
“We are excited to continue exploring new automotive business solutions and potential opportunities with our partners. Through Sime Darby Motors City, we are committed to playing an integral role in accelerating the growth of the regional automotive sector while contributing to the Malaysian economy,” Basham added.
Sime Darby Motors City also welcomes partners from our mobility collaborations; SOCAR, Malaysia’s leading car-sharing network and myTukar, Malaysia’s fastest growing online used car trading platform.
The complex will have designated parking bays for SOCAR vehicles – ideal for customers dropping off their vehicles for service, and will be a showcase centre for myTukar trade-in vehicles, in collaboration with Sime Darby Auto Selection.
Green Building Complex and Ready for Electromobility
Sime Darby Motors City is designed to be future-ready as the automotive industry continues to evolve towards EV. It is equipped with specialised EV-certified technicians and designated areas for EV charging, storage and repairs, which are currently available at Auto Bavaria, Auto Hyundai, Auto Performance and Swedish Auto.
Sime Darby Auto Performance led the way in providing superior facilities for EV charging with Malaysia’s first fast Direct Current (DC) high performance charger, operational since September 2020, within the Porsche Centre. Capable of delivering a maximum of 175 kW, it is able to provide a near-full charge within 36 minutes, which is at least eight times faster than the fastest Alternating Current (AC) charger available at 22 kW.
The complex is a Green Building Index (GBI) certified facility built with sustainability in mind and incorporates technologies to cultivate a paperless organisational culture.
Three-day Launch Deals Across Six Flagship Stores
To commemorate the launch, Sime Darby Motors City will be organising a “Grand Launch Weekend” with attractive deals across the six flagship stores between 16 and 18 April 2021. Interested customers are advised to make an appointment, in adherence with the government’s COVID-19 standard operating procedures on crowd control and physical distancing.
“Sime Darby Motors City is truly a one-stop hub for customers shopping for their next vehicle. An enhanced customer experience awaits them with our digitalised, highly certified technicians, luxurious lounges and ample covered parking spaces. Customers who visit us this weekend can also take advantage of the many attractive deals available and capitalise on the government’s vehicle sales tax exemption which will last until June 2021,” said Jeffrey Gan, Managing Director, Retail and Distribution for Malaysia, Sime Darby Motors.
Sime Darby Motors City is located at No.6, Jalan PJU 1A/7, Ara Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor approximately 7 minutes from Subang Airport.
For more information on Sime Darby Motors, visit www.simedarbymotors.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment