Sime Darby invests RM120m in new Balakong BMW 4S Centre

From left are Cesar Badilla, Head of Aftersales of BMW Group Malaysia, David Kim; Head of Sales of BMW Group Malaysia, Hans de Visser; Managing Director of BMW Group Malaysia, Mustamir Mohamad; Group Chief Financial Officer of Sime Darby Berhad, Jeffrey Gan; Managing Director of Sime Darby Motors Retail & Distribution Malaysia, Vi Thim Juan, Managing Director of Sime Darby Auto Bavaria and Azrul Azman, Dealer Principal of Auto Bavaria Balakong, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new state-of-the-art BMW 4S dealership in Balakong.

KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Bhd’s automotive division, Sime Darby Motors, via its subsidiary Auto Bavaria Sdn Bhd (Auto Bavaria) is investing more than RM120mil in a Auto Bavaria Balakong 4S Centre, located along the SILK highway in Selangor.

In a statement on Tuesday, it said the new centre spans more than 243,342 square feet while the location has high visibility and accessibility.

It is designed with the latest BMW Retail NEXT concept, the premium automaker’s newest expression for its retail showrooms; in addition to being equipped with an extensive after-sales facility with a total of 30 productive bays; a body & paint centre; as well as BMW Premium Selection. It will welcome its first customer in the first quarter of 2023.

This is a significant milestone for the group as it broke ground on its new BMW 4S dealership in Balakong. This is part of a multi-million-ringgit investment in a brand-new premises to expand its reach and services to customers.

The ceremony was officiated by Hans de Visser, managing director of BMW Group Malaysia; Mustamir Mohamad, group chief financial officer of Sime Darby; Jeffrey Gan, managing director of retail and distribution of Sime Darby Motors Malaysia; Vi Thim Juan, managing director of Auto Bavaria and Azrul Azman, dealer principal of Auto Bavaria Balakong.

Mustamir Mohamad said: “Sime Darby Bhd is optimistic on prospects in the automotive segment and today’s ground-breaking ceremony reflects our commitment to serve our customers for the long term in Malaysia.

“In line with our strategic growth plans, our investment in this state-of-the-art facility in Balakong, along with our recent acquisition of the BMW 4S dealership in Tebrau and the launch of our BMW 4S Centre in Ara Damansara, reinforces our pledge to delivering only the highest level of service to our customers.”

Meanwhile, de Visser, said ss the Klang Valley develops and expands, BMW Group Malaysia have identified Balakong, Serdang, Cheras and its surrounding areas as new potentials where we are able to serve our customers better.

“It is only natural that we awarded Auto Bavaria the responsibility of representing us in the area. Auto Bavaria has been a valuable dealer partner for us here in Malaysia and they are also our premium partner in helping us achieve our ambitions in the country,” de Visser said.

Vi said Auto Bavaria is committed to making the premium ownership experience and brand promise of the BMW Group extend beyond the point of purchase.

“In benchmarking ourselves against the best BMW dealers in the world, we will continue to invest in new premises, services and talent through human resource re-engineering and re-training programmes for our talent force,” added Vi.

BMW customers and enthusiasts in the vicinity may visit the BMW showroom located along Jalan Tengah, Cheras Selatan 118. The two-storey 3,600 square foot facility features a showroom that is capable of displaying up to three vehicles and a customer lounge on the ground floor, as well as an administrative office on the first floor.