SEOUL: BMW Group is launching BMW Alpina, its first new brand in 25 years, positioning the ultra-luxury marque to challenge Mercedes-Maybach in South Korea’s fast-growing high-end car market.
Underscoring the importance of the Korean market, BMW held Asia’s first Alpina community event in Seoul on Tuesday, attended by Oliver Veillechner, vice president and head of BMW Alpina, and Maximilian Missoni, vice president and head of BMW Alpina and luxury class design.
Alpina was a long-standing engineering partner of BMW and an independent manufacturer specialising in high-performance luxury vehicles based on BMW platforms before the group acquired the brand’s trademark rights and integrated it into its portfolio earlier this year.
The company launched BMW Alpina to fill “quite a significant gap” between BMW’s top-end models and Rolls-Royce, which has been part of the group since 2003.
“Many other brands are addressing this gap already. If you look at Bentley, Maybach, Porsche and Range Rover for instance,” the company said in a statement.
Alpina will be BMW’s answer to the increasingly competitive ultra-luxury segment and is well positioned to tap into Korea’s rapidly growing demand for high-end luxury vehicles, Fiedler added.
According to Kim Kang-min, sales team manager of BMW Alpina and luxury class division at BMW Korea, the BMW 7 Series has already established a strong presence in Korea’s large luxury sedan segment, traditionally dominated by Mercedes-Benz.
“BMW became the market leader in 2024,” Kim said. As of the first half of this year, the BMW 7 Series sold 3,077 units, outperforming the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, including the EQS Sedan, by 1,236 units.
Kim said the success of the 7 Series demonstrates that Korean luxury buyers are seeking exclusivity and understated performance, creating potential for Alpina.
He pointed to the expansion of Korea’s luxury vehicle market, with premium large-car sales nearly tripling from about 12,000 units in 2014 to 34,000 in 2025.
Sales of ultra-luxury brands such as Maybach, Lamborghini, Bentley and Ferrari surged nearly sixfold over the same period.
To build awareness of the Alpina, BMW Korea will continue marketing and communication activities through year-end.
In the second half of 2027, the company plans to open seven showroom zones within BMW dealerships nationwide.
Customer deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028 with the launch of new Alpina models.
Introducing the Vision BMW Alpina concept car – a 5.23-meter grand tourer developed in Italy – Missoni said the brand will retain BMW’s signature design language, including its shark-nose front end and technology-neutral styling suitable for combustion-engine and electrified powertrains. — The Korea Herald/ANN
