ABOUT this time of year, car company engines are revving as the motor show takes up floors of convention space to welcome prospective customers with deals galore.
Well, COVID-19 pulled the handbrake on that idea for this year and probably forced some of the more marketing-minded and progressive car companies to look at alternatives. Many went down the digital route through the pandemic year, and even as they get their virtual sales model sorted out, others have taken it a step further as Singapore society starts opening up.
BMW has decided to launch #BMWWorldSG, a combined effort of BMW Asia, Performance Motors Ltd and Performance Munich Autos. The event takes place in its two Alexander Road buildings — 303 and 315 — starting today, and running until 19 February.
While a motor show would have gone on for a week, and cost huge stacks of cash, this year, we get to visit at BMW’s home in Singapore.
The experience is more intimate, more interactive, and for the brand, it’s certainly more focused.
Maybe it’s nice to catch up with your competitors at a big show and eyeball their products in the metal, but in this day and age, you’ve already seen so many of these cars online there’s nothing new.
Or so you might think.
Among the highlights of #BMWWorldSG are the the 2 Ms — 3 & 4. They’ve been made fun of for their large grilles, and certainly in pictures you may seem to agree with that.
But, when you see them in the metal, you get a totally different appreciation of the lines, styling and daring play of colours that you might not have dreamed of putting together.
BMW’s push to make motoring more enjoyable is evident in the new slate of models that has been released in recent months. And you certainly couldn’t appreciate that fully in a large, bland conference facility where you’d have to stand on tip-toe or catch a fleeting glance of the prize as you flowed with a current of people wending their way around the halls like a river.
BMW Keeps Its Eye On The Prize
Taking full advantage of the digital environment that has blossomed since COVID-19, BMW plunged in with the aim of continuing its sales programme and breaking fresh ground to meet the needs of a changing world.
Now’s the time to woo open those wallets that have had much less to spend on in 2020.
November and December were peak performance months for the brand, and with the arrival of new models like the new Category A 116i, the 530e Sedan plug-in hybrid and the iX3 electric sports activity vehicle there’s going to be a lot of interest in what’s on offer.
#BMWWorldSG is divided into various zones and there is an interactive aspect to it, with infotainment paving the way to embrace connectivity. It is key to what the future has already accelerated, courtesy of COVID-19. And you can also enjoy it at home, if you’re still wary about venturing out.
If you’re going to plug in, you might as well play.
And it will pay. If #BMWWorldSG works out well and the cash registers continue to ring in the comfort of your home, why would you ever want to go back into a cold, large hall that smacks of a marketplace?
