Great BMW sale - 300 cars at a discount of at least $10k
Only one condition - buyers must let their cars be used by air show
delegates
By Christopher Tan - 16 January 2006
The Straits Times
IT IS here again - BMW's take on the Great Singapore Sale.
Performance Motors, the local retailer for the German carmaker, has
set aside 300 cars to be sold at discounts of at least $10,000
each, provided buyers agree to let their new cars be used by
delegates attending next month's Asian Aerospace exhibition from
Feb 21 to 26 at the Changi Exhibition Centre.
It is a small trade-off for a big discount. Judging by previous air
shows, each car will driven by a trained chauffeur and clock a
distance of only 200-300km.
Performance Motors said the exact discounts have not been
finalised, but a similar scheme at the 2004 Asian Aerospace event
had reductions ranging from $11,000 to $15,000 for the 300 cars
used.
For next month's event, of the 300 cars, half will be 523i and the
others 320i models. Their list prices are $201,000 and $155,800
respectively, although the actual prices customers pay are
appreciably lower.
It will not be the only BMW sell-off this year either.
Performance Motors will also be supplying 420 7-series limousines
for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group
board of governors' annual meetings, slated for Sept 12-20 this
year. Again, these cars will be pre-sold at a sizeable
discount.
Such sponsorships have become regular undertakings since
Performance Motors supplied 200 7-series cars for the World Trade
Organisation forum here back in 1996.
They offer Performance a chance to attract new buyers with special
prices and BMW the opportunity to associate itself with
high-profile events.
Mr Simon Rock, managing director of Performance Motors, said: 'We
are very pleased to be given this great opportunity to partner
Asian Aerospace for this distinguished event yet again.'
Performance did not say how much the Asian Aerospace sponsorship
would cost the company, but the value of discounts for the 2004
show amounted to nearly $4 million.
Supporting the IMF and the World Bank events in September will
likely cost another $10 million or so, including the cost of hiring
chauffeurs for each of the 420 BMW 7-series cars.
But for customers, the deal is sweet.
Mr Patrick Lew, 30, who bought a 318i offered at the 2004 air show
for about $133,000 ($11,000 less than usual rate), said:
'I'd recommend it if you're looking for a bargain. After all, no
one will ever know it's an Asian Aerospace car when you sell it a
few years later. The condition was just like brand new.
'A friend of mine who bought one had only 100-plus km on it.'
This article first appeared in ST on January 11, 2006
