Carmaker showcases brand's sportiness, dynamism with technological, youth-oriented offerings

Fully demonstrating the company's vitality, the BMW Group product line creates an emotional appeal complementary to the premium mobility experience, while satisfying the preferences of Chinese customers.

The BMW Group presented a comprehensive lineup at Auto Shanghai 2017, with five world premieres of models carrying the BMW and Mini badges, including both four-wheeled and motorbike vehicles.

"Comfort, digitalization and e-mobility - they all come together in their demands, they are essential for modern customers," said Ian Robertson, member of the board of management of BMW AG, in his speech at the auto show in Shanghai on Wednesday.

"BMW calls it emotional mobility. For more than 100 years, our company has been a provider of emotional mobility. All of our brands are emotional to the core," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, member of the board of management of BMW AG.

Emotional connection to the brands is in line with the luxury car consumption trend, shifting toward satisfying individual demands, self-aspiration and individuality, and is driven by innovation.

Robertson told reporters that "Chinese youth are more noticeable than the youth in other countries. The post-1990 generation is far more active here in China".

To customers, emotionality provides excitement and a feeling of surprise, which also links to BMW's sheer driving pleasure, according to Robertson.

He noted that "driving pleasure is not something tangible. It's something that people feel, so we want Chinese people to feel our cars".

"BMW Individual Manufaktur" is seen as the gold standard for individual service as an approach to emotional mobility in the domestic market. To meet customers' higher expectations for customization, BMW launched the individualized service as a first among premium automobile brands in China.

Brand image

Robertson pointed out that "emotionality is also about branding. Besides our products, the BMW brand stands for sportiness, dynamism and performance.

"BMW Group is driven by our passion for emotional mobility. It's part of the BMW DNA, and the customers are buying into the promise of the brand".

Its highly positive corporate image and leading brand reputation are becoming one of the most important competitive edges for the BMW Group, as it has entered a new phase of development in China and is coping with the rise in consumption.

The brand was selected by Forbes as the most reputable company for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017.

BMW is also the favorite premium brand of Chinese customers. It has been voted first in "I like this brand" by readers of Auto Motor Und Sport for 16 consecutive years.

One of the key initiatives is that the automaker has been seeking the most innovative technologies for digital native customers, using cutting-edge connectivity and e-mobility to link vehicles with the latest technology trends.

The BMW brand exhibits its strength and continued efforts in all aspects of its brand's message from BMW M to BMW i, demonstrating the product offensive of the core brand.

The new BMW M4 CS is a dynamic new model offering the unmistakable experience, while the BMW i8 Protonic Frozen Yellow, a new product from BMW i, further enhances the image of the BMW brand in the new energy vehicle field.

Targeting youth

Through the company's research, BMW has found that customers are growing younger and predicts more than 40 percent of customers will be the post-1990 generation by 2025. The company has to maintain customer loyalty and conquer young customer groups at the same time.

The younger generations are "beauty-obsessed, and born in the digital age", so they live on the internet and stay connected around the clock, according to Olaf Kastner, president and CEO of BMW Group Region China.

The most innovative and connected vehicle in its segment, the all-new BMW 5 Series Long Wheelbase, made its world premiere at the on-going Shanghai International Automobile Industrial Exhibition on Wednesday. Future owners will enjoy seamless communication and entertainment options and advanced driver assistance systems.

The 5 Series embodies the heart of the BMW brand and it accounts for around 30 percent of BMW sales in China.

"We've manufactured and sold around 800,000 of the current 5 Series Long Wheelbase over the years in China," said Robertson. The all-new BMW 5 Series Long Wheelbase will also be offered as a plug-in hybrid version.

The launch of the BMW 1 Series signaled the introduction of a car tailor-made for young customers in China.

The German carmaker hired the internet-exclusive show Mars Intelligence Agency, popular with the younger generation, as the communication channel.

The show features a team of celebrities who claim to be agents from Mars seeking innovative products and thinkers from the Earth to equip their intelligence team.

The all-new BMW 1 Series was among the most innovative objects found on Earth, according to the show's storyline.

Senior agents conveyed the highlights of the car as the key elements and critical factors that will empower their team.

haoyan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/20/2017 page15)