BMW Malaysia has officially announced the pricing for the latest plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) variant, the new BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport. As part of the BMW Group’s locally assembled vehicles for the Malaysian market, this PHEV version of the popular Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV), known as “The Boss,” arrives in the M Sport variant, offering enhanced performance and efficiency.
Performance and Efficiency Improvements
The new BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport boasts an upgraded PHEV powertrain with a combined output of 489hp and an enhanced torque of 700Nm. This power, derived from the 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine and a potent electric motor, enables the vehicle to achieve a century sprint in just 4.8 seconds. The PHEV capabilities have also seen significant improvements, with an electric range of up to 110 km (WLTP) and a faster 7.4 kW charging capacity, allowing for a full charge from 0-100% in only 4.5 hours.
Menyusuli kejayaan BMW X5 dalam pasaran Malaysia pada tahun 2023, BMW Malaysia juga telah menyingkap varian ‘plug-in’ hibrid jentera Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) terbaharu mereka yang paling cemerlang, iaitu BMW X5 xDrive50e yang turut dipasang di dalam negara. Hadir dengan pakej M Sport secara standard, BMW X5 xDrive50e baharu melihat pengemaskinian yang signifikan dari segi prestasi dan keefisienan, memuatkan lebih banyak kuasa dengan jarak operasi elektrik yang lebih tinggi, tanpa mengkompromikan keelegenan dan kemegahannya.
Dari sudut dinamik pemanduan, BMW X5 xDrive50e M baharu didatangkan dengan rangkaian kuasa PHEV yang mampu membekalkan output gabungan berjumlah 489hp – iaitu 96hp lebih tinggi berbanding model terdahulu, juga dengan tork yang lebih tinggi kini berjumlah 700Nm.
Output gabungan enjin petrol enam sebaris 3.0 liter serta motor elektriknya yang hebat membolehkan BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport baharu membuat pecutan abad dalam masa 4.8 saat. Daya elektrik jentera PHEV ini juga telah dinaik taraf, memberikannya jarak operasi elektrik sejauh 110 km (WLTP), di samping penambahbaikan sebanyak 7.4 kW dalam aspek pengecasan, membolehkan jentera ini dicas dari 0-100% hanya dalam tempoh 4.5 jam.
Di dalam kabin BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport yang mengagumkan ini, terletak BMW Curved Display 14.9 inci dengan kluster paparan digital penuh yang sedia untuk diakses oleh pemandu, kini memuatkan BMW Operating System 8.5. Ia termasuk BMW Live Cockpit Professional dan panel instrumen BMW yang menyokong pelbagai kaedah interaksi di antara pengguna dan kenderaan ini, yakni melalui iDrive Controller, suara, sentuhan atau dengan menggunakan Gesture Control. Light Bar dengan struktur permukaan berhablur, serta sistem bunyi keliling Harman Kardon turut didatangkan secara standard.
Konsol sentral di dalam BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport baharu juga kini menampilkan tata atur baharu serta butang fungsi sentuh tambahan, dan penukaran gear kini dibuat dengan suis jumpelang (rocker switch). Ciri-ciri standard tambahan bagi SAV ini meliputi BMW Comfort Access, Driving Assistant Professional, Parking Assistant Professional, berserta warna eksterior Black Sapphire, Manhattan, Mineral White, dan Skyscraper Grey, di samping upholsteri interior “Merino”, daripada famili BMW Individual Extended Leather, yang hadir dengan dua pilihan warna – Black dan Tartufo, kedua-duanya mencerminkan susuk atletik dan kemewahan moden BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport baharu.
Anggaran harga jualan bagi BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport baharu ialah RM530,000.
In the wake of the resounding success of the BMW X5 in the Malaysian market in 2023, BMW Malaysia has given a sneak peek into the facelifted Plug-in Hybrid variant of their most successful premium Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV): the locally assembled BMW X5 xDrive50e. With the M Sport package as standard, the new BMW X5 xDrive50e promises significant updates in both performance and efficiency, embodying a blend of power and electric range that redefines modern athletic elegance.
The driving force behind the New BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport is its enhanced PHEV powertrain. It delivers a remarkable combined output of 489hp – a substantial 96hp more than its predecessor – and an upgraded 700Nm of torque. This powerhouse, consisting of a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine and a robust electric motor, propels the SAV from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.8 seconds. The electric capabilities receive a boost, offering an electric range of up to 110km (WLTP) and an improved 7.4 kW of charging, ensuring a swift 0-100% charge in only 4.5 hours.
Inside the cabin, the X5 boasts a superbly crafted interior featuring a 14.9-inch BMW Curved Display with a fully digital display cluster. Enhanced by the advanced BMW Operating System 8.5, the display includes the BMW Live Cockpit Professional and BMW instrument panel, supporting various interaction methods such as iDrive Controller, voice, touch, or optional Gesture Control. Standard features include an ambient Light Bar with a crystalline surface structure and a Harman Kardon Surround sound system. The restructured centre console now includes touch-sensitive function keys, with gear changes executed using a rocker switch.
Standard features for the SAV encompass BMW Comfort Access, Driving Assistant Professional, Parking Assistant Professional, and exterior colour options of Black Sapphire, Manhattan, Mineral White, and Skyscraper Grey. The interior upholstery, a member of the BMW Individual Extended Leather family, comes in two distinct colour options – Black and Tartufo, embodying the promise of athletic sophistication and modern luxury.
The estimated pricing for the new BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport is set at RM 530,000, positioning it as a compelling choice for enthusiasts seeking a harmonious blend of performance, efficiency, and luxurious comfort in the premium SAV segment.
BMW Malaysia has introduced the New BMW X7 xDrive40i M Sport, an enhanced version of its powerful and luxurious Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV). This model complements the previously unveiled Pure Excellence variant and will be assembled at the BMW Assembly Plant in Kulim, expanding the premium automaker’s assembly lineup in Malaysia.
The new BMW X7 xDrive40i M Sport boasts various sports-oriented enhancements, including a new M Specific front and rear design thanks to the M Aerodynamics Package. It features door entry sills inscribed with the iconic M logo, emphasizing its sporty character. The SAV’s visual highlights include the BMW Iconic Glow kidney grille illuminated by LED fiber optics and new 22-inch M Sport light alloy wheels with a double-spoke design.
Inside, it showcases the ‘Fineline Black’ fine wood trim with high-gloss metal accents and an M leather steering wheel. It features BMW Individual extended Merino leather upholstery in Black or Tartufo. The SAV’s driving assistance package includes the Driving Assistant Professional with features such as Distance Control with Stop & Go and Steering and Lane Control Assistants, enabling Level 2 Autonomous Driving capabilities for enhanced safety and comfort.
It is powered by a six-cylinder mild hybrid engine with 380hp and 540Nm of torque. Equipped with BMW xDrive all-wheel drive and an 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission, the SAV can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.8 seconds. It features mild-hybrid technology with a 48-volt starter generator for improved efficiency and dynamics.
In addition to the existing Mineral White Metallic and Black Sapphire Metallic colour options, the variant-exclusive M Brooklyn Grey Metallic will be available.
BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia offers the Straight Line Financing Plan, enabling ownership of the new BMW X7 xDrive40i M Sport with monthly installment plans starting from RM8,322.00 (based on estimates of an 80% loan on a seven-year tenure).
Owners of the BMW X7 xDrive40i M Sport will receive the complete BMW Group Malaysia Premium Ownership experience, which includes a 5-Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty with a free scheduled service programme, BMW Roadside Assistance and Accident Hotline, and BMW Service Online.
The retail pricing for the BMW X7 xDrive40i M Sport with a 5-Year Extended Warranty and Service Package, along with Sales and Service Tax (on the road, without insurance), is RM 718,800.00.
Although volume matters in local assembly to justify the investment in jigs at the plant, the premium manufacturers like BMW have still chosen to assemble their flagship models locally even though the volume may not be large. Local assembly, with the incentives provided by the government, allows them to price their models more competitively than if they were brought in as completely built-up (CBU) models so it is essential to do so in order to grow volumes.
The X7, which is the flagship SAV (Sport Activity Vehicle) of the BMW range, has been assembled since early 2021 (on sale since May of the same year) at the BMW facility in the Inokom plant in Kedah. For 2023, the model – named ‘The President’ by BMW – has received updates which include cosmetic changes as well as more enhanced digitalisation capabilities.
The X7, BMW’s largest SAV model, gets an additional variant in the form of the X7 xDrive40i M Sport. Like the xDrive40i Pure Excellence which has been on sale in Malaysia for over a year, the new variant with M Sport enhancements is also assembled locally at the Inokom complex in Kedah.
Priced at RM728,800 (without insurance), the X7 xDrive40i M Sport – as would be expected when ‘M is added – is a more performance-oriented version. The M Aerodynamics package which adds sportiness with a slightly rugged image for the imposing model. Certain design elements get more visual emphasis and presumably, aerodynamics are improved in some way.
When BMW decided to start offering SUVs, it first made sure that the new models would have the driving dynamics that made people buy their ‘ultimate driving machines’. Engineered to be true BMWs, their vehicles are instead called Sport Activity Vehicles or SAVs.
It’s the same for BMW M, the high-performance division, when it made the decision to electrify. For a company like BMW M, which has built up a reputation producing cars with superlative performance, going electric meant that they had also to be able to offer the same kind of performance.
The first BMW M automobile designed for purely electric mobility from the outset was the new iX M60, launched at the beginning of this year. But that was just a start and now the company has come out with another electrified model – the XM.
Starting its third model generation since being introduced in 2009, the BMW X1 range includes a battery electric (BEV) variant for the first time – the iX1. Other electrified models of the range have plug-in hybrid powertrains and there are also petrol and diesel engine choices.
The new iX1 xDrive30 is the BMW Group’s first premium compact model based on a flexible vehicle architecture to feature an all-electric drive system. It has one electric motor at the front axle and another at the rear to power all four wheels and deliver xDrive performance. Total system output is 313 ps with up to 494 Nm of torque.
Interaction between the two motors is enhanced by a unique drive torque control which is interlinked with the DSC and the AWD-specific version of the near-actuator wheel slip limitation function.
5th generation BME eDrive technology
The fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology uses a 64.7 kWh high-voltage battery pack positioned flat within the vehicle’s underbody. The battery’s high energy density and the drive system’s efficiency achieve combined power consumption of 18.4 – 17.3kWh per 100 kms and can cover a driving range claimed to be up to 438 kms.
Combined Charging Unit
The Combined Charging Unit in the iX1 enables single and 3-phase AC charging up to 11 kW, optionally increased to 22 kW. This allows the battery to be fully recharged from empty in 6.5 hours as standard, or 3 hours 45 minutes as an option. DC recharging at up to 130 kW is claimed to raise the energy level from 10% to 80% in 29 minutes, or increase range by 120 kms in 10 minutes.
An optimised cooling strategy for DC charging improves the durability of the battery. Alternating phases of full and partial cooling power are used to prevent cell temperatures dropping too low during fast charging, shortening charging times and reducing ageing.
BMW IconicSounds Electric
As with other BMW BEV models, there’s BMW IconicSounds Electric which treats drivers to soundscapes developed as part of a collaboration between the BMW Group and 2-time Academy Award-winning film score composer, Hans Zimmer. The character of the sound alters according to the vehicle setting. A drive sound emitted externally at low speeds helps to protect pedestrians by making them aware that the car is approaching.
Larger dimensions
The surface treatment, lines and exterior design details of the iX1 display its Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) identity more clearly than before. Distinctive design features include the stretched silhouette, almost square wheel arch contours and the signature BMW X model styling of the front and rear ends. When viewed from the rear, the slim tailgate window, horizontal lines, striking LED lights and flared wheel arches produce the typical SAV look.
At the centre of the new front end design stands the large, almost square BMW kidney grille, its contouring highlighted by the three-dimensional chrome surround. The grille bars are finished in Black high-gloss as standard. In the outer areas of the lower air intake, large chrome strips accentuate the classy design of the front end.
The X1 bodyshell is larger than its predecessor – by 53 mm in length to 4500mm, 24 mm in width to 1845 mm and 44 mm in height to 1642mm. The wheelbase of 2692 mm is 22 mm longer than before, while track widths have increased by 31 mm at the front and rear.
More space, optimised comfort
With the enlarged body, there are more generous amounts of space. Key features include the slender instrument panel, a stage for the BMW Curved Display, and a ‘floating’ armrest with integral controls. The raised seating position also provides the commanding view which is one of the reasons why many people like SAVs. The newly developed seats offer optimised comfort over long distances and extended functionality, with their prominent bolsters and adjustability of seat angle and depth.
The BMW Curved Display is framed by solid-looking trim pieces which extend out to the doors. Four interior trim variants, including the new open-pore fine eucalyptus wood and Aluminium Hexacube for the M Sport model, allow owners to individualise the design.
With a glass surface measuring around one square metre, the panoramic glass sunroof floods the interior of the iX1 with light and can also allow fresh air in. The roller blind cover for the glass roof now has a multi-layer design and is also electrically operated.
The fore-and-aft adjustment of the rear seat bench and triple-split backrest provides variability in the cabin configuration. The rear seat can be moved forward up to 13 cm, allowing boot capacity to expand from 540 litres to 1,600 litres.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have the colour of your car change as you wish, with just the touch of a button? It’s still an idea in science fiction but the BMW Group has developed a technology which can do it. The technology, known as E Ink, was demonstrated on a BMW iX Flow at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 in Las Vegas this year.
“Since then, we have already introduced further improvements for the technology,” said Stella Clarke, project lead of the BMW iX Flow. “Previously, the changes between colour patterns only took place in a gradual transition. Now, the control electronics have been tweaked to enable instantaneous transformations, resulting in an even more stunning visual effect.”
Neurotechnology to change colours
In a one-off collaboration with the BMW Group, a Munich-based start-up called brainboost has developed a new and improved colour-changing effect using brainwaves. With the help of brainboost, the BMW iX Flow was connected directly to the brain of the delegates at a dialogue platform using an electroencephalograph (EEG), which records the brain’s electrical activity.
“The colour patterns of the BMW iX Flow react to brain activity and reflect the level of activity,” explained brainboost CEO Philipp Heiler. “Once the brain is at rest, the changes of patterns on the iX Flow also become calmer and more rhythmical.”
A special animation was activated if delegates managed to maintain this state for several seconds. Thus, the participants were able to gradually calm and relax their brains under the guidance of the brainboost experts and with the help of neurofeedback via the iX Flow.
Technology behind the colour change
The body of the BMW iX Flow is laminated in a special film containing millions of colour capsules. When stimulated by electrical signals, negatively charged white pigments or positively charged black ones will collect at the surface, thereby changing the exterior colour.
The innovative E Ink technology opens completely new ways of changing the vehicle’s appearance in line with the driver’s aesthetic preferences, the environmental conditions or even functional requirements. By making it possible to alter the body colour and display different patterns, the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink opens up a whole new way of personalising the driving experience.
Apart from a greater degree of personalisation, a customer will also not have to settle for just one colour – he or she can have many more for different occasions! “This gives the driver the freedom to express different facets of their personality or even their enjoyment of change outwardly, and to redefine this each time they sit into their car,” said Clarke.
Colour variability enhances efficiency
A variable exterior colour can also contribute to wellness in the interior and to the efficiency of the vehicle. This is done by taking account of the different abilities of light and dark colours when it comes to reflecting sunlight and the associated absorption of thermal energy. A white surface reflects a lot more sunlight than a black one. By implication, heating of the vehicle and passenger compartment as a result of strong sunlight and high outside temperatures can be reduced by changing the exterior to a light colour. In cooler weather, a dark outer skin will help the vehicle to absorb noticeably more warmth from the sun.
In both cases, selective colour changes can help to cut the amount of cooling and heating required from the vehicle’s air conditioning. This reduces the amount of energy the vehicle electrical system needs and with it also the vehicle’s fuel or electricity consumption.
In an all-electric car, changing the colour in line with the weather can therefore also help to increase the range. In the interior, the technology could, for example, prevent the dashboard from heating up too much.
E Ink technology itself is extremely energy efficient. Unlike displays or projectors, the electrophoretic technology needs absolutely no energy to keep the chosen colour state constant. Current only flows during the short colour changing phase.
The technology is still under development and as with many new advanced technologies, it will be expensive when it is initially offered. But over time, the cost could come down and then everyone can have a colour-changing car (the police won’t be happy!).
Exclusivity is always desired, especially in the upper end of the car market and this was evident last year when Auto Bavaria offered a limited edition of BMW X5 xDrive 45e with M Performance Parts. Only 30 units were available, assembled at the BMW facility within the Inokom plant in Kedah, and all found owners within a week.
Only 22 units available this time
The response to that limited edition encouraged Auto Bavaria to place an order for a second batch but this time, only 22 units are available. “We are now able to once again offer our esteem customers a second opportunity to own this extremely premium vehicle. Auto Bavaria brand has become synonymous with top-notch quality for both sales and service, which is why we are the preferred BMW dealership,” said Vi Thim Juan, Managing Director of Auto Bavaria.
Each Sport Activity Vehicle (SAV), priced from RM480,000 (excluding insurance) comes with M Performance parts which not only give sportier looks but actually improve aerodynamics.
Specifically, the parts (which are worth RM36,500) are a gloss black front grille, carbonfibre housings for the door mirrors and Star Spoke 748M 20-inch light alloy wheels. Each tyre is linked to the Tyre Pressure monitoring system which will alert the driver if the pressure is abnormal.
Complimentary gifts worth RM22,000
This time round, those who buy the X5 also get complimentary gifts worth RM22,000. These are a luxury suitcase, BMW umbrella, BMW Leather Care Set with UV protection, BMW Brake Pad & Brake Disc Voucher, and STTOKE Classic Insulated Ceramic Reusable Cup.
Bestselling SAV of the range
The X5 is the bestselling model of BMW’s SAV range worldwide. It was the company’s first SAV and the current generation is the fourth one since 1999. Powering the X5 xDrive45e M Sport is a 3-litre 6-cylinder engine with BMW eDrive technology. With a combined maximum output of 394 bhp/600 Nm, the SAV is claimed to have a top speed of 235 km/h and a 0 to 100 km/h capability of 5.6 seconds.
Running with just the electric motor, the claimed range can be up to 77 kms on a fully charged lithium-ion battery pack, with a maximum speed of 135 km/h. With the hybrid powertrain optimizing fuel efficiency, the fuel consumption is said to be up to 40 kms/litre.
All X5s have all-wheel drive which is provided by BMW’s proven xDrive system. Power delivery first goes through an 8-speed Steptronic transmission with enhanced shift dynamics and then to all four wheels with torque distribution according to grip and surface conditions.
If you missed the opportunity to get on last May, you now have a second chance but you should hurry to an Auto Bavaria showroom quickly.
