Auto Special: Celebrating BMW 3 Series' 40th anniversary

German premium automaker BMW's local joint venture BMW Brilliance started selling 40 limited edition 3 Series models all over Chinese mainland on March 28, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the series.

The 3 Series is a compact executive car that BMW has manufactured since 1975. It has been produced in six different generations.

In 1975, it was produced as a two-door version. Other variants were added in the following generations, including a four-door sedan, convertible, touring and the M high-performance model.

According to the company, it is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for more than 20 percent of the brand's annual sales. Global sales of the 3 Series reached 480,214 units in 2014.

"As the leader of the segment, the BMW 3 Series keeps going beyond itself. It had great sales performance last year." said Zhu Tong, vice-president of sales, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd.

Jochen Goller, senior vice-president of sales and marketing with BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd, said that the BMW 3 Series was called the king of sports and set a benchmark in the segment.

"The BMW 3 Series is a true legend. It is category founder and market leader among all premium sporty sedans. And this leading position has never been shaken at any single year from 1975 until today. It is the most successful BMW model in history," Goller said.

More than 14.5 million units of 3 Series were sold in the past 40 years worldwide, the only premium car in history that has reached so many customers, according to Goller.

The 3 Series was the first BMW to be localized in China in 2003. "This is not just a milestone for BMW development in China, but also the start of a new era for the Chinese automotive industry," Goller said.

The company said that Chinese customers bought more than 340,000 3 Series models in the past 12 years.

"To many of them, the 3 Series was their first premium car, a friend, a family member, a partner, who has witnessed the great achievement they have made in life," Goller said.

The limited edition is based on the 328Li xDrive model, BMW's first locally produced sedan equipped with its most intelligent all-wheel-drive technology.

The BMW xDrive was created in 2003 but the company has been building all-wheel-drive cars for almost 30 years, the first of which was the BMW 325iX that was launched in 1985.

Like the 328Li, the limited edition has a 2.0-liter turbo engine that can produce 180kW of maximum power and top torque of 350 Nm. The dynamic of the limited edition is upgraded after M sport package installation.

The company's suggested price for the limited edition is 487,800 yuan ($77,999).

In 2014, the 3 Series launched an xDrive model, a limited Year of the Horse edition and 316Li model, all of which contributed to its sales performance.

BMW said the company would join hands with 3 Series owners and fans and hold a series of activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary through the whole year.

Mission 3 kicks off

Mission 3 is one of the most successful experiential marketing event and the 2015 edition kicked off at the 40th anniversary event on March 28.

Initiated in 2008, Mission 3 is an experiential marketing event for BMW owners and fans across the country. To date, more than 330,000 people have registered to participate in the competition, the company said.

The event covered more than 90 cities and about 90,000 BMW owners and fans enrolled last year in China.

According to Goller, Mission 3 is another contributory factor of the company's success. The eight-year-old event has become one of the most influential customer experience campaigns in the country.

Goller further said the event gives customers and fans of the BMW 3 Series the perfect opportunity to experience the driving dynamic, luxury, comfort and lifestyle the car represents.

More than 250 dealerships in the country take part in this event actively. The event connected them with more potential customers and better improved their sales and after-sale services, the company said.

BMW sold 456,732 cars in China in 2014, a 16.6 percent increase from the previous year, according to the company.

"The core values of BMW: dynamic, innovative, passionate, sustainable, are always held true. They put perfectly the value and lifestyle of our Chinese customers. Because you are young, confident, full of hopes and dreams," Goller said.

"BMW is the perfect brand to offer its customers the most emotional experience. We have, we will and we always want to turn every BMW customer into the truly passionate BMW fan," he added.

duxiaoying1@chinadaily.com.cn

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(China Daily 04/13/2015 page19)