BMW Group Malaysia, the official distributor of BMW and MINI cars in the country, is banking on the all-new locally-assembled MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid and MINI Cooper S Countryman Sports to drive its stellar growth momentum.
According to Kidd Yam, head of MINI Malaysia, the second-generation of the MINI Countryman was a “tremendous success” when it was introduced in April last year.
Since the launch, the company has sold more than 200 units of the vehicle.
Yam also said the MINI Countryman played a “crucial role” in the company’s strong performance last year.
Last year, MINI Malaysia delivered a record 1,011 units of vehicles across the country, a 12 per cent improvement from the 902 vehicles delivered a year earlier.
In contrast, the entire passenger vehicles industry in Malaysia only grew 0.2 per cent last year.
“This achievement made us the second-highest growing brand in the Malaysian premium segment and we are currently tracking very well as the third largest brand in the segment,” added Yam.
BMW Group Malaysia head of corporate communications Sashi Ambi said the introduction of the new MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid marked an important milestone for the company.
The New MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid shares the newest developments findings in electro mobility in the country.
The first plug-in hybrid of the premium Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) from MINI is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine on the front wheels and an electric motor powering the rear wheels.
Mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the new MINI is able to generate 224hp and 385Nm of torque. MINI claims that the spacious MINI all-rounder plug-in hybrid can complete the century sprint in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 198kph.
It has an average fuel rating of 2.1 litres per 100km. It also offers an all-electric driving range of up to 42km with a maximum speed of up to 120kph.
The new MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid can be charged at home by connecting it to a power socket via the Home Charging Cable for approximately five hours (230V), depending on the voltage of the household power grid.
Owners can also use one of the 270 public charging facilities across Malaysia, which will take approximately 3.15 hours (230V), depending on the voltage of the power grid.
As for the MINI Cooper S Countryman Sports, it is running on a two-litre four-cylinder MINI TwinPower Turbo engine, paired with an eight-speed sports automatic transmission with paddle shifts. This results in 192hp and 280Nm of torque.
MINI says the Cooper S Countryman Sports can sprint from zero to 100kph in 7.4 seconds and has a top speed of 224kph.
The average fuel rating is at 6.5 litres per 100km. Both the MINI Country Plug-In Hybrid and MINI Cooper S Countryman Sports achieved the top 5-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test.
The MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid is retailed at RM255,888, while the Cooper S Countryman Sports is priced at RM245,888, both prices are excluding insurance and for personal registration only.
Both MINI Countryman are covered by the MINI four-year unlimited mileage warranty with free scheduled service and MINI Malaysia’s five-year roadside assistance programme.
Additionally, the plug-in hybrid variant comes with a six-year or up to 100,000km battery warranty.
To further reward the owners of the New MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid, MINI Malaysia will also introduce the ChargeNow offering bundled with the MINI Public Charging Cables as well as a one-year free subscription of unlimited charging at all 270 ChargeEV stations.
The new MINI Countryman is now available at all authorised MINI dealerships nationwide.