BMW opens new showroom in Lahug

To provide better service and access to their valued clients, BMW recently opened its new showroom at Nivel Hills in Lahug.

BMW’s Paolo Borromeo said that with their new showroom, guests and clients would no longer go downtown as they mostly live in nearby subdivisions.

The establishment he said amounted to about P12 million to P15 million total investments.

“We figured out that this is a better location and easier for our customers to visit because it’s accessible and closer to their homes plus it’s overlooking the city,” he said.

In terms of market share, BMW comprises 55% of luxury vehicle in the Philippines and it is considered as the number one in luxury cars. As Borromeo pointed out, this number just goes to show that auto consumers trust their brand and so he said that they are out to improve their service.

 “We are coming up with great returns and Cebu is a big market,” Borromeo underscores.

But like other dealers, BMW also expressed that they are affected with the high rate of smuggling in the province. He said that unfortunately, Cebu has been earning a notorious reputation for being the smuggling hub of the country becoming the reason for a number of small dealers closing down causing unemployment to rise. He said that the growth of smuggling in the province was driven by free market.

He discussed that Region 7’s record shows that there were only about 5,000 sold vehicles by legitimate car dealers but LTO has recorded 25, 000 new registration in Cebu alone which leaves out a big reason for the industry to be alarmed. Borromeo said that this has greatly hurt the sales of the local industry’s legitimate dealers like them as illegitimate dealers are even selling more vehicles.

Borromeo urges the local government unit to look into these cases in order to protect the image of the province.  “Cebu is such a beautiful place to become a smuggling hub,” he said.  – Rhia de Pablo