M here at Autohaus

MANILA, Philippines - A BMW has traditionally been known as a premium vehicle meant to be owner-driven, owing to its value proposition of “sheer driving pleasure.” Truly, after all the technological advancements and slew of acronyms, a car at its basest nature is irrevocably about its interaction – or lack thereof – with the driver.

Among BMW’s stable of four-wheeled luxuries, none display this bit of truism the best than the vaunted M models – which you can think of as street-legal, race-ready Bimmers. Developed by BMW M Gmbh, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW based in Munich and established in 1972, these specially modified vehicles were indeed initially created and studied to supplement the company’s racing efforts.

ACC shares in a press release that BMW M GmbH products and services are “geared towards customers with particularly high aspirations in terms of the performance, exclusivity, and individual style of their vehicle.” The subsidiary features products and services in the four business areas of BMW: M Automobiles, BMW Individual, M Sports Packages and Options and BMW Group Driving Experience.

Last week, Asian Carmakers Corporation (ACC) designated the Autohaus BMW dealership in Libis as its official M certified dealership in the country. While it would be erroneous to say that there are no M models locally, they have heretofore been treated as almost an afterthought – playing second-fiddle to their more commercial (sellable) non-M siblings in marketing and selling efforts.

Now, M enthusiasts and aspirants will find a home at Autohaus. ACC president Maricar Cristobal-Parco says that sales staff are now very knowledgeable to answer queries and explain the M badge to the general public. Also, dedicated M-certified mechanics will be on hand to further assure quality service for M models.

Headlining the formal entry of M, ACC is bringing in two M models of the X class: the X5 and the X6. These are the first all-wheel-drive vehicles to integrate the true sport heritage into their performance – bannered by a new 4.395-liter V8 that BMW says churns out a hefty 555 horses at 6,000 rpm (bettering the nearest X5 variant by 200, X6 by 150). Their M TwinPower Turbo engine, says ACC, “is the world’s first power unit with a common exhaust manifold encompassing both rows of cylinders and featuring twin scroll twin turbo technology.” Also featured is an M3 convertible that will literally blow you away with a four-liter V8 that packs 420 horses.

There is a premium for the performance and accoutrements, of course. Consider a couple of baseline numbers: the present high-end X5 costs P8.1 million, with the X6 going for P8.3 million. The costliest non-M 3 series goes for P5.9 million.

The X5 M will set you back P11 million. Expect to fork over P11.5 million for the X6 M, and P8.7 million for the M3 convertible.

But you can bet that M fanatics and devotees can live with these tags so they could get the ride of their lives. That’s M powering, indeed.

For more details, contact 638-0734 or email [email protected].