Despite the coronavirus pandemic, SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp., the exclusive distributor of BMW in the Philippines says they’ve sold its initial batch of the entry-level 2021 BMW 730i.

Revealed during a media roundtable with SMC ACDC President Spencer Yu and San Miguel Corporation President Ramon S. Ang on the 2021 7 Series, they’ve revealed that they’ve already sold 10 units of the 730i, representing the initial batch of units destined for the Philippines. And with COVID-19-related shutdowns in Germany, the Philippines will have no 730i to sell until the next shipment arrives in September. Even then, BMW says that there is already 20 buyers waiting in line.

According to Yu, the distributor’s decision to expand the 7 Series’s target market beyond its usual target market has paid off handsomely. And priced at just P 5.990 million, it proved to be very popular.

“July was a relatively good month in terms of sales,” says Yu. “Of course, the re-instilling of MECQ last August 3 has cut our momentum. Still, we challenged ourselves to expand our market. We think the new 7 Series is a game-changer.”

An avid car enthusiast, Ang says that their 730i is deceiving in terms of pace.

“These engines may have small displacements, but they’re very powerful,” he says to naysayers who may have difficulty accepting the 730i’s turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. “And because the front isn’t heavy, it feels very agile as well. This is a BMW, so it must be owner-driven.”

True enough, the BMW 730i Pure Excellence is equipped with a 2.0-liter BMW TwinPower four-cylinder gasoline engine that makes 265 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque.

On the other hand, the 2021 BMW 745Le Pure Excellence serves as BMW’s first-ever Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)in the Philippines, offering a 3.0-liter BMW TwinPower six-cylinder gasoline paired with an electric motor. The BMW 745Le is capable of up to 55 kilometers of electric range in ideal conditions, and offers a combined performance figure of 394 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque.