BMW Group Malaysia also rolled out the higher sibling of the 5 series where while the 523i is under the RM400k bracket, the 535i is most likely to attract more buyers who are interested in this model.BMW Group has yet to reveal the price of the locally assembled 535i, but it is expected that the difference will be larger. The current version (CBU) was sold for RM598,800 and met with overwhelming response when it was sold out in the first month after it was launched. Since its launch, the Kulim BMW assembly plant has been rolling out almost 5,000 units since 2008.
It currently has mover than 400 employees in the plant where they produce the models in the 5 series and 3 series product lines. The plant is operated together with Inokom Corporation whom they are partners with. Having done that, both the companies only share the plant but operates totally separate lines in the assembly process. Manfred Zink, the BMW Group Malaysia’s Production Manager and Plant Representative said that their Kulim plant is comparable with any of its plant ‘anywhere in the world’ and this is translated to assembly line technology and standards with superior premium quality for the Malaysian market.
For the 523i, you will get the N52 engine which is the 2.5 liter straight 6 version which is paired with an 8 speed automatic transmission gearbox. This is the engine that comes with a 205 horsepower and 250Nm of torque. This version is the more powerful version where you get 14 horses more and 20Nm over the previous version. Translated to acceleration, this car top speeds at 234km/h and gets you from zero to hundred in 8.5 seconds.
