The First M Car To Be CKD'ed is Coming Soon From BMW Malaysia

The M340i xDrive is about to be the first BMW M car to be locally assembled in Malaysia! 

To BMW, M is the powerful letter in the world, M also stands for Malaysia so celebrate because Malaysia is about to get the M340i much cheaper than if it was a CBU. 

Being the only variants of the 3 Series range in Malaysia, the G20 330i M Sport and 320i Sport will soon have the G20 BMW M340i xDrive for company. 

This will be the first-ever BMW M car to be locally assembled (CKD), and by this, making it an M car that will be at the very least 20 percent cheaper than if we were to get it as a CBU model. Why 20 percent? Continue reading...

Rumoured to be priced around the RM400k-plus mark, the M340i will provide good competition for Mercedes' C43 CKD variant which features a 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6 with 362 hp and 520 Nm of torque.

When Mercedes locally assembled the C43 AMG, it knocked about 20 per cent off its price lowering it to RM409k compared to the CBU's RM500k price tag, so expect the M340i to be around 20 per cent cheaper than what it is supposed to be.

For those who are unfamiliar with the BMW M340i xDrive, the car first made its debut two years ago at the Los Angeles Motor Show.

Up until last month when BMW introduced the bugs bunny looking BMW M3, the M340i was the most powerful variant of the current 3 Series range.

When it first made its debut, the baby M3 featured a turbocharged 3.0-litre engine which produced 374hp with a maximum torque of 500 Nm. Currently, the power figures have been bumped up, which now sees the car coming with 382hp with the same amount of torque as the two-year-old debutant.

The BMW M340i xDrive comes standard with an 8-speed automatic transmission, which in its latest generation features an optimised hydraulic control system for faster gearshifts. Shorter ratios for the lower gears and the addition of a Launch Control function helps the M340i xDrive to a 0 to 100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds – half a second faster than the previous generation (F30) BMW 340i.

Power is sent to all four-wheels through BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system equipped as standard with the M Sport differential. The xDrive system is designed to become increasingly rear-biased when the driver shifts to the 'Sport' and 'Sport+' drive modes.

In terms of the suspension – the M340i comes with M Sport suspension, which lowers the overall ride height a further 10 mm, and comprises 'M specific' absorber kinematics and the new lift-related damper control function. The suspension geometry has also been tweaked for a wider track and better wheel camber angles over the regular variants.

The M340i is fitted as standard with an M Sport brake system which features a four-piston fixed calliper at the front and a single-piston floating calliper at the rear. 18-inch M light alloys feature as standard. Additionally, a suite of optional 19-inch wheels are also available.

In terms of aesthetics – the M340i features a redesigned front bumper, side sills and rear bumper for better aerodynamics, and the unique mesh style front grille inlays, along with mirror caps, air intake struts tailpipe trims, and the model lettering are all finished in Cerium Grey metallic.

On the inside - M-specific upholstery in a Sensatec/Alcantara trim compliments the anthracite BMW Individual roof liner, the M leather-clad steering, and aluminium Tetragon shift paddles. Additionally, the digital instrument cluster bears the lettering "M340i".

Bila exactly launching? Kita sama-sama tunggu.