AUTOMOTIVE parts maker Ingress Corp Bhd has diversified into luxury car dealership, spending RM30 million to set up a sales and service centre for the BMW marque in Petaling Jaya.

Ingress' subsidiary, Ingress Auto Sdn Bhd, is building a BMW 4S (sales, service, systems and spare parts) centre at Jalan Damansara, near Mutiara Damansara.

Ingress Auto executive chairman Rameli Musa said it wants to be a significant contributor "to the fastest growing premium brand of the Malaysian car industry".

BMW Malaysia Sdn Bhd managing director Wolfgang Schlimme said local sales of BMW grew 25 per cent to around 3,000 units last year, gathering more pace from the 18.9 per cent growth in 2004.

"We are not only growing fastest in the premium segment, but also fastest in the overall domestic car market," Schlimme said at a news conference to announce the dealership pact in Cyberjaya yesterday.

Rameli said the 4S centre is expected to open its doors in the first quarter of 2007.

"Our move to become a dealer of the BMW marque is part of our downstream strategy to connect with end customers, having established an excellent track record in automotive parts manufacturing," he said.

Ingress Auto is the sixth BMW Malaysia dealer. Others are Sapura Group, Auto Bavaria Sdn Bhd, Lee Motors Auto Care Sdn Bhd, Seong Hoe Premium Motors Sdn Bhd and Ang Trading & Motor Credit Sdn Bhd.

Meanwhile, Schlimme said the pending National Automotive Policy (NAP) may affect BMW sales, but that will not stop the German marque from growing "even more".

He said the company has initiated some ideas on how to further grow BMW business here and will unveil them once the NAP was announced.

The Ingress Auto 4S is fronting the Damansara-Puchong highway and facing Mutiara Damansara. It boasts a built-up area of 9,783 sq metres.

The centre will house, among others, the sales office, new and used car showrooms, a lifestyle and accessories display area, meeting and discussion rooms, a service reception area, a parts sales reception and service workshops with 15 bays.