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From BMW's perspective, as well as replacing the 3-series saloon and Touring in 2012, the firm is also in the process of bringing in the new coupe-styled 3-series GT, four-wheel drive Xdrive models, petrol and estate low-CO2 ED models and the new BMW i sub-brand for electric vehicles (see 'i of the beholder', below).
Chater highlights that the brand now has more than 200 models under 160g/km, with what he describes as "CO2 champions" at various levels - the 116d ED at 99g/km, 320d ED at 109g/km, 520d and X1 20d at 119g/km and the petrol-powered 124g/km 320i ED. "We're seeing more development of engines. We still believe there is an awful lot that can come out of development of internal combustion engines and it continues to be key for us along with development of EVs as well," he said.
But the 3-series is still the mainstay of the range. "We had the benchmark with the previous 3, and this has taken that to a new level," claims Chater "It's testament to the product that it has surpassed the outgoing car. It's such an important model for us in the corporate sector."
Developing Mini
Mini's move into the corporate sector has been slow, but is now gathering pace with the recent addition of the Paceman model and the Clubvan light commercial vehicle based on the Clubman, as well as the Countryman, which is practical enough to be considered in the main business car sector.
The task is now to develop the brand within the fleet marketplace. "With Mini, we've worked much more closely with the network and they have a strong basis for corporate sales," declares Chater. "We have 60 or so Mini local business development managers (LBDMs) out actively working to support the development of Mini Corporate."
The firm is also, at the time of writing, on the verge of appointing a corporate development manager at the company's Bracknell headquarters to help develop Mini fleet business. "As we've started to expand further and further we wanted to get a clear focus on Mini opportunity and help and support the 60 LBDMs," says Chater with regards to the newly created role.
But BMW's fleet boss feels the company's appeal crosses many areas. "We've got Xdrive, EVs, UK downsizing, Efficient Dynamics and [Mini's] Minimalism technology across the range and DAB as standard, so it creates consistency and stabilisation from a customer perspective," he says. "But you have to balance that with choice because consumers want some level of personalisation, especially in the premium sector; it's crucial you have that."
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