Fellow Motorist: Lawrence Tan, managing director, Performance Motors Limited
Mr Tan, 50, is an RI old boy who has been managing the Singapore motor-trade institution of PML since 2023 January. We chat with the Singaporean executive at 303 Alexandra Road.
]How long have you been a motorist in Singapore?
Coming to 30 years. I got my driving licence at age of 20, during my national service. To set the record straight, I did my driving test at Ubi Driving Centre, the most congested place to have a driving test. I took three attempts to get my licence, but I had no money to buy a car.
What do you like about motoring in Singapore?
Our road system is definitely very efficient. We have well-lit, well-maintained roads. It’s a very safe driving environment.
What do you dislike about motoring in Singapore?
Too many ERP gantries, but they keep our road system efficient. Too many self-entitled drivers, but these are not the majority of Singapore drivers. Singapore is the only place where, if you signal to filter, you see people speeding up instead of giving way. You also often see drivers trying to squeeze cyclists.
Remember your first car?
I got it in my first month of my first job in 1999. It was a Ford Festiva, 1.3-litre, silver colour, pre-owned, about four-and-a-half years old. I was in the Ubi Automobile Megamart, looking for one of the popular Japanese brands, but I ended up getting the Ford.
It served me well and also gave many first experiences - my first Malaysia road trip, my first time being towed in a car… I also used it as my wedding car in 2000!
What were your most memorable past cars?
The one that sticks in my head is the electric blue Honda Integra GSR, 2-litre manual, which was probably my third car. I specifically chose the manual version. At that stage of my life, I had a baby, child seat and all, so the two-door format was inconvenient. But even my wife enjoyed the car.
Tell us about your current company car.
As a car dealer, it’s a privilege to have the option of experiencing the different range of BMW models. I’m more inclined to try the electric cars, and BMW does have the most diverse range of EVs to suit different lifestyles.
The one I requested from PML as my company car was the BMW iX. Its design is very modern, very futuristic, and I’m very impressed by the lounge-like ambience and the drive experience. I asked for the iX xDrive40 with 326 horsepower, 630 torque and instantaneous acceleration. I’m still driving an iX company car now, it’s my second iX in a row.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job role in PML?
PML is a great company, which was going through a historic transition when I joined - moving to the two-dealer model after 43 years as the sole authorised BMW dealer in Singapore. It was a pretty tough time.
When I look back on what transpired in the last 18 months (since 2023 January), the most satisfying part for me is how the team came together, aligned with the mission and the purpose, evolved and came out stronger.
For this year to date, BMW is the number one brand in the luxury segment and our EV sales in the same segment are well ahead of the competition, based on LTA data. PML is still the number one BMW dealer in Singapore, with a dominant share of BMW sales.
Our customer satisfaction score, according to BMW Asia’s measurements, is at a five-year high. Our car sales have also increased significantly.
I always believe that, if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.
What is coming up next from PML?
PML45, which celebrates the company’s 45 years of success and heritage. At the same time, we want to future-proof the business.
In the past six months, we had a lot of investment in the hardware, such as our Sime Darby Motors Ubi facility, flagship Motorrad showroom, and PML BMW service factory in Defu. The transformation of our Alexandra Road showroom will be completed in the third quarter of 2024. It will be the largest BMW Retail.Next showroom in Singapore, and the lighthouse for the whole BMW community here.
Our team is constantly coming up with a lot of service innovations such as after-hours servicing, a green fast lane and an airport transfer service, to cater to the different customer lifestyles. On the software side, we need to keep innovating, so as to serve our customers better.
We have also invested in digitalisation to enhance the customer journey. You will see a lot more of this when the new showroom is completed.
To me, PML stands for “People. Magic. Loyalty”. People delivering magic builds loyalty.
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