BMW Group Korea, Korea’s No. 1 imported car brand, aims to take the lead in after-sales service here, increasing the number of maintenance shops and adopting an ombudsman system for the first time in the industry.

“We wondered why our service could not meet the expectations of premium car drivers. And we have decided to adopt a set of new programs to resolve doubts of our customers,” said Kim Hyo-joon, BMW Korea president, in a press meeting on Thursday. 

As part of the efforts, the Korean operation of the German luxury car brand plans to increase the number of service centers from the current 41 to 56 by the end of 2013.

Of them, three planned locations in Yeoksam-dong, Dogok-dong and Yongsan ― BMW’s best-selling areas in Seoul ― will be operated as smaller shops that will be specialized in brief services like replacements of engine oil or brakes.

The tentatively named “fast lane” centers, located in downtown areas, are an unprecedented format for BMW globally, according to local officials.

The number of technicians also will exceed 1,000 within the year, up 20 percent from last year. Currently, BMW hires 35 government-designated car maintenance professionals, compared to Mercedes-Benz with eight, Audi with six and Lexus with five.

The carmaker also will select a group of 70 customers of differing age, gender and car type to share their after-sales experiences and other service ideas for improvement.

“We say ‘we are doing well, selling many cars.’ But unless our customers recognize it, it’s all meaningless,” Kim, the BMW Korea CEO, said.

“The opinions from the 70-member customer group will be collected for the next year and will be announced to the public without any editing.”

He also pinned high hopes on a new Internet “hotline,” which will allow BMW owners to make a request to confirm if their cars have been fixed at a reasonable price.

Submitted requests will be reviewed by the car maker and its dealer shops, with the final results coming out within three to five days, officials said.

Regarding complaints about the high maintenance costs of import cars here, BMW stressed that despite perceptions, Korean drivers enjoy lower costs than in other countries.

Except for Germany where the retail prices of car parts are 14 percent cheaper than in Korea, other major markets such as France, the U.S., Japan and China maintain 6 percent to 66 percent higher prices, officials said.

Labor pricing for technicians, fixed at 60,000 won ($53) per hour in Korea, was also low compared to China’s 90,000 won, Japan’s 150,000 won and Germany’s 220,000 won, officials said.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)