BMW India is driving fast and is set to overtake Mercedes Benz India as the number one player in the luxury car segment. According to the Society of India Automobile Manufacturers? (SIAM), BMW India is short of just 158 units in cumulative sales between April and January vis-a-vis Mercedes Benz.
While Mercedes Benz sold a total of 2,474 units between April and January, BMW India sold 2,316 units. And, where Mercedes registered a dip of 77.87% in January at a mere 79 units as compared to 357 units in January 2008, BMW India registered a growth of 18.4% at 270 units vis-?-vis 201 units it sold in January 2008.
Industry experts feel that with just two months to go for the end of this financial year, it is likely that BMW India would emerge as the number one player with several new vehicles being launched by the company since the beginning of 2009. This is happening a little over a year since the company?s Chennai plant went on stream.
Peter Kronschnabi, president, BMW India Pvt Ltd on the sidelines of the launch of the new BMW X6, a sports activity coupe in Mumbai, said, ?We are the segment leaders worldwide with the BMW brand and we want to become the number one in India too.?
?BMW is very aggressive in the Indian market and is fast expanding its product portfolio in the country to reach out to buyers across different categories. This will help the German luxury car manufacturer to become a leading player in the industry,? says a Mumbai-based analyst. So much so is the pressure on Mercedes Benz to retain its leadership position in the country that the company is offering its E-Class vehicles at 0% rate of interest for 36 months.
?At a time when recession has put brakes on demand of all kinds of automobiles in the country, it is new products and refreshment of the existing models that will drive growth and determine the markets share of different players in the industry,? he added.
Meanwhile, BMW is also planning to source components from India by early next year. The company is looking at sourcing castings, forgings and engineering services from the country, said Kronschnabi. The company also plans to launch its pre-owned car programme in the country next year.
Kronschnabi added that the company had set up an international purchasing office (IPO) last year, which is in talks
with few vendors in the country. ?The picture will be clear by this year-end,? he said. Currently, BMW is not sourcing anything from India.
The new BMW X6 will be available in two variants including X6 xDrive50i (petrol) and X6xDrive30d (diesel). The petrol will cost Rs 82, 90,000 and diesel Rs 65,90,000, all India ex-showroom. The car will be imported as completely built unit (CBU) and will be available at all dealerships.
?In 2009, we have set the course for BMW India with aggressive product launches, rapid market expansion, competency enhancement and customer intimacy,? said Kronschnabi. On when the Mini will be launched, he said, ?The launch has been postponed.? He did not divulge more details except that it will be a car pegged at Rs 20 lakh with low volume.