At a time when Audi has temporarily stopped selling electric vehicles (EVs) in India – and Mercedes-Benz sells just one EV for every ten cars it delivers – BMW Group India has said that one in four cars sold by it are now electric.
Hardeep Singh Brar, president & CEO, told FE that the Group – BMW plus MINI – posted its highest-ever Q1 calendar year car sales with 4,567 units delivered, representing a 17% year-on-year growth, but the tipping point was that EVs now form 26% of its sales.
“We’ve made electric mainstream,” Brar said. “We sold 1,185 units of BMW and MINI EVs in Q1 – achieving 83% growth – and now have 70% market share in luxury EVs.”
The growth was led by a wide portfolio of six EVs – BMW i7, iX, i5, iX1 Long Wheelbase, MINI Countryman E, and Countryman SE ALL4 – as well as its charging infrastructure initiatives. “BMW and MINI customers now enjoy access to over 6,000 charging points nationwide,” Brar said.
An automotive analyst told FE that of these six EVs, the iX1 Long Wheelbase – priced Rs 51.4 lakh – formed almost 80% of sales. “It is the country’s most affordable luxury EVs, and is the reason for high EV numbers by BMW,” he said. “The carmaker sold almost 950 units of the iX1 Long Wheelbase just in Q1CY26.”
Rival Strategies
Meanwhile, Audi has removed all EVs from its website, but Balbir Singh Dhillon, head of Audi India, said it’s a temporary measure. “Audi exhausted its initial quota for the first lot of EVs, and is now in the process of working out something new,” he said. Audi was an early-mover, and launched the e-tron SUV and e-tron Sportback in 2021. These were followed by the high-performance e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT sedan later that year. In 2023, Audi drove in the Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron to India. But all have been temporarily discontinued.
Luxury market leader Mercedes-Benz, which has about 10% EV penetration, is now getting ready for the numbers game. It will launch the CLA Electric on April 24. Priced in the Rs 60 lakh range, it will be the carmaker’s most affordable EV, and yet Santosh Iyer, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, told FE that Mercedes-Benz won’t be competing on price. “Yes, we want to attract Gen Z buyers and driving enthusiasts, but we won’t be competing on price.
If sales volumes were the objective, then we would be bringing price warriors, not technology warriors,” Iyer said, adding that while competitors find volume in the Rs 50 lakh bracket, 70% of Mercedes-Benz’s 2025 EV sales came from top-end vehicles priced above Rs 1.25 crore. “The CLA Electric will bridge this gap, offering high-end tech at a more accessible price point.”
2026 Offensive
Meanwhile, BMW India is also looking to up its game, and has planned a total of 27 new products in CY26, across cars and bikes (under the arm BMW Motorrad). “With 27 new products planned for 2026 – our most ambitious offensive yet – we are not just riding a wave, but are targeting long-term success,” Brar said.
