NEW DELHI: German luxury automaker BMW on Thursday launched the updated version of its entry level sports utility vehicle X1 in India, priced between Rs 35.9 lakh and Rs 42.9 lakh (ex-showroom).
Produced at the company's Chennai plant, the model is available with BS-VI compliant diesel and petrol powertrains mated with seven and eight speed automatic transmissions. The petrol variants of the model are priced at Rs 35.9 lakh and Rs 38.7 lakh, while the diesel trims are tagged at Rs 39.9 lakh and Rs 42.9 lakh (all prices ex-showroom).
"The entry-level premium segment, where X1 is positioned, is supremely critical for us as around 33 per cent of our business comes from this vertical alone," BMW Group India President and CEO Rudratej Singh told PTI.
The strategic opportunity for the company that the X1 delivers is extremely critical and pivotal because it is the entry point for upgrade, he added. "So this (X1) is absolutely critical for our long-term strategy as well as immediate business results," Singh said.
He added that the company has sold over 20,000 units of X1 in the country till date. "The X1 has established and owned the dominant position in the premium compact sports activity vehicle (SAV) segment. This is also the trend worldwide - it reflects the global need the X1 serves," Singh said.
The two-litre four-cylinder petrol engine of the new BMW X1 produces an output of 192 hp helping the vehicle accelerate from 0-100 km/hr in 7.7 seconds. Similarly, the two-litre four-cylinder diesel engine of the SUV generates an output of 190 hp, enabling it to accelerate from 0 -100 km/hr in 7.9 seconds.
The company claimed that the petrol versions deliver a fuel efficiency of 14.82 km per litre while the diesel trims return a fuel efficiency of 19.62 km per litre.
The new XI comes with various features including new 8.8 inch central display with touch screen functionality and wireless Apple CarPlay, auto start-stop, brake-energy regeneration, six airbags among others.
With BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad brands, BMW Group India has more than 80 touch-points across the country. In 2020, the company aims to increase the number of touch-points to over 100 in order to enhance its presence in the country.
BMW Group India sold 9,641 units of BMW and MINI range of cars in 2019. BMW India saw a significant contribution of over 50 per cent coming from the locally-produced sports range including the BMW X5, the BMW X3 and the BMW X1.