CHENNAI: German luxury car manufacturer BMW wants to place India among 15 global markets for the company by 2030, said its India unit CEO Hardeep Singh Brar on Wednesday, adding that in the current calendar year, one-third of annual volume would come from southern markets as the BMW vehicles have 38% market share in the South India.
Speaking to TNIE, Brar said, “India is among top 20 markets globally, which was earlier in the top 25. By 2030, we aim to be among top 15 markets. Moreover, we also assume that one-third of annual volume would come from south as we have 38% market share in the south India compared to 35% overall nationally.”
The BMW India on Wednesday launched its SUV MINI Countryman C model in India which will be at the ex-showroom price of Rs 47.50 lakh.
The company is also planning to double its dealerships as it plans to expand its reach in Tier 2 cities like Lucknow, Jaipur, Ranchi and Jodhpur, among others. By the end of 2026, the BMW India will be opening 21 outlets in 19 cities.
Brar said, “We are launching SUV because earlier we didn’t have ICE model under MINI Countryman, and we are seeing growing traction for SUVs in India.”
Florian Kuenstner, Vice President MINI, Region China, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, BMW Group, said, “SUVs are gaining traction in India, and hence we decided come up with SUV in the country. Among emerging markets, we are witnessing robust demand growth in India across various categories.”
He further added that MINI wants to place India among top 5 or 10 markets globally, but practically it will take a few more years to reach that spot. “If MINI could sell nearly 20,000 vehicles in a year, it would make India among top 6 markets. It is not possible in the next one-year period.”
Kuestner also said that the target of the MINI is to double its sale of cars from 730 units sold in 2025.
The BMW India has installed 13 charging points across India, and most of these chargers are 120 kW. One fully charged iX1 electric car which has a battery capacity of 77-78 kWh will give a range of 530 km.
