BMW, MINI Sales Surge 10% in India: SUV Demand Drives Growth

Mumbai, Oct 4 (PTI) German luxury carmaker BMW Group on Friday said its BMW and MINI brands recorded a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in sales at 10,556 units in India during the January-September period of 2024, which are the highest-ever numbers in 17 years for the company in a nine-month period.

The number of cars (BMW and MINI) sold in the first nine months of 2023 was 9,580 units.

Besides, the group also sold 5,638 units of Motorrad brand of motorcycles, the group announced here on Friday.

BMW Group comprises three brands--BMW, Mini and Motorrad.

BMW also launched its luxury sports car M4 CS in India, the company's 25th model this year, priced at Rs 1.89-crore.

The M4 CS model which made its debut in India will be available here as a Completely Built-Up (CBU) model and can be booked at the BMW dealership network, the company said.

Of the 10,556 units, BMW Group said, it sold 10,056 units of BMW and the remaining 500 units of the MINI brand.

"The highest ever car deliveries during January to September this year, reflects the synergy between a successful strategy and an unparalleled customer experience," said Vikram Pawah, President and CEO at BMW Group India.

BMW Group India is changing the game with its long wheelbase product portfolio and a strong electric mobility offensive, he added.

Key models like the BMW 7 Series Long Wheelbase, BMW 3 Series Long Wheelbase and BMW X1 are leading in their segments and demand for the new BMW 5 Series Long Wheelbase is overwhelming, Pawah stated.

In the luxury segment, BMW Luxury Class vehicles, which include the BMW 7 Series, BMW i7, BMW X7, and BMW XM, accounted for 17 per cent in overall volumes, driven by BMW X7, which was the highest-selling model in this class, the company said.

Sports Activity Vehicles (SAVs) accounted for 55 per cent of BMW's sales in the domestic market, with the BMW X1 leading the segment, contributing around 20 per cent of overall sales. BMW Group India maintains its top position in the electric mobility space with 725 units of fully electric BMW and MINI cars getting delivered YTD (year-to-date) Q3 2024, it said.

The company also said that BMW Group in India is the first luxury car manufacturer to cross the milestone of over 2,000 EV deliveries till date.

The newly-launched M4 CS is powered by a 3.0 litre twin turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine with M twin power technology, according to the company.

Pawah said that the company is expecting to end 2024 as a record year, adding that "all these launches that we are doing are absolutely giving us the traction that we want in the market and expect that to continue."

He said that some of these lunches happened a month ago and all the supplies are starting now, "so in Q4 with the festive season along with this, I expect this only to be better. So clearly we will finish the day with a record year," he stated.

Pawah also pitched for "Green Tax" for promoting net zero emission and not just electric vehicles.

"Ideal situation is there should be what you call a green tax, the green GST. The greener the car, the lower the tax. If you have that gradient, people will automatically choose and migrate towards greener cars. “I requested the government to look at a green GST regime. I think that will benefit more instead of the size of the car or size of the engine. Then you really benefit towards the aim that we have as an economy to become carbon neutral," he said.