BMW 320d and Indian luxury car market
Posted at August 6th, 2007 under Auto Pictorial Review | 
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1) BMW 320d front view Indian luxury car market accounts for only 2-3% of total car sales and Indian luxury market is at very nascent stage when compared to china but what lures International majors is the luxury market is growing at 28% higher than 17% growth of small car. More than 5,000 luxury cars were sold in 2006, up from 3,000 in 2005 and just 1,000 in 2004.
2) BMW 320d side view Mercedes, BMW, Porche, Audi, Lamborghini and Rolls Royce are prominent players in this segment Aston Martin and Ferrari are in the process of following suit. Luxury car makers are lining up more models and revising their sales target for india. Volvo plans to bring XC90 SUV and S80 luxury sedan and it plans to launch two additional models every year in order to expand its offering in the Indian market. BMW , Mercs and Audi are finding difficult to meet the growing demand. Most of their models have more than 3 months of waiting period for delivery.
3) BMW 320d rear view: BMW’s 3 series has three variants- the 320d diesel variant, entry level 320i and top end 325i petrol versions. The 3 series is priced between Rs 26.7 lakh and Rs 32.2 lakh outsold Mercs C class since its debut. Mercedes seems to be losing its battle with BMW in India. While Mercedes will counter BMW’s threat with its next generation C class which plans to bring india by 2008, BMW plans upgrade its existing 3-series model by introducing the 330i in the near future.
4) BMW 3 series 320d tail lamp and alloy wheels: A liberal economic regime during the past 15 years has seen the rich becoming richer and the richer even wealthier. For India’s growing club of millionaires fuel efficiency and price tags are no longer the deciding factors, its design and Brand counts more. Because of this luxury and super luxury segments are expanding exponentially. Now Indians want to wait for new generation cars as they want to be treated similar to an European or an American.
5) BMW 3 series 320d – stylish headlamp and BMW’s characteristic snout: BMW has revised its sales target for india from 1000 to 1200 units a year considering the good response. Till June-end we have sold a combined of 424 units of our 3 and 7 series sedans. While the 3 series has been BMW’s growth driver its super luxury sedan 7 Series, which is priced at Rs 74 lakh upto Rs 1.25 crore, is expected to sell about 170 units this year. BMW has announced the market launch of its premium luxury sedan 5 Series with prices starting at Rs 37 lakh and going up to Rs 45 lakh (ex-showroom) in July. BMW’s new look 7-series is most likely to be introduced in India by the 2008-end. BMW also plans to launch its sports coupe car M Series M3 and M5 by next year. BMW already has eight dealers and by the end of the 2009, it plans to have 12 dealers.
catch up the interiors and exteriors of newly launched BMW 5 series soon in our pictorial review of BMW 523i
Merc’s, BMW’s gets dearer:
DaimlerChrysler India has started ‘Star Choice’ finance scheme with ICICI Bank, offering equated monthly installments (EMI) of Rs 29,999 for its ‘Three Pointed Star’ brand. The other German luxury car maker BMW has also roped ICICI with its finance outfit, BMW Financial Services, to offer specially structured finance schemes with EMI an option of Rs 33,000. Now these cars come at a little higher EMI than the regular Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla or the Hyundai Sonata. The EMI for these machines are in the range of Rs 23000-Rs 30,000, which are close to any BMW and Merc’s finance package. For instance, a Toyota Corolla, which is priced at Rs 10 lakh, generates an EMI of Rs 34,000 for three years. A consumer can pay a similar payment on a Mercedes Benz car priced at Rs 30 lakh. They pay about 15 per cent of the down payment in the beginning and agree to pay a 25 per cent bullet payment at the end of the loan tenure with and EMI of Corolla on a higher duration 5-year loan. ICICI Bank, HDFC and Kotak Mahindra Bank, offer exclusive schemes along with several cars makers. They are allowing consumers to upgrade to these super luxury cars. These schemes not only increase the tenure of the loan, but also allow a prospective customer to pay only a token amount of around 7 per cent (upto Rs 2.5 lakh) of the total price or the bullet payment option, where around 25 per cent of the total payment is paid in the last EMI.
source:economictimes
Bentley
On Septmeber 17th England-based Bentley Motors Ltd, the makers of luxury car brand Bentley Bentley two new convertible models, Azure and Continental GTC for Indian market priced at Rs 3.80 crore and Rs 2.10 crore respectively. Bentley debuted in India in October, 2003 and has one outlet, in Delhi. For 2007 Bentley made an allocation of 25 cars for India in order to maintain exclusivity. By the last quarter of 2008, Bentley hopes to open its second India outlet in Mumbai,
BMW’s mini cooper coming to india:
A cult small car, the Mini does not fit the Indian stereotype of a small car starting with the Rs 20 lakh price. And yet the BMW Group, which owns the Mini could bring it to India by 2009.
“Mini, we just started our evaluation on a possible market entry. But here as well, Mini is a brand. And if we launch a brand we do it properly. That means we launch it entirely with all the required means you need in order to launch this brand. So I think by the end of this year we have our analysis ready. And then we can see if the business plan of the brand is viable, then there could be a market entry possibly in 2009,” said Peter Kronschnabl, President, BMW India. When it is launched in India, the Mini will have a distribution network independent of BMW. Its a cult car with a niche market, so Mumbai and Delhi will be the first if the not the only distribution points in the country.
Jaguar and Land Rover coming to India
CNBC TV18 reports that jaguar and land Rover will sell their products next year in India. The jaguar models could possibly be sold by land rover’s sole dealer in India Navnit Motors. The new XF is Jaguar’s hope for a secure future. Infact, the XF is almost complete but deliveries will not start until March next year. This car positioned to take on Audi A6 and BMW’s 5-series. The X-type has a lot of the Ford Mondeo hidden under its skin. It is euro iv-compliant and has been around since 2001. Styled in typical Jaguar tradition, this car could be anywhere in the range of Rs 35 lakhs to 50 lakh.
source:CNBC-TV18
Mercedes viano van soon in india:
CNN-IBN reports that mercedes may bring its new Viano in 2008. The Viano is already in use in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Available in diesel option with a 2.2 litre engine, this van has eight seats that can be rearranged according to user convenience. But this multi-purpose vehicle(MPV) will not compete with Toyota Innova, yes, viano will be priced around Rs 45 lakh.
Bentley’s two new offerings:
UK-based luxury car maker Bentley Motors has wheeled in two new models in the Indian market. Called Azure and Continental GTC, the two convertible models come at a price tag of Rs 3.80 and 2.10 crore (ex showroom, Delhi) respectively. The car has a top speed of 274 kmph and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, claims the company release. The car, which is 5410 mm long and 2125mm in width, comes with a V8 6.75 litre twin-turbo charged engine. It delivers a peak power of 450 bhp with a torque of 875 Nm. Continental GTC has a 6 litre W12 cylinder twin turbo charged engine. The super luxury car has a top speed of 312 kmph and delivers a peak power of 552 bhp, according to the company. The 4804 mm long and 1919 mm wide car has a torque of 650 Nm @ 1600 rpm. Both the cars are manufactured at the company’s UK plant and will be imported as CBUs. The cars will be sold through the company’s India partner Exclusive Motors Pvt Ltd.
source:economictimes
HI,
Anyone know when BMW will revamp the 3series line up with better engine choices as the current engines and prices seem like a ripoff. Why would i buy a 320i or 320d that only gives me 15% more performance benefit for 3times the price of a corolla or a civic.
Thanks(morphin1@hotmail.com)
hi does any one post how much will be the EMI for BMW 5 series and is is better buying 5 series or 3 series as compared to price and performance