As part of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative called Skill-Next, BMW will provide 365 engines and transmissions to engineering and technical institutes across every state and union territory in India on a first-come-first-serve basis by the end of 2018. Commenting on the move, Vikram Pawah, President, BMW group India said, “The rate at which the luxury car market is growing, there will be a lack of highly skilled technicians very soon, a problem we hope to address with the ‘Skill Next’ initiative."

The engine and transmission mechanism that will be used for learning purposes includes the 2.0-litre twin-turbo, in-line, four-cylinder diesel motor packaged with the eight-speed, sequential-shift, automatic transmission. The combination in India is a workhorse for the 20d iterations of the 3-series, 3-series GT, 5-series, X1 and X3. The same engine also powers the Mini Cooper Countryman D. Post delivery, BMW will appoint 40 aftersales technicians across twenty cities at BMW dealerships to give aspirants a hands-on experience on the mechanism.

Interestingly, the engines and transmissions that BMW will use for the training purposes were affected by water during the devastating Chennai flood in the past. As such, they were no longer fit to be used in the cars.

Veteran Cricketer and BMW India’s brand ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar, who was present at the occasion said, “I strongly believe that initiatives like ‘Skill Next’ will promote development of automotive engineering skills in our country. It is an opportunity for technical students across every state and union territory to get directly trained on BMW engine and transmission. It’s easier for the students to understand technology through first-hand experience.”