The BMW Group, today, launched the all-new Countryman in India, with prices starting at Rs 34.90 lakh. Mini’s second-generation crossover will be available in three versions.
Underlining the importance of the Countryman to Mini India's growth plans, BMW Group India president, Vikram Pawah, said the model will help double Mini's sales in the market.
“Over the last six years we have established Mini as a premium car brand in India. With the all-new Countryman, which will now be locally assembled at our plant in Chennai, we intend to multiply volumes for the Mini brand in India and take it to the next level. We expect the volumes to at least double this year,” said Vikram Pawah.
The new Countryman is being assembled in India right from day one and, according to Pawah, has over 50 percent local content, similar to other locally-assembled BMW models. This has allowed the Countryman a competitive price tag, and the company’s expectation is that this will help bring new buyers to its fold. What will further boost Mini sales will be introduction of facelifts of its other models, including the Cooper, Convertible and Clubman.
The growth from Mini will also help boost BMW Group's sales in India. In calendar year 2017, Mini accounted for a mere 5 percent of the BMW Group's four-wheeler sales of 9,800 units. Even so, Mini's sales of 421 units last year represented a 17 percent jump.
Things are also looking positive this year. In the first quarter of 2018, Mini sold 136 units in the country, up 15 percent over the same period last year. In all, the customer base for Mini in India is close to 2,500, said Pawah.
While Pawah refused to comment on specifics, he said Mini's parent company, the BMW Group, will continue to evaluate the localisation of other Mini models in India.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Glenn Noronha
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