The BMW Group has announced a management restructure under which the current India head Vikram Pawah has now been appointed CEO of BMW Group Australia. He will also continue to support Indian operations as its new chairman. Pawah, who has been heading the group’s operations in India since January 2017, will take over the Australian and New Zealand businesses from August 1.

Hans-Christian Baertels, the incumbent director of finance and administration at BMW Group India, will take over responsibility as the new president.

Announcing the changes, Hildegard Wortmann, senior vice-president, Asia Pacific, BMW Group, said, “Pawah brings excellent preconditions to lead BMW Group operations in India and Australia. Under his leadership, BMW Group India has successfully stood ground in a fiercely competitive environment and gained significant momentum in the Indian luxury car market”.

A commerce and business graduate, Pawah has held various positions abroad in Honda Marine Australia in his automotive career spanning over 25 years.

The first half of the calendar year 2018 has brought cheer to German luxury carmaker BMW Group in India as the brand reported record sales for both the BMW and Mini cars combined.

It may be noted that BMW India's overall sales volumes in the first half of 2018 (January-June) grew 13 percent year on year to 5,171 units. Of this, BMW brand models accounted for 4,890 units (up 12 percent) and the Mini range 281 units (up 30 percent).

The growth has come on the back of some big-ticket launches such as BMW’s luxurious liftback, the 6-series GT and the X3 SUV; the latter led the sales charge for the luxury carmaker, as demand for SUVs in India continues to be robust.

MAYANK DHINGRA