With a 13 percent year-on-year growth in the sales of BMW and Mini vehicles, the German luxury carmaker records the highest first-half sales in India. As per the report, a collective of 5,171 BMW vehicles were sold during the first half of 2018.
The sales report released by the BMW group contains the combined data of the sales of both BMW and Mini cars in the country. The number of BMW (and Mini) cars sold during the period of Jan-Jun 2018 is 13 percent higher than the sales made during the same period last year. The sales of Mini cars specifically saw a surge of 30 percent (281 units), while BMW model cars saw an increase of 12 percent (4,890) from the last year period.
The sales growth might have been a result of BMW’s early launch of big featured cars, including BMW’s luxurious liftback, the X3 SUV, and the 6-series GT. The launch of the X3 SUV was the biggest ticket for the company as it fueled the surge owing to the ever-growing demand for luxury SUVs in the country. The third-generation SUV was launched in April 2018 and is competing against the likes of Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLC. The company, meanwhile, confirms that the sale of its SUV or SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) has increased over 26 percent year on year.
“The BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo and the BMW X3 have already exceeded our expectations and we see remarkable sales contributions coming from both in the future. Moreover, introduction of Euro VI petrol engines in our product portfolio has played an important role,” says BMW Group India’s president Vikram Pawah.
The 6-series GT was launched by the company to give a competition to the already famous Mercedes E-class in India. The thing to note here is that both the X3 and 6GT models are being locally assembled by BMW at its Chennai plant.
The sales of Mini cars grew exponentially after the launch of the Countryman in May 2018. The company believes that the car might even double the sale of Mini cars this year.
The sale of BMW two-wheelers is also not very far behind in the race. As per the sales report of BMW Motorrad, BMW’s two-wheeler division, 208 BMW motorcycles were sold during the first half of 2018.