BMW aims to double sales of Mini brand in India in 2018

New Delhi: German luxury carmaker BMW is looking to double sales of its compact luxury vehicle brand, Mini in India as it starts local assembly of the range.

The company, which on Thursday launched locally-assembled all new version of Mini Countryman in India priced between Rs 34.9 lakh and Rs 41.4 lakh (ex-showroom), is considering assembling more models under the range in the country.

"We are looking to double sales of the Mini brand in India this year," BMW Group India President Vikram Pawah said here.

Last year, the Mini brand sold 421 units clocking 17 per cent growth. In the first quarter of this year, BMW India has sold 136 units of the Mini range, growing at 15 per cent.

"The second generation Mini Countryman is locally produced at our Chennai plant. It marks a new chapter in BMW's story in India," he said. This is a part of the company's strategy to deliver more value to customer, he added.

"There is a lot of potential for the brand to grow in India and our first target is to double the sales this year," he said. Currently, the company sells five models under the Mini range in India and Mini Countryman is the only model to be locally assembled.

"In future we will consider if we can locally produce more products under the brand," Pawah said.

The new Mini Countryman comes with both petrol and diesel powertrains. The petrol variants of the model are now priced at Rs 34.9 lakh and Rs 41.4 lakh while the diesel variant is tagged at Rs 37.4 lakh (all prices ex-showroom). The deliveries of the model would begin next month.