MINI the retro styled cars could soon be manufactured in the Indian market. BMW launched the MINI cars in India at the 2012 Auto Expo. The company sold first 100 cars in less than two months. After the initial hype sales are luke warm which is mainly due to the high price tag.
MINI cars are sold as CBUs in India and attract more than 120% import duties. The MINI range starts at Rs. 24.9 lakhs for the Cooper while the top end model Cooper S Countryman costs Rs. 31.99 lakhs
BMW now plans to locally assemble the Mini range in India, to reduce prices substantially. The CKD operations (local assembly) attract about 30 per cent duty, far lower than CBU imports; and this will help BMW to cut prices and make the cars more affordable (we are talking about the rich class only).
Rumours suggest that BMW plans to assemble all four models – Mini Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper convertible and the Mini Countryman, in India. For these operations BMW may setup an assembly line at the Chennai facility soon, to build Minis alongside the X1, X3, 3-Series and the 5-Series.
BMW will have to start work at a faster pace as the competition has started to heat up especially after the launch of the Audi Q3 and soon to be launched Mercedes-Benz B-Class.
The MINI range is sold through three exclusive dealerships – Deutsche Motoren and Bird Automotive in New Delhi and Infinity Cars in Mumbai.
