BMW double minded regarding the launch of ‘Mini’ in India

BMW is sceptical of the viability of launching another brand 'Mini' in the country, a company official said.

BMW India Private Limited President, Peter Kronschnabi said, "We doubt whether the Mini launch will be viable in India. We have postponed the decision till the end of this year," he told reporters in Kolkata on Thursday.

He said that bringing in Mini, a three-door luxury hatchback as a CBU in India, would entail a price tag of Rs 20 lakh. There may not be a market for that segment here. "We do not want to kill a brand," he said.

Talking about the sales performance of BMW in the first half of 2009, Kronschnabi said that the company had sold 1747 cars in India. The sales target for the full year is 3000 units for the country, he said.

While the luxury car segment has grown between 1-2 per cent in India in the first half of the year, BMW has beaten this growth rate of the industry .

"The first half was challenging. The second half has more potential," Kronschnabi said