Land Rover beats BMW for the No.2 Spot in SUV Segment [India]

The SUV sales in India this January saw the Tata owned Land Rover overtake the BMW SUV sales with the Land Rover selling 35 units in January and BMW selling 16 units of its SUVs. Audi, however, remained at no.1 position by selling a whopping 114 units. Mercedes, seemed to struggle, selling only 6 units of the M-Class.

This rise in the sales of the Land Rover is being attributed to its lower starting price of Rs 35 Lakhs as compared to the Rs 55 lakhs which is the price of BMWs entry-level SUV X3. However, BMW plans to catch-up on this by assembling X1 at its Chennai plant which will become its entry-level SUV at a price tag of Rs 26 Lakhs.

According to analysts, another reason for the increase in sales is that Land Rover has a wider range of models available for India which include the Freelander 2, Discovery 4 Sports Tourer, the Range Rover Sport and the Range Rover as compared to BMW’s smaller range comprising of the X3, X5 and X6.

Another thing worth mentioning, here, is that Land Rover has been able to project itself as rugged SUV model, fit for rough terrains, while BMW pitched for a lifestyle alignment in the market.

2011 BMW 5 Series lined up with its Previous Generations; Real-Life Photos

The 2011 BMW 5 Series was spotted in Portugal setting up at its own press reveal for what appears to be a real life version of the awesome photo of all six generations of the rapidly expanding mid-size luxury-barge. (Click on the Thumbnails to view Full Size)

BMW to Expand Dealerships in India by Year-End

• German luxury car maker BMW plans to ramp up its network across the country by year-end and penetrate into tier II cities.
• The company currently has 12 dealers in 10 cities and plans to add 10 more in tier II cities like Coimbatore, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Bhubhaneshwar and Lucknow by the end of 2010. It expects each dealer from Tier II locations to contribute about 30-40 cars a year.
• BMW has already launched four new models this year with three more in the offing. These include the petrol and diesel variants of its top-end sedan 7 series.

Maruti Suzuki does a Price Hike

• Maruti Suzuki India has hiked prices of most of its models by an estimated up to Rs 10,000 depending upon the model
• The average increase in prices is of around 0.6%, it varies from 0.12% for the Ritz VDi at the lower end to 1.9% for the Dzire LXi models
• The refreshed Estilo which was launched in August last year will now be expensive by Rs 1,200- Rs 2,400 depending on the variants.
• Acc to the Company, "The price increase is to partly recover the increase in the input costs arising out of raw material costs (including steel) over the past one year."
• Maruti’s recently launched multipurpose vehicle Eeco, Petrol variant of the small car Swift and its Gypsy models will not be affected by the price rise.
• Recently, Other car manufacturers such as Honda Siel Cars India and BMW had also taken similar measures.

BMW brings new Sportscar Z4 to India, Priced at Rs 59 Lakhs

German luxury car maker BMW today launched Z4 Roadster in India. The Sportscar is priced at Rs 59 lakh (ex-showroom).

The two-seater sports-car powered by a 2,979 cc petrol engine is being launched as a part of the company's move to strengthen its position in the Indian luxury car segment.

The company is targeting to sell 30-40 units of the Z4 Roadster in the first year.

The company is currently competing neck-to-neck with rival German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz for the top slot in the Indian luxury-car market. During the first eight months (January- August) of 2009, BMW had sold 2,305 units against 2,026 of Mercedes.

BMW Z4 to be launched in India in October at Rs 50-60 Lakhs

The BMW Z4 two-seater roadster which was displayed at the North American International Show this year, will enter India via CBU route next month. It will be priced at around 50-60 lakh rupees, acc to a company official.

The 6-cylinder BMW Z4 engine line-up -
- 2,497 cc – 204 PS@6400rpm and 250 Nm@2750rpm
- 2,996 cc – 258 PS@6600rpm and 310 Nm@2600rpm
- 2,979 cc – 306 PS@5800rpm and 400Nm@1300-5000rpm twin-turbocharged

The new BMW Z4 sports features like retractable hard top and sDrive technology for better driving experience. Performance parameters include a top speed of 250 kph and a 0-100 kph rev-up in 5.8 seconds.

Spotted – BMW X3 at Surat, Gujarat [Photo]

This White BMW was spotted in Surat by Indiauto. The BMW X3 is priced Rs 41,90,000 Rs ex-showroom price Delhi.

BMW thinking of re-entering India’s High-End Bike Market with Motorrad Range of SuperBikes

German luxury carmaker BMW is once again planning to foray into the India’s minuscule high-end motorcycle market, almost 13 years after its abortive attempt to enter the Indian market through a joint venture with the Hero Group

The company is studying India’s high-end and premium motorcycle market to introduce its Motorrad range of super bikes in India

The 2009 BMW S 1000RR

Acc to top BMW India officials,

“Our people from BMW Motorcycle are having a look at the market. They are also in discussion with us for feedback on the matter. As soon as we see potential for a viable market entry for sustainable growth, we would take that into consideration. The bikes of the Motorrad range will be priced at more than Rs 10 lakh in India”

The premium bike market in India is very small — less than 500 units a year — but both in terms of growth prospects as well as branding opportunity, it is an attractive segment.

Although its earlier outing in India was not successful — BMW launched its F650 model in collaboration with Hero but the venture did not take off — this time round the German company may be able to sell more bikes.

Auto analysts say the presence of top superbike models such as the Suzuki Hayabusa or the Honda 1000RR Fireblade and CBR 1000R and Yamaha’s MT01 and R1 has grown the market and increased the appetite for Rs 10 lakh-plus bikes. Bajaj is also planning to introduce big bikes from KTM and Kawasaki stables in the near future.

BMW officials, however, clarified that the plans are not for the short-term and it could take 1-2 years before anything is finalised.

BMW Motorrad is a brand used by the German company for its motorcycles, which are in production since 1923.
BMW Motorrad’s G series, F series, R series and K series are available around the world. These bikes range from 450 cc capacity to 1300 cc capacity and are designed for off road, sport and touring purposes.