The Hindu Business Line : BMW unveils M3 car, dealership in Chennai

Chennai, March 12 A longer homologation process hampers the launch of BMW India’s crossover SUV, the X6. The President of BMW India, Mr Peter Kronschnabl, said the process consumes more than six months and therefore, the possibility of launching the vehicle during the current calendar was remote.

Talking to the media after announcing the opening of its dealership, Kun Exclusive, in Chennai, he said the company was actively considering sourcing of more components from India. The company was interested in sourcing forging and castings among others, he said.

On the possibility of launching the premium hatch Mini, he said the company concluded the market study and was waiting for a signal from the headquarters to proceed further. If introduced, the Mini would cost more than Rs 20 lakh, he added.

In addition to opening the dealership, Mr Kronschnabl also introduced the BMW M3 car in the city. This fully imported car carries a price tag of Rs 73 lakh.

Sales track

In 2007, BMW sold 1,387 vehicles compared with its own target of 1,000 units. The company hopes to sell at least 2,000 cars in the current year. It is on track towards achieving this target — in the first two months of the year, it sold 470 vehicles.

In order to cater to the after-sales requirement, the company would be setting up service centres in tier-2 cities, he said, and added that it was looking at places like Coimbatore, Surat and Jaipur.

Kun Exclusive, located near the Chennai airport, is BMW’s dealership in the country. It has been set up at a cost of Rs 6 crore. BMW will open showrooms in Ahmedabad, Kochi and Kolkata before June this year. The initial plan was to open 12 dealerships by the end of 2009.

Training drivers

BMW India is actively considering introducing driver-training programmes to support customers, Mr Kronshnabl said. It had already run a pilot project last November, educating customers on the nuances of driving high-performance cars, he added.

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