The streets of Mumbai and Delhi may soon seem like those of Turin, Italy, in the 1969 flick The Italian Job , with Mini Coopers scrambling about.

The BMW Group, owners of the iconic brand, may launch the Mini range in the country in 2-3 years and are expected to take a call by next year, the Group's India President, Dr Andreas Schaaf, said.

As luxury SUV sales account for almost half of the premium car sales in the country, the Mini range is likely to debut with the Countryman crossover SUV and later be joined by other models such as the Cooper, Coupe and Cooper S, officials said.

“There is a market for it (Mini), but is it big enough is the question. We will look at an independent dealer network, so sustaining dealers with volumes is important. A decision will be taken by next year,” said Dr Schaaf, while speaking at the sidelines of the new X3 launch.

Separately, the BMW 1 series range is also likely to hit the market in the next 4-5 years. This will make it the cheapest BMW model available in the country replacing the current entry product – the X1 SUV.

This is part of the German automaker's strategy to have its complete corporate portfolio present in one of the world's fastest growing markets. Apart from BMW cars, which started operations in 2007, the Group last year launched its financial services arm, the used car business, as well as its two-wheeler subsidiary – BMW Motorrad, in the country. The other Group brand – Rolls-Royce – is also present in the domestic market through an import route.

> roudra.b@thehindu.co.in

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