Luxury car maker BMW opened the doors of the first exclusive showroom of its MINI brand in Mumbai, India. MINI has appointed Infinity Cars as the official dealer for distributing its range in the financial capital of India. The senior officials of MINI said that the auto maker has planned to set up 5 to 6 outlets of the marquee by the end of 2012 in the country. For MINI, India is the 100th country where it has made its presence felt.
Talking about the prospects of exclusive MINI showrooms in India, Andreas Schaaf, President, BMW Group India, said, “We will not stop (here) and plan to expand further. We will have 5-6 exclusive MINI dealerships by 2012.”
While MINI showrooms in Delhi will come into operation from May 2012, the outlets in Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Bangalore will establish later. Delhi alone will have 2 exclusive MINI showrooms by the time 2012 concludes. Regarding sales volumes that the company is expecting this fiscal, Schaaf refused to share figures and continued, “MINI is not about volume. Our focus is on brand building and that is important for us.”
The company has offered five variants of MINI in the India auto market, which are provided with price tags ranging from Rs. 25 lacs to Rs. 35.9 lacs (ex-showroom). Since MINI started bookings during the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo, the company has received booking of 100 vehicles. However, Managing Director of Infinity Cars, Pooja Choudury said that the delivery of cars to buyers will start from May. She further added that the company plans to deliver around 25 to 30 cars each month.
At the launch event, Schaaf commented, "With the launch of MINI, we have brought the world's most exciting premium small car brand to India. MINI is more than just a car - it is a personality on wheels - a fashion statement - and a way of life. MINI expresses a whole generation's approach to life - it is extrovert, open and full of zest in life. No other brand exhibits the attributes and essence of a modern urban lifestyle like MINI and there is no doubt that it is one of the world's most emotional auto brands."
With these outlets, the company will introduce three models, namely MINI hatch, MINI Countryman and MINI Convertible. All these cars will arrive in India as Completely Built-up Units (CBUs). MINI has incorporated performance oriented engines within these cars, which are highly fuel efficient and churn out impressive power as well as torque emissions. In order to improve the performance of these engines, the company has mated them with an efficient six speed automatic transmission system.
Stating the relevance of the brand in the automobile market, Schaaf stated that, around a decade ago, the company introduced the premium hatchback segment in the global automobile sector by launching MINI. Since then, the company has sold more than 2 million vehicles with gradual expansion of the car portfolio. Starting with just launch of 1 model, the company now offers six models in the international market.
