BMW ahead of Mercedes-Benz in India in terms of sales
Even though Mercedes-Benz has had more than a decade's head start in the Indian market, BMW has moved ahead of its rival decisively, selling 270 cars in January this year, compared to the 170 units sold by Mercedes-Benz in the same period. BMW registered a 125% growth in sales last year, selling 2,908 cars in 2008 as compared to 1,293 cars in 2007.
The company now assembles its 3- and 5-series cars in India, at its facility near Chennai, and these cars account for around 80% of BMW's sales in the country. BMW imports the 7-series luxury sedan and X3 and X5 SUVs as CBUs, since these are low volume sellers.
The recently introduced X6 coupe-SAV crossover will also be imported as a CBU. BMW expects the Indian luxury car market to pick up during the second half of 2009 and the company expects to see 15-20% growth in sales this year.
[Via: indiaautomotive]