BMW India silently changes the variants of various models. Increases prices across the range as well.
Remember back in November we told you BMW India had silently added a base 320i variant to the 3 Series? Well, there have been further alterations in BMW’s Indian lineup. There have been changes to the prices as well and we’ve included the new price list in this post. Lets talk about the changes in the existing lineup first. And for some reason, BMW India chose not to announce these changes, instead, we’ve been doing some snooping around and paying careful attention!
The base variant of the 3 Series is indeed the 320i. Like we told you.
Now for the 5 Series. The 535i seems to be discontinued as there is no mention of it. Being a thirsty petrol we’re not surprised BMW dropped the fuel hungry 5 Series off the list. The 530d (at 54.5 lakhs) is actually a ‘M’ version with different bumpers and minor changes to the interiors along with ‘M’ badging.
The recently launched Gran Coupe avatar of the 6 Series sees the addition of a petrol variant in the form of the 650i Gran Coupe. BMW India earlier mentioned only the diesel would be introduced but turns out the petrol has decided to join the party.
The biggest change comes in the 7 Series. BMW India seems to have discontinued the 740Li, 750Li and 760Li. Basically, all the petrol variants of the 7 are no more with only the diesel 730Ld being available. We suspect this is because the 7 Series is due for a facelift in 2013 and clearly BMW does not want to have any additional stock of the existing model. Well played BMW!
Now for the SUV’s and starting with the X1. Two trim levels — ‘Innovation’ and ‘Exclusive’ — have been dropped from the list. Again, the X1 is due for its facelift in early 2013 and BMW have already announced so.
A new base variant of the X3 is on offer. Called the ‘Advantage Edition’, it is available in the base diesel model at INR 39.5 lakhs which is a significant 5 lakhs cheaper than the earlier base model.
A new base variant of the recently launched X6 is also seen on the list. Dubbed the xDrive30d, we think the engine is the 3.0 diesel from the X5. While the X6 was launched with a 306bhp diesel engine (xDrive40d), the xDrive30d will offer 240bhp and will be the cheapest X6 in India.
Now for the price increase. Do check the documents for the exact prices.
AK-1-AO-IN MINI Ex-showroom Prices RS 020113
“The success of BMW Group India has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. We want to maintain sustainable leadership in the Indian market with a strong brand and an exceptional model range with unbeatable product substance. With the price increase BMW Group will maintain its premium positioning in the Indian luxury car segment”, says Mr. Phillip von Sahr, Head of BMW India.
In 2013, BMW India will launch the new BMW 7 Series, the new BMW X1 and the BMW 1 Series in Indian market. The new BMW 7 Series will be locally produced by mid-2013 and the BMW 1 Series will be locally produced by end of 2013.
By end of 2014, BMW India will further expand its dealer network by increasing the number of sales outlets to 50 across major metropolitan centers and emerging markets in India.
