F10 BMW 5-Series in July; X1 in October

An official announcement from BMW India states that the brand new F10 5-Series will debut in India in July. The F10 will be followed by the smallest Crossover ever from BMW, the X1’s launch in the second half of 2010 but going by what BMW says – “We will launch it during the Festive Season’, we can expect it by October-November.” The best part of both these launches is that they will come at an affordable prices as they are imported in CKD – Completely knocked down kits and assembled at BMW’s plant in Chennai.

BMW expects the two models to drive up its sales and revenue in India and abroad. With the introduction of the 320d Executive edition, BMW has opened up to a whole new audience who could only choose between the Camry, Accord and Superb till date. The additional volumes will drive up capacity which stands at 4000 units for 2010, up from 3000 the previous year.

Beginning with the 520d and 535i, the 5-Series will see many more engine options and variants being introduced to compete with the likes of the new E-class that has set the sales charts on fire. BMW launching the 330i to compete with the A4 3.2 FSi Quattro is proof enough that you can pretty much expect many more engine options. Also coming up is the X1, which will bear the tag of the cheapest BMW in India starting at Rs 25 lakhs.

BMW is also starting its used car business ‘BMW Premium Selection’ by April this year. The official used car business will further lower the entry point for prospective customers and BMW enthusiasts. The first showroom under this will be inaugurated in Chennai on 1 April followed by Gurgaon in the second half of 2010. BMW is bullish on its used car business and expects at least 30% of revenues to come from this. Finally, to top it all off and take the BMW brand to a wider audience, its dealership count will be increased to 24 from the current 17 by the end of 2010. One thing is sure though, BMW is on the right direction in India. Mercedes and Audi – Are you listening?

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