BMW Group India expects the newly launched X1 Long Wheelbase to further expand its pool of first-time luxury car buyers, with Hardeep Singh Brar, President and CEO, BMW Group India, estimating their share could rise by another 10 percentage points.
“With the previous X1, we had 50% coming, which were the first-time luxury buyers. And with this new X1, I think this percentage should at least go up by another 10%,” Brar told Autocar Professional.
The X1 LWB, launched in India on Friday, is positioned as another key product in BMW’s strategy of making luxury cars more accessible to a wider set of Indian consumers. Brar said the new SUV is expected to attract customers upgrading from segments below luxury cars. It also strengthens BMW’s long-wheelbase strategy in India, which has become an important part of its portfolio. According to Brar, 52% of BMW’s sales currently come from long-wheelbase models. The X1 LWB gets an additional 110mm of length and wheelbase, resulting in 150mm more legroom for rear-seat passengers. It has also added features based on feedback from Indian customers, including a 360-degree surround-view camera and blind-spot monitoring. The rear seat has been redesigned with additional cushioning and improved thigh support.
Priced at ₹49.9 lakh, the X1 LWB also comes with a 60% assured buyback after four years. Brar said the offer is intended to address one of the key concerns among luxury car buyers — resale value. The X1 LWB is locally manufactured at BMW’s Chennai plant, with more than 50% localisation.
“We are more and more focusing on how we can increase the localisation. This comes with almost 50% plus localisation, which is huge, and which is why we've been able to pass on the benefit to the consumers as well. And hence, position it at this price point. So that is going to be our strategy going forward. We want to make India a big hub for manufacturing and the work is on to keep on increasing this localisation so that we could provide the best cars at affordable prices to our consumers,” Brar said.
The company is also maintaining a multi-powertrain strategy, offering petrol, diesel and electric models depending on consumer demand. EVs currently account for 26% of BMW’s sales in India, compared with 16% for diesel and 58% for petrol.
“We've been agile depending upon what the consumer wants. Imagine electric was only 7% or 8% two years back, we went to 21% last year, now it is 26%. So, production teams are very agile in terms of supplying what we need. And that's what the beauty of BMW is,” he added.
He said that the West Asia crisis has had an impact on EV sales growth.
“There has been a lot of discussion about crude prices going up, there's a bit of uncertainty there. And hence, a lot of consumers are shifting towards EVs. So today, EV has become mainstream. I think people are really accepting and the waiting period on our electric X1 has only gone up. And we want to balance now with the petrol so that you have the best of both worlds, but we are open for what the consumer wants and we'll change the supply according to what the requirement is,” he added.
BMW is planning an aggressive product offensive for the rest of the year. Brar said the company has already completed 13 of its planned 25 product actions, with another 10 launches expected by the end of the year across SUVs, sedans and different powertrains.
“Going forward, you will see a combination in every category. In the beginning of the year, we launched the X3, which is the next level SUV above X1. We brought in Mini Countryman C, brought in X1, we have the 5 Series and you will see action now going further at the top end, be it petrol, be it diesel, be it electric, be it SUV, be it sedan. You'll see every month something or the other coming from us,” he said.