BMW India expects electric vehicle penetration in its sales to cross 30% in the second half of 2026, as demand for electric cars continues to grow in the luxury car segment, according to BMW India President and CEO Hardeep Singh Brar.
Electric vehicles accounted for 26% of BMW India's sales in the first half of 2026, up from 21% a year earlier. The company sold 2,359 electric vehicles between January and June, a 78% increase from a year earlier.
“Electric, I think, is everybody's favourite [in the luxury segment]. So, this year, my forecast is that in the second half, we will be 30% plus electric,” Brar said. He said electric vehicle penetration could rise further next year.
“So almost getting close to one third electric. And next year, we may even cross 40%. So electric is really going fast and that is also one of the reasons why we are localising all the electric vehicles,” Brar said.
Brar said the shift towards electric vehicles is coming at the expense of both petrol and diesel vehicles. “So, if you look at percentage-wise, both petrol and diesel are going down. And the clear shift is towards electric,” he said.
“So, when I look at 26%, so last year we were 21%, and this year we are 26%. So, the 5% has equally gone away from petrol and diesel,” Brar said.Share of diesel in BMW's H1 sales declined by three percentage points and petrol by two percentage points, Brar said.
The company does not have hybrids in its current portfolio, and Brar feels it does not make such sensw to have hybrids as electric vehicle adoption is growing strongly.
BMW is also increasing local production of electric vehicles. The iX1, i5 and i7 are locally produced. “Electric is really going fast and that is also one of the reasons why we are localising all the electric vehicles,” he said.
The German carmaker has emerged as India's largest luxury carmaker in the first half of 2026, as per Vahan data. It registered 10,043 vehicles, including MINI, compared with 9,472 for Mercedes-Benz.
BMW's registrations grew 15% year-on-year, compared with 4% growth for the overall luxury market, giving it a 38% share of the segment.
Electric vehicles are also gaining share in BMW's flagship luxury sedan segment. Brar said electric versions accounted for 60% of sales of the 7 Series, compared with 40% for petrol.
BMW India is targeting total sales of more than 20,000 units for the full year.