After having established a strong foothold in India’s long-wheelbase (LWB) sedan market, BMW is now looking at introducing LWB SUVs here. The German brand has three LWB sedans in India: the 3 Series, the 7 Series and the recently launched 5 Series, all aimed at rear passenger comfort.
On the sidelines of the 5 Series launch, Jean-Philippe Parain, the company’s senior vice president for sales regions Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, said, “SUVs still make [up] more than 50 percent of BMW’s India sales. So it’s really, really important. And we are looking at all options. We understood that long wheelbase is important for the Indian market; because of the time spent on the road, space is a key feature.”
Indian customers, according to Parain, want more room in the second row. Barring the 7 Series, the right-hand drive 3 Series and the 5 Series sedans in LWB form are exclusive to India.
Until recently, the 3 Series and 5 Series were available with LWB only in China, but in left-hand drive configuration. BMW also offers some of its SUVs, including the iX1, X1, X3 and X5, with LWB exclusively in China. So, with some modifications to their running gear and a few other components, these SUVs could be introduced in India.
Besides BMW, Mercedes-Benz also sells LWB models in China; these include the C-Class, E-Class, S-Class and SUVs such as the GLC. In India, the brand’s only LWB offering is the E-Class sedan, which will undergo a full model change in the coming months.
If BMW brings the LWB X5 to India, the SUV will have an edge over Mercedes-Benz’s GLE. After all, its wheelbase is over 3,100mm, while that of the GLE sold in India is 2,995mm. Therefore, India could become the second market where BMW sells exclusively-developed right-hand drive LWB SUVs.