Mini Brand Launched By BMW In Delhi Auto Expo 2012 With Four Models

The iconic Mini Brand with four models priced upto 31.99 lakh was launched by BMW group at Delhi Auto Expo 2012. The four models of the Mini brand include Mini Cooper priced at 24.9 lacs, Mini Cooper S priced at 27.9 lacs, Mini Convertible priced at 29.99 lacs and Mini Cooper S Countryman priced at 31.99 lacs. Market conditions postponed the decision of the BMW group who were planning to launch this brand in India by 2009.

Going back to the history of the Mini Brand, The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (which allowed 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers. The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent to its German contemporary, the Volkswagen Beetle.

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BMW Mini Cooper

Returning back to Delhi Auto Expo, initially separate showrooms, two in Delhi and one in Mumbai will be constructed for the Mini. Kay Segler, Senior Vice-President, Mini Brand Management and Business Coordination plans to focus on brand building in India in the initial stage rather than focusing on the volumes. Moreover the BMW group is now aware that more and more Indians are travelling and living abroad which makes them more updated with the global trends. So the group now feels that the Indian market is now ready for a brand like the Mini.

The company hasn’t yet thought about assembling the car here in India. The car will be imported as a completely built unit. The group is not worried about the high import duty on imported cars as the situation is similar for the company in Brazil, China, Mexico and Korea. Bookings of the Mini have already been started here in India and the company plans to start the deliveries by March.