The company will bring the M3 and M4 sports cars by the end of this year, while the i8 and new MINI have been reserved for the first half of 2015.
BMW has had an illustrious 2014 with eight new launches and two more to go. The German automaker not only brought its conventional lineup, but has also made the effort to venture on to uncharted territory with the 7-Series ActiveHybrid that was launched in July this year. Adding further to the list, BMW confirmed that the i8 Hybrid sports car will be launched in the country by January 2015, while the new generation MINI will be launched in the first half of next year.
Starting with the flagship BMW, the overtly expensive and technologically advanced i8 Hybrid sports car was showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo earlier this year and has been on the ‘must have’ list of every car enthusiast. Packing in futuristic styling and built using light-weight carbon-fibre and aluminium, the i8 will be India’s first electric hybrid sports car equipped with a 1.5-litre petrol engine coupled with an electric motor producing a combined power output of 357 BHP of power.
BMW further added that the sales and service staff for the BMW i8 will need to have special training in order to handle this high investment product. The company plans to set-up special ‘iDealers’ in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai that will deal in the hybrid range. BMW will have special facilities for hybrids in its existing outlets that will need some additional investments from the company’s principal dealers. Packing in a host of technology, the i8 is expected to be priced around the whopping Rs. 2 crore mark.
Coming to MINI, the iconic hatchback now in its third generation will be launched in the first half of 2015. The company will launch the new MINI 3-door and the 5-door Countryman which are powered by a range of petrol and diesel engine options. The company could have considered the 5-door version as well for the country. To be brought in as a CBU, the MINI range is expected to start at around Rs. 27 lakhs (ex-showroom) and will be competing against the Fiat 500, Mercedes A-Class as well as the upcoming Audi A3 hatchback in the same space.
BMW will be closing its slew of launches this calendar year with the ever so popular M3 sedan and M4 coupe sports cars. Tuned by the company’s M division, the all new M3 gets a 3.0-litre BMW M twin-turbo engine producing 425 BHP of power and 550 Nm of torque paired to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with power being sent to the rear wheels. You also get DSC, SCC, as well as ceramic brakes to keep the car planted at exorbitant speeds. Both the models were recently spied in the country, hinting towards a close launch date and will be priced north of the Rs. 1 crore mark.
