The BMW Group India on Monday said there is a backlog of 5,500 cars (600 electric vehicles) and 4,500 motorcycles as the demand has grown in the last three months, owing to the new launches. The demand is not just coming from the metros, but also from the semi-urban and tier-2 cities.
“After a record year last year (calendar year), we are having a fantastic start to the new year... we sold over 11,900 cars (BMW+Mini) last year, and 7,200 motorcycles (BMW Motorrad), we have got demand of 5,500 cars and 4,500 motorcycles already till date. Good to have such traction with new models before we start deliveries from June,” Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India, told businessline.
The company recorded highest-ever car deliveries (BMW+Mini) of 11,981 units with 35 per cent growth over 2021 and highest-ever motorcycles deliveries of 7,282 units with 40 per cent growth year-on-year (y-o-y). This year, too, the company expects similar growth, he said.
New launches
Pawah said the company is on track to launch 22 new/refreshed products this year, including four EVs and three motorcycles. Out of the 22, the company has already launched eight new cars, including EVs and one motorcycle in the last four months which gave BMW a good traction showcasing its brand strategy and product strategy for this year, he said.
In December, the company launched the all new BMW 740i M Sport priced at ₹1.70 crore and the first-ever BMW i7 xDrive60 at ₹1.95 crore. Also, for the first time, it brought in the first-ever BMW XM as completely built-up unit (CBU) priced at ₹2.60 crore (all ex-showroom), which will be available from May.
In January, it also launched the locally produced new BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine, available in one diesel variant and one petrol variant priced at ex-showroom prices of ₹57.90 lakh (330Li M Sport, Petrol) and ₹59.50 lakh (320Ld M Sport, Diesel).
The company also launched the all-new X1 sDrive18i xLine (petrol) at ₹45.90 lakh and X1 sDrive18d M Sport (Diesel) at ₹47.90 lakh, in the same month.
Co-existing with issues
When asked about the supply chain issue and chip shortages, Pawah said the geopolitical issues still impact a bit, but the industry has learnt to live with it and how to manage the supply chain, until and unless there is a ‘dramatically’ different thing happens again. “That is why we don’t have supplies right now to meet the demand (of 5,500 cars and 4,500 bikes) and we will cater to customers over the next three months... we have to make sure the supply side is intact and we meet the demand,” he said.
Pawah said the company expects a strong growth momentum to continue this year, too, with double digit growth and will be adding 20 more sales outlets to reach up to 100 across the country by end of this year, to cater to growing demand.