Evaluating new s for Indian market: BMW
German luxury carmaker BMW is evaluating options of launching new products, including electric vehicles, in India in next few years, a top official said on Thursday.The company, which on Thursday introduced two models — all new sports activity vehicle X7 and new version of 7 Series sedan — in the country, however added that the new product launches would depend on market conditions.”We have around five products planned for the coming years. Which one of those is better for India or at what time the launch will happen, I don’t know,” BMW Group India President Hans-Christian Baertels told DIN.He further said, “ideally, we want to have them all and early but we will have to see a business case, see an environment that allows it to happen..and that is what we are basically evaluating on a weekly basis.” The number of models would go up significantly if the company’s global portfolio of hybrid models is also included, Baertels noted.When asked if the company planned to launch electric vehicles in the country, he said, “of course. In Europe people have accepted electric cars and now we are witnessing the same thing happening in India…our policy is to be ready and we have electric vehicles in our global portfolio…we are now in the process of figuring out which model makes sense and by when it could be introduced etc.” Depending upon the market dynamics and the government policies, the company would be ready to “switch the button” and be ready in no time, he added.Terming the April-June quarter as tough, Baertels said the period did not work out as per the company’s sales expectations.
