BMW expects to sell 2000 cars this year

Luxury car-maker BMW is expecting to sell 2,000 units in India this year as against a sale of 1,387 vehicles in 2007. The German automobile major registered its highest monthly sale of 241 cars in the country last month.

According to BMW India president Peter Kronschnabl, the company had envisaged sales of 1,000 units in 2007 but surpassed the target. It is now confident of emerging as the largest seller of luxury cars in the country and is well on its course to overtake its competitor Mercedes Benz India.

The company has also expanded the capacity at its Chennai assembly plant to 3,000 units from the initial level of 1,700 units,

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday on the occasion of opening of a showroom by Delta Motors, BMW's dealer in Hyderabad, Kronschnabl said the company would be expanding its dealer network to 12 this year from the present nine outlets. The next dealerships would be opened in Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

With regard to the plans for launching the 'Mini' in India, Kronschnabl said that a decision was yet to be taken though the study on the viability of launching it had been completed.

He said that the company's international purchasing office in Gurgoan would focus on the development of exports from India to the BMW group's international production network It would also explore procurement of components as well as information technology and engineering services.

Delta Motors managing director, Viren Choudary, said he was targeting to sell 200 cars in the current year in Hyderabad. His next programme of expansion includes setting up service centres in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.