German luxury auto maker BMW on Thursday reported a 16.7 per cent fall in total sales in India in the first three months (January-March) of the year at 2,482 units as compared with 2,982 units in the same period last year.
Sales of BMW brand cars declined by 16.19 per cent to 2,365 units during the period as compared with 2,822 units in January-March period last year.
The MINI brand sales stood at 117 units during the period, down26.8per cent from 160 units in the year-ago period.
BMW Motorrad motorcycle sales, however, rose 71.52 per cent to 1,024 units during the first quarter of the year as compared with 597 units in January-March period last year.
"The coronavirus pandemic presents a mammoth challenge to public health, industry, economy and our business," BMW Group India President and Chief Executive Officer Rudratej Singh said in a statement.
With the strength of its admired brands and superior products, BMW Group India will remain resilient and responsive in every way, he added.
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The current situation has brought many operational difficulties and eliminated valuable physical interactions with customers at dealerships, Singh noted.
"Until normalcy returns, our focus will be on consistent digital interaction with our customers and maintaining the performance," he added.
Elaborating on first quarter sales, the company said a significant contribution of over 50 per cent came from locally-produced models like X1, X3, X5 and X7.
A strong contribution also came from the 5 Series and the 3 Series, it added.
The MINI hatch and the locally-produced MINI Countryman together commanded a share of over 60 per cent in MINI sales, the automaker said.
The momentum for BMW Motorrad was primarily driven by the G 310 R and the G 310 GS motorcycles, it added.