German car maker BMW maintained its lead for yet another year even as fellow competitor Audi from the Volkswagen Group inched closer to it.
BMW sold 9,375 units in India in 2012 successfully defending the title for the fourth year in a row as India's largest luxury car maker.
Audi, which also disclosed its last year's India sales today sold 9,003 units, staying ahead of Mercedes-Benz. Audi witnessed a jump of 63% in sales last year compared to its sales in 2011 of 5,511 units.
Audi has set a target of 2015 which is when it aims to dethrone BMW to become India's biggest luxury car maker. All the three luxury car manufacturers have raised their prices in the range of 1-5% since the start of 2013.
Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India, said, “We set a target of 8,000 cars for the year 2012 but managed to achieve that target by November itself and revised it further to 8,600 cars. We have managed to exceed this target as well with a total sale of 9,003 cars. Our strong performance is a result of our diverse product portfolio, network expansion, unique marketing activities and after-sales service at par with global standards. We have already made headway in 24 dealerships across the country by consolidating our leadership presence in markets like the NCR region, Gujarat and Maharashtra among others.”
The hike in prices have come on the back of a marked shift in strategy of discontinuing with discounts and focussing on brand building instead. These manufacturers where giving away discounts of up to Rs 1 lakh or even more on certain models.
Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India said, “The success of BMW India has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. BMW has emerged as the strongest and the most coveted brand in the luxury car segment in India with the most desirable product portfolio and an efficient dealer network.”
BMW India aims to expand its completely knocked down product range to better cover opportunities in the luxury car segment. This year the company will launch the new BMW X1, the new BMW 7 Series and the BMW 1 Series. The new BMW 7 Series and the BMW 1 Series will be locally produced at BMW Plant Chennai in 2013.
