Localisation in India: Carmaker BMW wants to cut cost and time to market

The BMW Group's plant in Chennai produces the BMW 3 Series, the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, the BMW 5 Series, the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo, the BMW 7 Series, the BMW X1, the BMW X3 and the BMW X5

This is the way every global carmaker riding into India would want to go, but localisation is not the easiest of tasks. That’s the challenge facing luxury carmaker BMW which announced recently that it would produce the second-generation of its premium small car model, MINI Countryman, with 50 per cent localisation in India. The idea obviously is to cut down costs and time to market. Vikram Pahwa, president, BMW Group, India, says, “The production of the all-new MINI Countryman has commenced at the BMW Group plant in Chennai and the launch is scheduled for May 2018.”   

Makes sense, given the