BMW may bring Mini Cooper and Countryman to India next year

Mini Cooper S Convertible

BMW India may be considering the Mini Cooper and Countryman models of the famous Mini brand for India. Both the cars could be available in the country by next year. BMW has been studying the Indian market for a couple of years now. The premium hatchback segment which consists of the Fiat 500 and Volkswagen Beetle has seen a steady growth in the past years.

Volkswagen Beetle was launched in India in December 2009 with a price tag of Rs. 20.45 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi).VW had an advance booking of 150 units much before its launch and has sold a total of 284 units in a period of less than 5 months.

At Rs. 14.85 lakh Ex-showroom, Delhi, the Fiat 500 isn’t what you’d call cheap. Still, with its cute, retro looks, the car did find a few buyers, although not quite as much as the Beetle. At one point Fiat could only manage to sell 68 units in two years.

Mini Countryman

BMW is probably expecting more and more buyers to consider products like the Mini, Fiat 500 and the Beetle. The Mini if launched will not share the same showroom space with other BMW’s though. The car will be a CKD and will be sold by dedicated Mini Showrooms. The Mini will be assembled at BMW’s Chennai plant.

The Mini Cooper S Countryman will be powered by a 1.6 litre 4-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 184 bhp of power and torque of 240 Nm @1,600-5,000 rpm. The car comes with an optional all wheel drive and a 6-speed manual transmission. Prices will be upwards of Rs. 15 lakh.

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