BMW confirms Mini for India. Launch planned for 2012

2010 Mini John Cooper Works convertible

As we all know, Mini is owned by BMW and it has been predicted from time and again that BMW might bring the Mini brand to India. Team ICB has asked top officials at the company about the latest developments in the past. Recently, we got the opportunity to talk to Dr. Andreas Schaaf, President, BMW India during the BMW X3 launch in Pune. Dr. Schaaf himself, is fond of the Mini and told us that he was trying his best to convince the top bosses at BMW to consider the brand for India.

As it turns out, BMW will launch the Mini as early as next year. 2012 will see the debut of Mini in India according recent reports. Which models and engines will come to India is what we will find out in the coming months. Meanwhile, the Mini is one of the iconic cars with a lot history behind the brand. There are hardcore fans of the brand even in India and BMW will be hoping to cater to those looking for a premium, exclusive hatchback with four seats.

Mini One

The market for such cars isn’t big. The cars like the Volkswagen Beetle and the Fiat 500 haven’t been doing well. The Fiat 500, even though it was priced way below the Beetle, failed to generate sufficient volumes for the Italian car maker. But now, the premium car market is slowly changing but it still seems early days for premium hatchback. Mercedes-Benz is expected to launch the B-Class in June next year. Something must be cooking at BMW, for sure.

The Mini could be BMW’s answer to the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. Audi will also launch the A3 sedan which could benefit more since it has the advantage of size over the others. All said, we would love to see the Mini on Indian streets. Let us see how BMW India price the car when it comes to India. It should be around Rs 18 lakh considering the Mercedes-Benz B-Class could also be priced in the same range.

Via Hormazd Sorabjee