| Foreign markets | India | MINI |
Forget the Tata Nano, BMW reckons Indian buyers want a MINI. The German firm is looking at introducing the MINI to India with a possible price tag of 2 million Rupees (£25,000), which would make it the priciest small car in India.
BMW has taken a great interest in the amount of coverage the Tata Nano has received, though company insiders say there are definitely no plans for BMW to compete at the budget end of the market. Instead, the word from BMW is that India's increasingly affluent middle class wants a small luxury car and the MINI is the ideal machine to fill this gap.
BMW sold 1,387 cars in India in 2007, more than half of which were 3 Series models. More sales are planned for 2008 and BMW-owned Rolls-Royce recently opened a showroom in Mumbai.
Alisdair Suttie - 18 Mar 2008