BMW India Confident of Retaining top Position

BMW is confident of retaining its numero uno position in the Indian luxury car market in 2010, which it achieved last year by overtaking its German rival Mercedes-Benz.

“Last year we became India's top luxury car brand and we hope to retain this position and even grow further in the Indian market,” new BMW India President Andreas Schaaf told journalists here on Thursday

Dr. Schaaf, who has taken over from Peter Kronschnabl, said India was an exciting market full of opportunities. “There will be a lot of pressure (to retain the top position in India)… I take it as a challenge. Customer research has already shown that BMW is the strongest premium car brand and we hope to keep this customer confidence intact and grow even faster,” Dr. Schaaf added.

Dr. Schaaf, who has completed his doctoral thesis and studied business administration at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, has come to head BMW's India operations after a successful stint as the Vice-President of BMW Group Korea with responsibility of sales and marketing. Before joining BMW Group Korea, he was the head of market development for the region Asia, Pacific, Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe. On the other hand, Mr. Kronschnabl will be leading the German carmaker's Russia operations, where the company enjoys the leadership position. Since BMW India's inception in 2006, Mr. Kronschnabl not only built the BMW brand, setting up sales and service networks, but also took the Munich-headquartered company to the numero uno position. “I wish and hope that BMW India grows even faster… BMW is not just a brand, it's a philosophy,” he said in his farewell message.

In 2009, BMW overtook Mercedes as the top luxury carmaker in the Indian market with sales of 3,619 units. Its market share in the luxury segment has crossed 40 per cent against just 9 per cent in 2006. With its recent launch of new 5 Series sedan in India, the luxury carmaker is upbeat on its sales. In 2010, the company has set even more ambitious target of achieving the sales of 4,000-units, besides expanding its network, taking the brand to Tier-II and Tier-III cities. BMW also plans to increase production and manpower at its Chennai plant.

The Hindu