As the war for leadership in India’s growing luxury car market gathers speed, BMW AG has turned to mobile showrooms to reach out to potential customers beyond the major cities.
Mobile showrooms are typically set up in a particular region for about 15-20 days, before the air-conditioned structures are dismantled and shifted to another location. BMW, which says this is the first such initiative by a luxury car maker in India, plans to have a total of seven mobile showrooms this year. It already has 25 permanent showrooms in India, with plans to expand to 40 by the end of December.
To give customers a feel of the BMW experience, a traveling showroom has several vehicles on display, a reception area and a VIP lounge. Models on display and available for test drives are the recently-introduced 3-Series and 5-Series sedans, as well as the X1, X3 and X5 sport-utility vehicles.
The showrooms will also display models such as the 7-Series sedan and the X6 SUV, which are imported as completely-built units.
The company produces the 3 Series and 5 Series sedans as well as the X1 SUV in Chennai. It also makes the diesel engine version of the X3 SUV in the southern port city.
A spokesman for BMW India said the company has received an enthusiastic response to the first mobile showroom, set up on the premises of a hotel in Karnal, in the northern state of Haryana.
“Families are coming to the showroom and checking out the cars for the first time,” the spokesman said. He said BMW may establish a permanent dealership in some emerging cities if it is confident of generating sufficient sales.
The mobile showroom in Karnal will remain until Aug. 18, and then will be moved to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. It is currently being managed by a BMW dealership based in the northern city of Chandigarh. Other mobile showrooms are planned for six more cities: Agra, Dehradun–the capital of Uttarakhand state, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand state, Patna–the capital of Bihar state, Bhopal–the capital of the Madhya Pradesh state and Nashik in the state of Maharashtra.
BMW will offer 100% financing on the entire product range at the mobile showrooms.
The company’s latest marketing initiative comes as competition intensifies from its German rivals–Audi AG and Daimler AG, as well as others such as Jaguar Land Rover in India. Economic expansion and a growing number of dollar millionaires who are spending on high-end goods are prompting several luxury car makers to sell their products in India. Premium luxury car makers–Maserati SpA, Ferrari SpA, Volkswagen AG’s Bugatti and Bentley, as well as BMW’s Rolls-Royce are also among those selling vehicles in India.
BMW remains the largest luxury car maker in India with sales of 2,760 cars during April-July. But that’s a decline of 14% from a year earlier. Meanwhile, Audi AG, the second-ranked luxury car maker in India, sold 2,527 cars, a growth of 45%. Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd. reported a 24% decline to 1,633 vehicles.
Mobile showrooms are typically set up in a particular region for about 15-20 days, before the air-conditioned structures are dismantled and shifted to another location. BMW, which says this is the first such initiative by a luxury car maker in India, plans to have a total of seven mobile showrooms this year. It already has 25 permanent showrooms in India, with plans to expand to 40 by the end of December.
To give customers a feel of the BMW experience, a traveling showroom has several vehicles on display, a reception area and a VIP lounge. Models on display and available for test drives are the recently-introduced 3-Series and 5-Series sedans, as well as the X1, X3 and X5 sport-utility vehicles.
The showrooms will also display models such as the 7-Series sedan and the X6 SUV, which are imported as completely-built units.
The company produces the 3 Series and 5 Series sedans as well as the X1 SUV in Chennai. It also makes the diesel engine version of the X3 SUV in the southern port city.
A spokesman for BMW India said the company has received an enthusiastic response to the first mobile showroom, set up on the premises of a hotel in Karnal, in the northern state of Haryana.
“Families are coming to the showroom and checking out the cars for the first time,” the spokesman said. He said BMW may establish a permanent dealership in some emerging cities if it is confident of generating sufficient sales.
The mobile showroom in Karnal will remain until Aug. 18, and then will be moved to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. It is currently being managed by a BMW dealership based in the northern city of Chandigarh. Other mobile showrooms are planned for six more cities: Agra, Dehradun–the capital of Uttarakhand state, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand state, Patna–the capital of Bihar state, Bhopal–the capital of the Madhya Pradesh state and Nashik in the state of Maharashtra.
BMW will offer 100% financing on the entire product range at the mobile showrooms.
The company’s latest marketing initiative comes as competition intensifies from its German rivals–Audi AG and Daimler AG, as well as others such as Jaguar Land Rover in India. Economic expansion and a growing number of dollar millionaires who are spending on high-end goods are prompting several luxury car makers to sell their products in India. Premium luxury car makers–Maserati SpA, Ferrari SpA, Volkswagen AG’s Bugatti and Bentley, as well as BMW’s Rolls-Royce are also among those selling vehicles in India.
BMW remains the largest luxury car maker in India with sales of 2,760 cars during April-July. But that’s a decline of 14% from a year earlier. Meanwhile, Audi AG, the second-ranked luxury car maker in India, sold 2,527 cars, a growth of 45%. Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd. reported a 24% decline to 1,633 vehicles.
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