German luxury carmaker inaugurates exclusive showroom that offers all the cars in the BMW range

It was a cool day in Chennai in early March 2008, which was pretty unusual at that time of the year for this Southern metro. Perhaps, the weather was mirroring how owners of a classic luxury brand would feel - Cool. The occasion was when German luxury carmaker BMW inaugurated KUN Exclusive, an exclusive showroom, on the outskirts of the city. More important, the event marked the roll out of BMW's famed M Series of cars, nay brand, in Chennai. 

Addressing an understandably packed media audience, after inaugurating the showroom, president of BMW India, Peter Kronschnabl said BMW M Series cars were a successful synthesis of unobtrusive yet powerful appearance, combined with a high-performance power unit - a sports car featuring Formula 1 technology and at the same time offering premium comfort for everyday use. The M Series range comprises the M3 Coupe, M5 Sedan, M6 Coupe, and M6 Convertible. All of the cars can be ordered at KUN Exclusive. 

The M Series cars not only excel due to their high performance, but for the way in which power is produced and developed. The car's inexhaustible power reserves create a new dimension in effortlessness. The heart of an M Series car is its high-revving naturally aspirated engine. Built with passion, the M engines offer turbine-like performance, instant responses at all engine speeds. For agility, the M uses intelligent lightweight materials throughout, helping to maximise the power-to-weight ratio and allowing those at the wheel to make the most of the engine's power. The stunning new M3 Coupe is the fourth generation of this sports car legend. Designed to thrill, it combines sports performance with everyday practicality. The advanced V8 power unit in the M3 delivers performance that has to be experienced to be believed. 

The unforgettable M5 Sedan, the masterful M6 Coupe and the M6 Convertible take high performance even further. Sophisticated lightweight materials, sequential M transmission Drivelogic and high-performance engine management technology herald the arrival of Formula One technology on the road. The M V10 engine, available in both the M5 and the M6, is a three-time winner of the coveted "International Engine of the Year" award and is recognised as the benchmark in performance engines. 

Fielding a barrage of questions, Kronschnabl asserted that "There is no standing still" at BMW India in 2008, and explained that the company had exceeded its own expectations in a big way, in terms of the volumes sold. Elaborating, he said the company had set itself a target of selling 1000 cars in 2007 but overshot it by 387 units thus making 2007 the "Year of India" at the BMW Group. Globally, the company registered sales of 1.5 million units last year. For the record, BMW India Private Limited commissioned its assembly plant in the Mahindra World City near Chennai in March 2007 at an investment of Rs 100-plus crores. The plant at present produces 1700 units of the 3 and 5 Series sedans in petrol and diesel variants. 10 per cent of the components in the vehicles are locally sourced. 

Buoyed by the response in India, the company has set itself a target of selling 2000 vehicles this year, Kronschnabl said, adding the company had pumped in an additional investment of USD 750,000 in the Chennai facility to scale up production to 3000 units. Going by what Kronschnabl described as the "best month" when the company sold 241 cars in February 08, BMW India is well on its way to achieving this target. The company had sold 229 units in January 08. 

Charting out the sales and service strategy, Kronschnabl said, "We have set very high standards for our dealer network and set new benchmarks in service quality and customer care in India that are at par with international standards," and added that an aggressive plan was being implemented for development of a dealer organisation across all metropolitan centres of the country. The company was looking at establishing dealerships at Kochi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata, by the year-end, thereby taking its network to 12 outlets. The company was also looking at Coimbatore, Rajkot and Surat as possible Tier I cities for setting up dealerships, he informed. 

Dwelling on future production plans and launches, Kronschnabl said BMW followed production-follows-the-market approach and added that the company was exploring possibilities of producing the 320Di at Chennai and also roll out the X series in the country next year.