BMW plans to drive in sub-1000cc bikes by 2012

BMW, the German luxury car maker that introduced its bikes in India in January, aims to sell 45 motorcycles this year.

“The company has already sold 15 bikes so far and aims to sell around 45 bikes this calendar year,” said a company official.

BMW Motorrad, the carmaker’s motorcycle venture, will initially sell its products at two outlets in Delhi and Mumbai. BMW dealers — Navnit Motors in Mumbai and Deutsche Motors in New Delhi — are currently importing the bikes into India.

“They have taken over full responsibility of the marketing and development of the bike market in India. They talk directly to our headquarters in Munich in case of any import orders as our bike operations are totally different from that of the car business,” said the official.

Currently, BMW is fully importing its bikes into India. “Our aim is to sell at least 100 bikes before we start assembling them in India. If the market is big enough we might think of including bike operations within our Indian subsidiary,” said the official.

BMW is offering six models initially, which include S1000RR, K1300, R1200GS, K1600GTL, R1200R and HP2 Sports. All these bikes are above 1,000cc and in the Rs 18-23 lakh range. “As part of the branding and marketing activities, the company has already started participating in motor shows in India apart from organising road shows,” said Sharad Kachalia, MD, Navnit Motors.

According to Kachalia, “The company is also looking at introducing bikes below 1,000cc. We intend to bring these bikes by 2012.”   

The market for super-premium bikes in India is estimated to be around 1,000 units a year with growth rate of about 20%. The market is fast opening up with number of players exploring the opportunity.

Meanwhile, BMW unveiled its 650i convertible for Rs95 lakh. The company has already received four bookings for the product so far.