[mayanksabharwal]

Just read this. Sales of BMW India revealed and they are No 3.

http://www.rushlane.com/bmw-india-21...-12102850.html

[joy_swift]

Originally Posted by mayanksabharwal

Just read this. Sales of BMW India revealed and they are No 3. http://www.rushlane.com/bmw-india-21...-12102850.html

Had to happen,BMW has no exciting products below 30L,where Audi and Merc are dominating big time.Audi will rock once they launch the A3 sedan.

[Vid6639]

As I mentioned in the earlier thread. BMW is losing out in the SUV category. X1 vs Q3 and X3 vs Q5 and ML250.

If they give a break up of numbers I'm pretty sure the 3 series is the only car in the lineup that is selling and is helping BMW.

The 5 series loses out to the A6 and the E class cause buyers in that segment want luxury with loads of features. The A6 offers the features and the tech whereas the E class has the opulence. 5 series buyers are probably in a higher age bracket.

[Turbo_Torq]

Can I know what extra features does the A6 offer over the 5? With all respect, it's a serious question.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The 5 series loses out to the A6 and the E class cause buyers in that segment want luxury with loads of features. The A6 offers the features and the tech whereas the E class has the opulence. 5 series buyers are probably in a higher age bracket.

I think the 5 is selling the most of the range. Atleast in Mumbai you see a lot more of the 5er than the new 3.

If the 3GT is priced well it could well be a game changer. BMW should also push the X3 more, the dealer inventory of this model is very low hence the discounts aren't as high as that on the 5 or 3.

Moreover the facelift 5 is barely discount while the A6 is still highly discounted. The 5 flew off the showroom floors last year or more thanks to the heavy discounts. Heck, the facelift 5 with his hefty price tag costs 10 lakhs more than the heavily discounts prefacelift did during it's stock clearance.

The dealer did mentioned to me last week when I bought a prefacelift 520d that the 525d is now discontinued and a stripped down version if he 520d will be launched soon. This lower priced 5 could bring in the volumes. I guess the 3GT will be priced at par with what the now discontinued 525d was. IMO, that price is yet too high at near 50 lakhs.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Turbo_Torq

Can I know what extra features does the A6 offer over the 5? With all respect, it's a serious question.

I am not sure how to put this down so please check the link below:

http://www.zigwheels.com/car-compari...-5-Series-520d

Anurag.

[fuelinmyveins]

Originally Posted by Turbo_Torq

Can I know what extra features ds the A6 offer over the 5? With all respect, it's a serious question.

Full LED headlamps , adaptive air suspension , bose surround sound , 4 zone climate control , a better MMI with bigger and higher resolution screen , rear seat controls for MMI etc. to name a few. Saying this for 2.0 tdi premium plus , the price which is similar to 520d

[Nilesh5417]

I don't know what volumes the Merc A & B series do but i just happened to see a 1 series closely and its an absolutely lame car. Carries no swagger that a typical BMW should carry, interiors look so dull and the power figures are nothing that suggest its a BMW under the hood.

I think customers have started getting tired of the BMWs like they were of Merc 2yrs back. Merc revamped the looks of their entire line up and they all look now like shiny new cars we haven't seen before. Maybe BMW needs to pimp up the looks to something radically fresh, technology is all there but ultimately, its the same old clothes.

I think Audi is #1 cause they now have a portfolio that is envy of others and always tempt with oh-so-in-reach finance schemes. But am sure they are heading the same as BMW in 2yrs time with every car looking a smaller or longer version of the other. But lesson is hard selling works! Am sure Audi as a company is doing something that catches the eyes of those out to buy a luxury car. BTW in pune, these only seem to be land owners / builders who have found new money and get a white Audi.

[drmohitg]

7000 odd compared to 9k units from Mercedes and 10k from Audi should be giving BMW a lot of reason to worry. That is quite a significant difference. And worst is that I don't see that changing much in this year too since BMW has practically got no new launches per se. On the other hand Audi has the upcoming A3 which looks really promising and Mercedes would probably soon be coming with the new C class. Probably time for that stripped down corporate edition of the 3 to make a comeback and add to those numbers.

BMW is surely losing the battle only in the SUV segment. I don't think the A6 outsells either the E class or the 5 series. Its so hard to spot one on the roads whereas E and 5 are aplenty. The only Audi sedan one sees on a fairly regular basis is the A4 followed by Q 5 and Q 7.

[F150]

I think it has to more to do with reduction in the awe/bling factor in owning a BMW. BMW should spruce up their design and come up with a design something as radical as the E60 5 series.

[IshaanIan]

Not surprising at all with no decent offering below 30lakhs, the Bavarian marquee was sure to slip down.

Also both Mercedes and Audi are offering fresher incentives with facelifts, creations of cheaper variants, expansion of network and marketing, heavily hyped news of the A3 sedan coming and alliance with google's android to look forward to for Audi. A complete brand image rework, aggressive design changes and non-miserly attitude towards offering more features for Mercedes.
BMW on the other hand seems to be just improving on what they have not really changing much and the argument, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", cannot really be used because the market (atleast the non-enthusiasts) gets really bored.

Anyway the 2 series ought to be great news for us enthusiasts to look forward to

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Sahil

I think the 5 is selling the most of the range. Atleast in Mumbai you see a lot more of the 5er than the new 3.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

BMW is surely losing the battle only in the SUV segment. I don't think the A6 outsells either the E class or the 5 series. Its so hard to spot one on the roads whereas E and 5 are aplenty. The only Audi sedan one sees on a fairly regular basis is the A4 followed by Q 5 and Q 7.

But the 5 series came out much before the A6 which is why you will see a lot more 5 series. The E class started losing steam in between and the 5 series was doing very well when it got launched.

I don't know the real numbers but look at the new 5 with the LEd lights vs the new E class. I see way more E class than the new 5.

Also my feeling when I sat in a 3 and 5 was that the new 3 has grown so much that it's just way close to the 5. Even when it comes to rear space there was not a big difference between the new 3 and the 5. The new 3 kind of makes the 5 pointless unless someone wants the 530d.

And you hit the nail on the head when it comes to the X3. I found out that they have a corporate edition known as Advantage only last week. Absolutely no marketing when it comes to the X3.

[girishglg]

Surely this position is not just because BMW did not do enough but its other main rival Mercedes pulled up their socks big time launching the A, B class straddling the entire price point with the three pointed star.

Also on the other hand Audi has been agressive in its play in our market and also considered a youth brand drawing more towards it.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Sahil

I guess the 3GT will be priced at par with what the now discontinued 525d was. IMO, that price is yet too high at near 50 lakhs.

I don't have any definitive authority on this but I was under the impression that the 3GT was supposed to slot between the 3 and 5 on price (perhaps closer to 5 than 3 but a notch below nevertheless - not same price as 5). 50 lakh for the 3GT is a big dampener.

Does anyone have more info on 3GT pricing?

[Akshay1234]

This is simply because BMW has been sitting on their backside and not doing much. While Mercedes has been launching new products this full year, and pricing them well while keeping them loaded with features (something the Indians love), and Audi has been giving massive discounts (something Indians love more) and marketing the hell out of itself - BMW has been launching products with good drivetrains but their prices and feature specification has gone all wrong (To buy a fully loaded hatchback the 118d you have to pay 38l on road)

Hopefully they will do something about the way they spec the cars, and add more features to lower variants. BMW cannot get back to no1 for at least 2 years, Mercedes still has the lower end S classes and the new C class and the GLK which are all due to come here still.