[Sahil]

Finally some factful dates!
But i am a bit disappointed, was hoping the 5 series would be available by begining of 2007 guess the waits gonna be a 6 months more!
The million dollar question yet to be answered is what engine specs are we getting? 530i is my best bet.

[mail4ajo]

I have started seeing many 3, 5 and 7 series BMW suddenly in chennai. Has BMW started delivering cars even before production??

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

I have started seeing many 3, 5 and 7 series BMW suddenly in chennai. Has BMW started delivering cars even before production??

How do you expect them to Deliver cars even before production thats a hilarious question.
The BMW's you see are fully imported.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by Sahil

How do you expect them to Deliver cars even before production thats a hilarious question.
The BMW's you see are fully imported.

I heard someone say that BMW is targeting the cream of the society and started marketing to them. This perhaps connected me to the sudden appearance of atleast 7 new BMWs in Chennai.

[CaliforniaKnight]

Originally Posted by Sahil

The million dollar question yet to be answered is what engine specs are we getting? 530i is my best bet.

BMW will be doing the 320i, 320d , 530i and 530d cars for India.The seven will be introduced at a later stage but will be a direct import.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaKnight

BMW will be doing the 320i, 320d , 530i and 530d cars for India.The seven will be introduced at a later stage but will be a direct import.

At last Mercedes is getting some serious competition for each of it variants.
However, the Three pointer star will always carry more prestige in India minds. BMW will have to price their cars very competivly to get good sales. Any clue on what the pricing for the 5 series is gonna be? Lower or higher than the E-Class?

[99w210]

I assume these would be cheaper than the Imported version of 3 and 5 series..( ie. from Navnit motors at the moment )..How cheap would they be?..Atleast 30% lower?

[lurker]

My guess is 3-series would start at around 20 lakhs, if they use CKD. Probably 22-25 lakhs if they go for SKD.

[lurker]

BTW considering that the 3-series is being built up from CKD which attracts only 30% import duty compared to the CBU that attracts almost 60% duty, and considering that the CBU 3-series from Navnit costs around 25 lks, is there any chance that the Indian 3 series will cost below 20 lks ?

[kbk_75]

Which CBU 3 series are you referring to? There is no way they can sell a 3 series for 25 lakhs at the moment. For starters, their cars are not homologated with the ARAI, so any car they sell here has to cost AT LEAST 40,000 USD and then you add on the 105% duty, octroi, registration, insurance, etc, so you are looking at prices in the range of approx. 45 Lakhs +

[lurker]

And is 40,000 the price inclusive of VAT or exclusive of it. I guess if the vehicle is being exported as CBU then VAT of exporting country need not be applied.

I saw the figure of 25 lakhs from another thread. I think the 350Z thread, there is a slim probability that the Rupee was valued at 43.5 to the dollar then so that too might have made a difference.

[spadival]

Why would anyone wanna buy a 3 Series @ 45 lk when they can go for a Merc E series ??

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by spadival

Why would anyone wanna buy a 3 Series @ 45 lk when they can go for a Merc E series ??

That is exactly why you barely see any 3 series imported.
On the pricing topic, I BMW should price its cars 2-3 Lakhs less than its Mercedes Rival. This way they will be able to pentrate into the market better and the minds of the indian customers which regards the tri-star as the ultimate status symbol.

[kbk_75]

On the other hand, I think BMW should match Mercedes for price, but show that their cars are superior, either by equipping them with better engines, better high-end features (like xenon lamps on the 3 series) and better standard features, rather than just undercut Mercedes on price. To be honest, I don't think it matters much to people who spend 25+ lakhs on a car if it costs 2-3 lakhs more or less, they would rather feel that what they have is special and better than what the other guy has!

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by Sahil

That is exactly why you barely see any 3 series imported.

That's true. There are two E90 BMW 3 series in the country today AFAIK. One in Bombay and one in Delhi! To be honest, I would much rather own a high-end 3 series or C class than a crap low-end 5 Series or E-class (can you say E200K ?! )