[Sudan_NFS]

Originally Posted by ecclipse78

I checked out the car today at the BMW dealership in Chennai.

No iDrive
Halogen headlamps (instead of Xenons)
Singe CD player (in-dash)
Manual seats, with electric lumbar support
No Sunroof

It does have leather seats and the 6 speed AT Gearbox.
All the other safety features remain unchanged.

For an on-road price of Rs. 25.95 lacs Chennai, I think it's a great move by BMW.

oh man that's a mouth watering price and I am sure that Accord/Camry/Tenna are going to be affected very much due to this.

Owning A BMW matters more than Accord/Camry/Tenna with Sunfoor/Leather seats which can be added later.

Good move BMW

Does BMW started to localize its part?
can some one post the pics of the car?

[stanjohn123]

I was planning to buy a vehicle in the sub 23 lakh range ,and my eye was on nothing but Skoda Superb TSI , Now BMW has put me in a total Dilemma . Why is BMW reducing the prices only for the 320 D , what about the 320 i ?? why couldn't they strip down 320 i as well ??

Honestly i still see more value in the Superb in terms of luxury and comfort. Plus me being a die hard fan of Skoda(many Reasons for that)still hold superb slightly higher.Will wait and see how the market would react in 2010 with BMW's dare devil move.Meanwhile I hope Skoda plonks in the Passat's common rail engine into the Superb PDI. Only then would i even think of the superb diesel.

Also the Superb TSI is 22 laks OTR whereas the Bimmer is close to 26 OTR.So there is still a price difference of 4 laks between the 2. Do you guys still think it's worth goin in for the Bimmer(Don't take the badges into consideration) ???

[AbhiJ]

So is this the price for fleets or can anyone buy at this price?

[ecclipse78]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

So is this the price for fleets or can anyone buy at this price?

Anyone can buy it....

[amit V8]

a nice move by BMW. but they should have given a basic cd player and a basic i drive as std., something like the 520d.
but what happened to the 320i?? why no change there??

[akj53]

Now that the competition is really hotting up in premium segment, so I foresee a price war in 2010 among Audi, BMW & Mercedes. This bodes well for all as it will lead to lower prices and higher sales.

I think Audi, Mercedes and even BMW will see the market reaction to this stripped down 320 D. If customers lap it up, then off course other models will also take up this strategy.

However I think that most of the customers paying this kind of money will prefer to have a fully loaded car, rather than a stripped version. So I dont see much sales of this 320D. It would be better if they reduce their margins on all models which will lead to lower prices and higher sales. They can also remove the frills like Sun roof and Cruise control from their standard models, and move them to Options list, thereby reducing the price of standard models.

[BeamerBoy]

Originally Posted by akj53

It would be better if they reduce their margins on all models which will lead to lower prices and higher sales. They can also remove the frills like Sun roof and Cruise control from their standard models, and move them to Options list, thereby reducing the price of standard models.

Reduce Margins! With discounts in the range of 4L-12L being heard of every now & then, I wonder how much further the companies or the dealer can slice off?

Sun Roof & Cruise Control on Options list! Ouch, that will take the waiting time to be >6M. Consider that the kits come from Germany & it is up to that kind of time it requires to be shipped & assembled locally for a car. The dealer cannot cut a sun roof or plonk in the Cruise control as retrofit.

[RickyC]

THE ESP of 320d Highline is 30.5L before a willing discount of 2.5L bringing it to 28L. The effective difference being reduced to mere 5L for the stipped down version. With all the goodies being removed, it would be interesting to see how many takers does BMW get for it's new offering.
Or is it that even the stripped down version too would be put on discount very soon..!
The game has just begun...

[S350L-E240]

Can someone post a picture of the interior? I'm really interested in the Black Gloss trim which I would honestly replace with wood even if I got the highline version.

[mayjay]

here's what the dealer told me:
ex showroom 23 in delhi, 24.5 approx on road.
Single cd player, with usb and bluetooth missing, only bluetooth can be retrofitted. Leatherite seats, manually adjustable. Xenons also gone. Interiors are beige.

[ecclipse78]

Originally Posted by mayjay

here's what the dealer told me:
ex showroom 23 in delhi, 24.5 approx on road.
Single cd player, with usb and bluetooth missing, only bluetooth can be retrofitted. Leatherite seats, manually adjustable. Xenons also gone. Interiors are beige.

The car I saw in Chennai was a silver one with black interiors ( leather )

Also, the wood trim is now gone and a black trim present - makes it better looking in my opinion.

[thegman]

Does this come with paddle shifts?
I was earlier thinking of an Altis but it just maybe worth springing the additional 10L for a 3.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I was planning to buy a vehicle in the sub 23 lakh range ,and my eye was on nothing but Skoda Superb TSI , Now BMW has put me in a total Dilemma . Why is BMW reducing the prices only for the 320 D , what about the 320 i ?? why couldn't they strip down 320 i as well ??

Honestly i still see more value in the Superb in terms of luxury and comfort. Plus me being a die hard fan of Skoda(many Reasons for that)still hold superb slightly higher.Will wait and see how the market would react in 2010 with BMW's dare devil move.Meanwhile I hope Skoda plonks in the Passat's common rail engine into the Superb PDI. Only then would i even think of the superb diesel.

Also the Superb TSI is 22 laks OTR whereas the Bimmer is close to 26 OTR.So there is still a price difference of 4 laks between the 2. Do you guys still think it's worth goin in for the Bimmer(Don't take the badges into consideration) ???

Your last line says it all, if you don't take the badge into consideration even the 3 series highline is not a patch on the Superb. We already have a Superb and BMW (5 series) and awaiting delivery of another superb. On hearing this price I did have second thoughts, but only for a mere minute.
I thought to myself, a BMW at this price is yummy but I already had that badge in my garage. Would I want another BMW just to add another fancy badge and thereby downgrading on everything else in comparison to the Superb. Since the time the Superb came home it has become the hot favorite with the family, everyone prefers taking it when chauffeured around town. Heck I neverrr sat in the back seat while my drive drove but now if my journey is over 30 mins I jump in the backseat of the superb! Although for self driving I pick the 5 anyday for obvious reasons but my dad at times still prefers driving the superb as he finds even its front seats more comfy than the 5.
So since the superb even gives the 5 a tough fight on the interiors, it murders the 3 series corporate!

[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by thegman

Does this come with paddle shifts?
I was earlier thinking of an Altis but it just maybe worth springing the additional 10L for a 3.

Only the 325i comes with those. And that's quite a big jump. Remember, maintenance and upkeep of the 3 will be much much higher than the Altis. Even if you opt for the BSI, that's 1.5-2L extra upfront. And we've not even talked about accident repair just yet.

[thegman]

Originally Posted by flyingspur

Only the 325i comes with those. And that's quite a big jump. Remember, maintenance and upkeep of the 3 will be much much higher than the Altis. Even if you opt for the BSI, that's 1.5-2L extra upfront. And we've not even talked about accident repair just yet.

BSI? I assume that you mean a "BMW Service Inclusive" But wouldnt i need that only after the initial warranty expires?

How long is the initial BMW warranty?

Any idea on what the Xenon kit upgrade would cost for this baby?

All inputs would be much appreciated!

Originally Posted by Sahil

So since the superb even gives the 5 a tough fight on the interiors, it murders the 3 series corporate!

Sure the Superb offers more bang for your buck in terms of features, but come on....you cant even begin to compare a BMW to a Skoda!
The 3 is widely considered as one of the best drivers car in the world!