BMW aims to regain top slot with new 5 Series
14 Jul 2010
The Indian luxury car market is set to witness a fierce battle between players like Mercedes Benz, BMW and others as they launch newer models to grab larger shares of the growing segment.
BMW is rolling out its highest-selling model- the spruced up 5 Series – from Chennai plant on Tuesday, priced between Rs38.9 lakh and Rs58 lakh (ex-showroom). The luxury car maker hopes to regain market leadership with the new 5 Series in India, which it has lost to arch rival Mercedes Benz.
BMW had become the largest luxury car seller, displacing Mercedes Benz from the top slot with sale of 3,941 units for the year ended March '10. It had to yield the spot to Mercedes last quarter after the 5 Series went out of production early this year.
The company rolled out the new 5 Series sedans with petrol and diesel options in April and has sold more than 3,700 units in India since 2007. Over 50 per cent of the company's sales come from the model.
MEanwhile, Mercedes-Benz, is planning to consolidate its market position with new launches, after regaining the top slot with sales of 1,118 cars for the three-months ended June this year,The Economic Times reported.
It has already launched 15 products across different segments since January and is now looking to press home the advantage with several new cars from its global line-up including SLS AMG which will be on offer at an ex-showroom price tag of Rs2 crore.
