|
|
To Chennai with love is BMW
mantra
Luxury sportscar major opens
plant in Chennai, Tamilnadu.
BY OUR AUTO CORRESPONDENT
March 29, 2007: M Karunanidhi must
be a happy man. Close on the heels of
the mega Renault-Nissan-Mahindra
venture setting shop on Tamil Nadu
soil, it is now the turn of none other
than BMW to roll in.
The car giant has unveiled its
assembly plant at Chengalpattu, 40 km
south of Chennai. With India promising
to offer unique opportunities for
growth in the premium automobile
segment, the company has set up the
plant with a capacity of 1,700
vehicles a year.
The automobile behemoth which has a
distribution network of as many as 12
dealers in cities such as Mumbai, New
Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad, also has
lined up an expansion on that front.
Reports quoting sources aid that the
dealership network will double by this
year end. The idea is to grab all
opportunities that arise for BMW’s
three automotive brands.The brands
being BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the
report added.
On the pricing front, BMW officials
said that the lowest priced 3- Series
vehicle will cost Rs 2.6 million,
while the higher range would cost up
to Rs 4.2 million.
Significantly, India makes only the
seats of the cars, while the remaining
parts are imported. As per the new
plan, BMW will manufacture the doors
of the cars India and it will not
export its Indian products.
Chennai is indeed turning hot on the
auto front. It is only a matter of
time before more Tamil Nadu cities
also roll out the red carpet for
global majors.
|
