A lot of components for BMW’s next generation of battery technology will be sourced from India. Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India confirmed this while speaking to Mobility Outlook on the sidelines of the company’s Joytown Fest in Delhi last weekend.
Pawah said India has a great ecosystem for the auto industry, and in addition to producing vehicles in India, the group also procures a lot of parts in India for global production. So, there's “reverse export, that happens as well,” he added.
It must be noted that for FY22, ACMA reported that exports of auto components from India grew by 43% YoY to INR 1.41 lakh crore ($19 billion). Of that volume, North America accounted for 32%, resulting in a YoY growth of 46%; Europe accounted for 31% (growth of 39%) and Asia 25% (growth of 40%). The key export items included drive transmission and steering, engine components, body/chassis, suspension and braking, etc.
Besides, the Indian entity is also collecting feedback from India, particularly from the young population, and sharing them with the global organisation. Although the company doesn’t have a R&D centre in India, it collects and provides feedback on customer preferences in this market.
“The tastes of the younger generation are quite different from traditional markets and this is where India is playing an important role in contributing towards providing those inputs for the future product development,” Pawah stated.
Completing Milestone
Speaking of volumes, the BMW India President expects this fiscal, its 15th year in the country, to be its best ever. “January to November, we're sitting at 40% growth in our car segment, which is BMW and Mini brands, and 46% growth in our Motorrad brand,” he said.
Going forward, the company announced its intent to launch eight products in the next eight weeks. The first of the products expected to be launched from the brand is the X7 facelift, while the newly launched 7 Series including the i7 along with the new X1 are also in the pipeline for planned launches in the timeframe.
As of today, 98% of the products offered in India by BMW are locally produced, including the 2 Series Gran Coupe, 3 Series, 3 Series Gran Limousine, M340i, 5-Series, 6-Series Gran Turismo, 7-Series, X1, X3, X4, X5, X7 and the MINI Countryman. While for the Motorrad brand, 90% of the product offerings are locally produced, including the likes of the G310 series.
Depending on the sales volumes, the company is also open to manufacture its electric vehicle line-up in India, Pawah said.
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