By Ragini Saxena
BMW is planning to grow in India’s emerging electric car market as it looks to win over affluent consumers in the world’s most-populous nation amid a clean energy push.
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The German manufacturer expects electric vehicles to account for 25 per cent of its sales in the country by 2025, Vikram Pawah, president of the company’s India business said in an interview at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo on Friday. It sold 1,474 electric cars in 2023, making up 10 per cent of its total sales in the country.
BMW, which introduced battery-powered vehicles in India last year, currently sells five electrified models, the most among all carmakers.
Other global carmakers are also showing interest in India’s budding EV market.
For Volkswagen AG, electric cars will be the “main focus” this year, Ashish Gupta, brand director at the company’s passenger cars division in India, said in an interview at the same event. Volkswagen will initially bring fully-built electrified units into the country and later assemble more premium EVs. It will manufacture EVs locally only after the inflection point is reached, around 2026, he said.
Elon Musk last year said Tesla Inc. will likely make a “significant investment” in India and plans to visit the country this year.
BMW is planning to launch 16 cars in India this year and expand its dealership network to four more cities in three years, from 35 currently. BMW doesn’t intend to invest in more plants yet, Pawah said.
