BMW India sales accelerate 17% in March quarter amid sluggish luxury car market
India’s luxury car sales had outgrown the mass market after the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the West Asia war has dented demand for luxury cars.
- Apr 8, 2026,
- Updated Apr 8, 2026 5:08 PM IST
Sales of BMW Group India surged 17% year-on-year to 4,567 units, even as the luxury car market in India slowed due to the war in West Asia in the January-March quarter.
“The overall car market in Q1 has grown 18%, but the luxury segment has grown by about 3%. If you remove BMW from that, then there is a decline of about 3%,” Hardeep Singh Brar, President and CEO of BMW Group India, told reporters.
India’s luxury car sales had outgrown the mass market after the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the West Asia war has dented demand for luxury cars.
“The luxury car market has not done well because this customer is a lot more dependent on global economics. In the mass market, you have a lot of salaried buyers who are not worried about the market. But business customers have been impacted. They are conservative and cautious at this point,” says Brar.
“The West Asia war has impacted the luxury segment more. We have seen this in the past that whenever there is global volatility, it impacts the luxury buyer first. But they are the first ones to bounce back. When the situation improves, we may see a good spurt in the coming months,” believes the BMW Group India CEO.
Part of the reason BMW has outperformed the industry is its robust electric-vehicle sales. Every fourth car sold by BMW in 2026 was an EV. Between January and March, 1,185 BMW and MINI EVs were sold, clocking 83% growth year over year. With EV penetration of 26% in Q1, BMW commands the largest market share of 70% in the luxury electric segment in India.
And Brar says the West Asia war will only hasten the transition towards electric vehicles.
“In March, because of the West Asia war, a lot of customers have started feeling that EVs are the right way forward. Our strong presence in the segment helped us,” says Brar.
“A lot of customers are apprehensive about the fuel price hike going forward. If fuel prices increase, there will be a heavy burden on the pockets of customers. I don’t think electricity prices are going to go up in the same proportion. So, the running cost of the delta between ICE and EV is going to go up. BEVs make a lot of sense,” believes Brar.
EVs also require little maintenance. “EVs are not coming back to service stations. It is a concern that after-sales business will take an impact because of low maintenance,” he adds.
More than 80% of BMW Group India’s EV sales come from iX1, an entry luxury EV priced a little over Rs 50 lakh.
The German carmaker plans to launch 27 products in India in 2026. Of these, four were launched in the March quarter.
Sales of BMW Group India surged 17% year-on-year to 4,567 units, even as the luxury car market in India slowed due to the war in West Asia in the January-March quarter.
“The overall car market in Q1 has grown 18%, but the luxury segment has grown by about 3%. If you remove BMW from that, then there is a decline of about 3%,” Hardeep Singh Brar, President and CEO of BMW Group India, told reporters.
India’s luxury car sales had outgrown the mass market after the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the West Asia war has dented demand for luxury cars.
“The luxury car market has not done well because this customer is a lot more dependent on global economics. In the mass market, you have a lot of salaried buyers who are not worried about the market. But business customers have been impacted. They are conservative and cautious at this point,” says Brar.
“The West Asia war has impacted the luxury segment more. We have seen this in the past that whenever there is global volatility, it impacts the luxury buyer first. But they are the first ones to bounce back. When the situation improves, we may see a good spurt in the coming months,” believes the BMW Group India CEO.
Part of the reason BMW has outperformed the industry is its robust electric-vehicle sales. Every fourth car sold by BMW in 2026 was an EV. Between January and March, 1,185 BMW and MINI EVs were sold, clocking 83% growth year over year. With EV penetration of 26% in Q1, BMW commands the largest market share of 70% in the luxury electric segment in India.
And Brar says the West Asia war will only hasten the transition towards electric vehicles.
“In March, because of the West Asia war, a lot of customers have started feeling that EVs are the right way forward. Our strong presence in the segment helped us,” says Brar.
“A lot of customers are apprehensive about the fuel price hike going forward. If fuel prices increase, there will be a heavy burden on the pockets of customers. I don’t think electricity prices are going to go up in the same proportion. So, the running cost of the delta between ICE and EV is going to go up. BEVs make a lot of sense,” believes Brar.
EVs also require little maintenance. “EVs are not coming back to service stations. It is a concern that after-sales business will take an impact because of low maintenance,” he adds.
More than 80% of BMW Group India’s EV sales come from iX1, an entry luxury EV priced a little over Rs 50 lakh.
The German carmaker plans to launch 27 products in India in 2026. Of these, four were launched in the March quarter.