Why BMW's MINI is betting big on locally assembled cars to double sales in India

BMW Group-owned British carmaker MINI is betting big on the locally assembled Countryman C sport utility vehicle (SUV) to double sales and retail network in India.

The MINI Countryman C, which is now being assembled at BMW Group India’s Chennai plant, was launched at Rs 47,50,000 (ex-showroom).

“We want to double the volumes this year compared with 730 units sold last year. With this very competitive product, we can double the dealer network and go north of doubling our sales,” Florian Kuenstner, Vice President MINI, Region China, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, BMW Group, told Business Today.

India is one of the fastest-growing markets for the MINI brand, and local assembly of the MINI Countryman C gives high hopes to significantly grow, Kuenstner added. “India is one of the biggest car markets in the world and has lots of potential; that's why it's very important to be here and also have local production,” he explained.

By the end of 2026, the British marque plans to double its retail network to 21 outlets across 19 cities. MINI will move beyond metro cities and add new showrooms in Tier-2 cities such as Jodhpur, Ranchi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Vijayawada, among others.

On being asked if MINI plans to localise production of other models as well, Kuenstner said if the Countryman C receives a good response, the company will evaluate localisation of other MINI models.

“The Countryman C is now clearly the cornerstone of our portfolio in India. If we are very successful, we will continue to invest,” he said, adding that the Countryman C has a localisation level of close to 50%.

MINI has also seen an uptick in electric vehicle sales following the fuel price hike. The all-electric Countryman is MINI’s only EV currently on sale in India.

“At the moment, fuel prices are also going up in India, so it's fair to say that one out of three MINIs sold in the country is electric,” said Kuenstner. In markets where fuel prices have gone up, like in India, we see that there is a faster and higher adoption rate for electric cars,” he added.