Я на машине!

The iconic three-door Cooper Hatch, the Cooper convertible and the Countryman SUV, will be the first three models of Mini from the BMW Group set to enter India early next year.

The pricing will be somewhere around the X1 – in the Rs 25-35 lakh range. The current larger (in size) Mini cars bear almost no technical relation to the original car, though they feature a similar design language.

The BMW Group already sells the BMW, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad (two-wheeler) brands in India, though the last two are imported through independent channels. The company hopes to lure enthusiasts with high-end performance versions on offer, Dr Andreas Schaaf, President, BMW India, told Business Line .

To begin with the company will import the vehicles as completely-built units. By end of next year, Pune, Chandigarh, Chennai and Bangalore will also see dealerships.

A 52-year-old brand, Mini was initially developed as a small city car by the British Motor Corporation. By January-March 2012, two Mini showrooms will open in Delhi, with a third in Mumbai. “We will focus on the high-end market for performance-oriented engines,” he said. It was bought by BMW in 1994 along with the Rover Group. Only one brand is left without an Indian presence – Husqvarna motorcycles.