We are looking to be the No 1 player next year: BMW India CEO |
Fresh off its strongest year ever in the country, BMW Group India is sharpening its ambitions. The German luxury carmaker sold 18,001 units in 2025, its highest annual sales ever. Sales rose 14 percent from a year earlier, far outpacing industry growth, which is expected to be in the 7 to 8 percent range.
Electric vehicles (EVs) grew about 200 percent, cementing BMW’s position as the country’s largest luxury EV brand for the third year running. They have now overtaken diesel in the company’s portfolio, says Hardeep Singh Brar, president and CEO, BMW Group India.
The momentum in 2025 was broad-based. Long wheelbase models (that have more space in the rear seat) now make up half of BMW’s India sales and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) account for 60 percent. The company also notched its highest ever quarterly sales in the December quarter, with a growth of 17 percent to 6,023 units.
In an interview with Forbes India, Brar explains why BMW believes it can reach its EV targets ahead of schedule and how the company is positioning itself to claim the No 1 spot in India’s luxury car market as early as next year. Edited excerpts:
Q. What’s behind BMW India’s recent growth?
The BMW iX1, which we launched last year around Rs50 lakh, has been a key contributor. More than the price point, the car delivers everything customers aspire for in a BMW. There was range anxiety in the mass market, and we addressed that with a real-world range of over 500 km. It also offers all the features one expects in a luxury car. Importantly, it comes with a long wheelbase. Electrification and long wheelbase products have been core strategies for India, and both have worked well for us and have fundamentally driven our growth.
Q. You had earlier planned for EVs to form 30 percent of your sales by 2030. Where do you stand now?
We may reach that target sooner. We are already at about 21 percent EV penetration, and more EVs are coming, including the iX. At this pace, we could reach that target a couple of years earlier than planned.
Q. You’ve been leading in EVs from the start…
Yes. Industry-wide EV penetration is around 4 percent, luxury is about 9 to 10 percent. Excluding BMW, others are closer to 6 to 7 percent. We are clearly driving EV adoption in the luxury space.
Q. So EVs will remain a focus going forward?
Absolutely. To give you some context, last year our sales mix was roughly 60 percent petrol, 30 percent diesel, and 8 to 10 percent electric. This year, EVs have already overtaken diesel.
Currently, petrol is about 61 percent, EVs are at 21........