BMW to create 1,200 new jobs in India by 2011

German luxury carmaker BMW day said it would create 1,200 jobs in the dealer and service network in India by 2011.

BMW India would employ around 400 people by the end of 2010. Upto 1,200 jobs will be created in the dealer and service network in 2011, BMW India said in a statement.

The German automaker would expand its dealership network to 22 outlets by next year from existing number of 20 dealers, as a part of second phase of its expansion plans in India. All of these new BMW dealerships will be of international standard, and the company plans to open them across all metropolitan cities in the country, the statement said.

So far, BMW Group has invested 1.1 billion rupees till September 2010. It would be increased to Rs 1.8 billion by the end of 2012.

At present, the company has its production facility at Sriperumbudur near Chennai, where it manufactures a range of its vehicles including luxury sedans such as BMW 3 Series and 5 series, and recently launched compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) BMW X1. The total annual manufacturing capacity of this plant is 8,000 units.

Earlier, BMW regained top slot in January-November period after a fierce battle for numbers with compatriot Mercedes Benz in the Indian luxury car market, inching closer to be the leader in 2010. BMW sold 5,345 units compared to 5,109 units sold by Mercedes Benz during the last 11 months of this year.