BMW X6 Launched For Over $180K In India, Promises Further Investment

BANGALORE -- German car-maker BMW launched the updated model of its BMW X6 luxury car in the southern Indian city of Bangalore on Thursday. The second-generation BMW X6 is now available at all company dealerships across India as completely built-up units (CBU) for 11.5 million rupees (ex-showroom price), or $180,427.

The front view of the new BMW X6 is dominated by a wide kidney grille and large front air inlets with horizontal chrome trims, horizontal lines with rear L-shaped tail-lights with three-dimensional LED Adaptive Light. The interior of the car comprises new control and display elements, elevated seating position and two-toned leather upholstery quality fabric. BMW provides five color options for the X6 -- Alpine White (non-metallic), Carbon Black, Flamenco Red Brilliant Effect, Space Grey and Mineral White.

“Luxury has always been written with an X. To the very last detail, the all-new BMW X6 offers a unique synthesis of luxury, sporting dynamics and powerful style creating an excitingly different driving experience for our customers,” Philipp von Sahr, president, BMW Group India, told reporters, adding that X6’s “superior handling characteristics and thrilling driving dynamics” will help it gain a competitive edge in the Indian luxury car market.

The BMW X6 comes with the TwinPower turbo 6-cylinder in-line diesel engine, which churns out 313hp of power and 630Nm of maximum torque. The vehicle has an eight-speed automatic transmission, which allows it to accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers (62 miles) in only 5.8 seconds with a top speed of 240 kilometers (nearly 150 miles) per hour. The car has a fuel tank capacity of 85 liters.

The new BMW X6 comes with a number of safety features, including six airbags, side-impact protection, electronic vehicle immobilizer and a crash sensor. The X6 will face competition from rivals such as the Audi Q7, Mercedes-Benz ML-Class and Porsche Cayenne.

“India is a growth market and presents huge opportunities both in terms of demand and supply,” von Sahr said. “Recently the BMW Group’s investment in India has been increased to over 4.9 billion rupees from 3.9 billion rupees, and further investments will continue in years to come.”

According to von Sahr, 95 percent of BMW cars running on Indian streets are locally produced in the plant in the southern Indian city of Chennai, which produces eight different models of the company’s cars.

“Production follows the market. So if the Indian market grows in the long run, the Chennai plant could also start producing luxury cars like X6,” von Sahr told International Business Times.

The company said that the Indian luxury car market has grown significantly in the last few years, though on a smaller scale compared to other markets. But recent developments in India such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make In India" initiative have shown that the local market has significant potential, which the company plans to capitalize.

“Over the last few months, a lot of things have changed,” Frank Schloeder, BMW India's marketing head, told IBTimes. “We have increased the localization of our production, enabling us to reduce our prices from July 1 and making BMW cars more accessible for larger audience.”