BMW India has launched the 1 Series in India for a starting price of Rs 20.90 lakh (ex-showroom, pan India) today at an event in Mumbai with their brand ambassador and cricket legend, Sachin Tendulkar. The car will be the cheapest offering by BMW in the Indian market and will compete in the entry-level premium car segment. The 1 Series will be available in India in both petrol and diesel options and will be positioned below the X1 in the BMW India's line up.
The Petrol Version will be available in only one trim whereas the diesel is available in Base, Sport and Sport Plus trims priced at Rs. 22.9 lakh, Rs. 25.9 lakh and Rs. 29.9 lakh respectively. Considering the car comes via the CKD route, the feature list is almost identical to the European spec model. The extensive list includes the BMW’s iDrive with16.55 cm HD LCD display, start-stop function, driver side power-seat with memory function and sunroof, apart from standard safety features like ABS-EBD, airbags and ESP. Rear parking sensors are standard across the range.
The 116i houses a 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit developing 138PS and 220Nm, while the 118d variant is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder mill that makes 145PS and 320Nm of torque; both being mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The 1-series is a thoroughbred BMW in every aspect including the longitudinally-mounted engine, rear-wheel-drive and an almost 50:50 weight distribution. The oil burner 118d hits the 100kmph mark in 8.6 seconds on the way to its top speed of 212 kmph while the 1.6 petrol version takes 8.7 seconds to 100 kmph and goes to a top speed of 210 kmph.
BMW is planning to increase the local production facility by investing about 3.9 Billion rupees. The second assembly line has been installed to increase the manufacturing capacity to 14000 vehicles annually. More models are expected to hit the CKD route as the second assembly line goes to its peak capacity. The BMW 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series,7 Series, X1, X3 and the Mini Countryman are already being assembled in India.
With regard to the price bracket, the 1 Series will lock horns with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and B-Class along with the Volvo V40 despite not being in the same segment. The entry-level luxury car market is a fast growing one and is not expected to stop with the 1 Series, with Audi also lining up an entry with the A3.
Check out all the details of the BMW 1 Series including prices, features, variants and other here details here.
