BMW to roll out 25 electric or hybrid products by 2023

German luxury marque BMW is waiting for better clarity on the electric vehicle infrastructure and policy road map in India before taking a call on introducing electric cars from its global portfolio on Indian roads.

At the launch of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, Vikram Pahwah president BMW Group India said, "We always look at global models for India but we need to look at the policy roadmap which is not clear yet."

He said BMW would roll out 25 electric/hybrid products by 2023 globally. “Depending on the EV infrastructure and policy, we will decide on whether to bring them to India," he said.

The company's assembly line just outside Chennai has a capacity of 14,000 units on a single shift basis and though so far this year the sales are just over 4,000 units, BMW is confident that the installed capacity will be utilised in the next couple of years as demand picks up.

"We are producing in India for the Indian market and currently 12 models are being produced at our Chennai factory. Only a few very niche products are imported," said Pahwah. "In the next couple of years as demand picks up, we will utilise this entire capacity for the Indian market," he said.

Post the lockdown there has been a more interest in individual mobility. "There is greater interest in technology and driving efficiency and the environment," said Pahwah. There has also been a shift away from diesel. "There has been a shift in demand on the transmission front and a new interest in gasoline in India," he added.

BMW sold 4,144 units of BMW and Mini in the January-October 2020 period, down 41% year on year. BMW Motorrad sold just under 2000 units, down 22%.