A few days ago, the Indian government had cut customs duty on all fully-imported bikes by up to 25 percentage points to bring it down to 50 percent.
BMW Motorrad, the bike making division of the German luxury automobile manufacturer, has slashed prices by up to 10 percent across its portfolio, with a maximum cut of Rs 1.60 lakh.
The price cut across Adventure, Sport, Touring, Heritage and Roadster category of bikes is with immediate effect. With the exception of R1200 R range, whose prices remain unchanged, all other BMW bikes have seen a minimum reduction of Rs 40,000.
The company, which sells products that are only imported into the country, did not provide any reason behind the price cut.
However, a few days ago, the Indian government had cut customs duty on all fully-imported bikes by up to 25 percentage points to bring it down to 50 percent.
BMW imports as many as 15 models in India (and multiple variants between them) with prices ranging from Rs 12.2 lakh to Rs 28.3 lakh (ex-showroom), having engine capacities ranging from 750cc to 1600cc.
BMW does not as yet have an assembly unit in the country unlike its competitors Triumph, Kawasaki, Honda and Harley-Davidson. The company however, has said that it is looking to have an assembly unit in India, which will allow it to price its products more competitively as customs duty on completely knocked down kits is only 15 percent.
Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India, said, “With the new attractive price-value proposition, we will offer bike enthusiasts an opportunity to experience unrivalled and exceptional motorcycling. Our commitment to deliver unique experiences and amazing ride quality gets further strengthened as the engagement with the Indian market grows stronger through enhanced value offerings.”
BMW has a manufacturing partnership with Chennai-based TVS Motor Company, which is India’s third largest two-wheeler manufacturer. It has been sourcing small capacity bikes from TVS mainly for the export market.
BMW showcased two locally built bikes – G 310 and G 310GS – at the recently concluded Auto Expo 2018. Both bikes were made at the TVS operated facility in Tamil Nadu. These have been designed and developed by TVS in close association with BMW engineers.
Both bikes will be launched by middle of this year with a likely price range of Rs 2-2.5 lakh. The recently launched Apache 310 RR was priced by TVS at Rs 2.05 lakh. The bike uses the same 310cc engine developed by the two companies.
