When the BMW X3 was launched in India, we brought you live coverage from the event. However, do you recollect just two days before the launch, Audi India snuck in a stripped out variant of their Q5 at a very lucrative price of 35 lakhs? When BMW launched the X3 at an entry price of 41 lakhs, the market tilted towards Audi.
However, BMW is planning an entry level X3 for the US market which might be able to rectify the tilt in India. The biggest change in this entry level X3 is the downsized engine.
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The X series has been a huge success for BMW. Many X vehicles are actually the genesis of that specific segment.
The X6 started a whole new coupe crossover segment and the competitors like Audi and Mercedes are developing their own rivals.
Then is the even more successful X1 which created an entry level crossover segment and is giving many new customers for BMW India. Case in point – In July 2011, BMW sold 484 X1’s in India which greater than the combined figures of all the other BMW vehicles sold in that month.
Despite of being the leading luxury manufacturer in India, BMW India has always struggled to sell the X3. Part of the reason was because the old X3 was a bit of a minger and part of the reason is because the competition came with products that had a high aspirational value offering something that segment did not have.
Relevant or illustrative examples are vehicles Freelander 2, Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60.
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BMW India added the new X3 to its lineup this afternoon in Pune and IAB was at hand to provide you the prices and preliminary details first. IndianAutosBlog.com readers were informed months in advance about the engines planned for India and in a later post brought the launch date, features and other speculative details.
In the latest installment, we post the press release, spec sheet and live images.
The new BMW X3 launched in India.
Visually Stunning, Bigger and More Comfortable, the new generation Sports Activity Vehicle redefines Sheer Driving Pleasure.
Production of the new BMW X3 commences at the BMW Plant Chennai.
Pune. The new BMW X3 was launched in two diesel variants: BMW X3 xDrive20d and BMW X3 xDrive30d.
The new BMW X3 will be CKD produced (Completely Knocked Down) at the BMW Plant Chennai.
The new BMW X3 can now be ordered at BMW dealerships across the country. The deliveries of the new BMW X3 xDrive20d will start in September and of the new BMW X3 xDrive30d in October.
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BMW India will launch the X3 in the next 45 minutes in Pune but IndianAutosBlog.com already has the prices and details. The all India ex-showroom prices of the new X3 are
xDrive 20d – 41.2 lakh rupees
xDrive30d – 47.9 lakh rupees
Deliveries of the new X3 begins in September. A total of 8 colors are being offered with a choice of 5 colors for the leather, Brake regeneration technology, EPS, Start-Stop system and run flat tires.
BMW has not rejigged prices after seeing Audi come to the mid-30 lakh with a stripped down Q5, at least not during the launch. Over the next six months, BMW could drop prices by a few lakh rupees with a corporate edition variant.
BMW X3 Specifications
Stay tuned for more details from the launch.
The next big launch from BMW India is going to be the BMW X3 on 25th August in Pune. The X3 has been under testing in India for quite sometime now.
We have seen test vehicles earlier this year with minimal camouflage around Chennai. The X3 will take on the Audi Q5, Volvo XC60 and Land Rover Freelander2. We’ve heard that it will be priced under the Audi Q5. BMW will play the price card with the X3 as well.
Like the BMW X1, the X3 was also the segment first by BMW. It was presented as a concept at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003. Like the X1, the X3 is based on the 3 Series platform but has a bigger road presence than the X1.
Codenamed the F25, the 2011 BMW X3 has been majorly improved over the previous generation model.
The old X3 was a bit of a boredom with those silly spectacle headlamps. The new X3 gets a significantly new front fascia which is more aerodynamic and pleasing to the eye. You get the typical chrome finished kidney grill at the front with corona rings headlamps.
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BMW India has informed IndianAutosBlog.com that it will launch the new X3 (code – F25) on the 25th of next month. IAB has already brought you information on the engines, a petrol option might not feature on the starting lineup.
The two variants India look forward to are the xDrive20d (with a 2L 184hp/380Nm mill) and xDrive30d (with a 3L 258hp/560Nm mill). BMW has taken up the launch in war footing as it was only scheduled to come sometime in September.
The event will be held in Pune during the afternoon hours in the presence of the BMW India management.
IndianAutosBlog has also learned that BMW will offer features such as start-stop technology, Dynamic Drive Control, Keyless Entry, electronic parking brake and panaromic sunroof even on the xDrive20d. The new X3 is assembled at the Chennai plant unlike the outgoing model that was fully imported.
Prices are expected to fall with the entry-level model starting at around 38 lakh rupees.
BMW India will launch the latest generation X3 (codename – F25) by the end of September 2011. According to our sources, the X3 might not be offered with petrol engines in 2011.
Two variants BMW aficionados can expect are the xDrive20d (with a 2L 184hp/380Nm mill) and xDrive30d (with a 3L 258hp/560Nm mill). Both locally assembled models will be equipped with 4WD (xDrive technology). Currently the X3 is offered in both petrol (2.5si) and diesel (20d) guises for between 40-45 lakh rupees (ex-showroom).
The X3 is a sales disappointment for BMW. This year BMW managed to sell a meager 2 units of X3 in India whereas the Q5 was a runaway success for Audi and sales peaked with 96 units in April and 70 units in February. BMW did not have the new X3 available to match Audi, but even otherwise the X3 was never giving Audi headaches.
With an aggressive marketing campaign and competitive prices, “Joy” could make a comeback. Sources have told Indian Autos Blog that a price war will be waged with the xDrive20d priced under the stripped-down Audi Q5 2.0 TDI. Are prices going to start at 37-38 lakh rupees?
click through to view new BMW X3 image gallery
Our suspicion has turned out to be right. BMW India will launch the new X3 (F25) next month and there is a high likelihood that petrol engines will not feature on the brochure. Two diesels are planned instead – a 184hp/380Nm 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel (xDrive20d) from smaller BMW vehicles, and a bigger 258hp/560Nm 3.0-liter (xDrive30d) mill. Both CKD models, as their names indicate, will come with 4WD.
Sources add that a price war is on the cards with BMW trying to pip the Audi Q5 with a more aggressive price tag. At a later date, BMW could plan for either the xDrive28i or the xDrive35i, but they are not likely to be assembled in 2011.
When the BMW X3 was launched in India, we brought you live coverage from the event. However, do you recollect just two days before the launch, Audi India snuck in a stripped out variant of their Q5 at a very lucrative price of 35 lakhs? When BMW launched the X3 at an entry price of 41 lakhs, the market tilted towards Audi.
