BMW Motorrad 2017 Q1 Sales Up 5.5 Per Cent

BMW Motorrad has announced a growth of 5.5 per cent in sales so far this year, according to a press release. In all, BMW Motorrad sold 35,636 motorcycles this year, with over half of this year's sales numbers coming from sales in March, accounting for 18,265 two-wheelers in all. Overall, BMW Motorrad sales increased 10.9 per cent in March 2017 over March 2016 sales. The results announced are preliminary and no details or further model-wise break-up details are announced so far.

What will be of interest is how much of the sales numbers are on the back of the 'Made in India' BMW G 310 R, which is already being sold in Europe. While sales for big BMW bikes like the R 1200 GS, R 1200 RT and K 1600 will continue to contribute significantly to BMW Motorrad's overall sales, the baby Beemer, the G 310 R is expected to contribute in volumes to the company's sales numbers.

(2017 BMW R1200 GS Adventure)

The BMW G 310 R is jointly developed by BMW Motorrad and TVS Motor Company, and is manufactured at the TVS plant in Hosur, near Bengaluru. While sales of the G 310 R have already kicked off in Europe, and are set to take off in the US, the bike's launch in India is delayed, and is now likely to be launched in 2018. BMW Motorrad posted record sales at the end of 2016, selling over 1.45 lakh two-wheelers during the calendar year.

BMW Motorrad has just started operations in India, inaugurating the first showroom in Mumbai on 12 April 2017. The next BMW Motorrad dealership will be inaugurated in Pune on 14 April 2017, followed by one more dealership in Bengaluru. BMW has been late in officially announcing its models in India. So far, all models are brought in as completely built-up units (CBUs), and it remains to be seen how the German brand performs in the Indian market, with products in a price bracket dominated by Harley-Davidson and Triumph.