Happy To Enter India’s EV Market Once Demand Clear, Says BMW CEO

BMW finally clears the air about its entry in the electric vehicle (EV) race in India. The German multinational company is still considering taking the step as the infrastructure built for the vehicles is still “ambiguous and uncertain” in the country.

Rudratej Singh, President and CEO of BMW Group India, said that the company will be “happy” to enter the market once there is more clarity on the demand of EVs. Singh made the announcement at the launch of a new 3 Series sedan on Wednesday.

‘We Will Go Wherever The Customer Wants’

BMW is already running a pilot with i3s electric cars in various metro cities, and will now keep a close eye on the products’ feasibility.The product was showcased at Auto Expo 2018.

Singh said that now it’s up to the customers to decide if BMW should venture into this new space. The automobile company is also expected to watch the performance carefully before entering the EV ecosystem in India.

“Our principles are very clear. If the customers want it and we can give them the satisfaction that is up to our standards, we will go wherever the customer wants…I don’t think we are clear in the direction or magnitude of the vector, if I may use an engineering term. So, we will wait and watch,” Singh added.

Talking about the Indian market, Singh said, “We need to understand the Indian psyche and work on other aspects like, say, work on unlocking value for them in the cost of ownership, the resale value.”

BMW has already started the process of manufacturing new electrified models in the US. The company expects to have 25 EV or hybrid vehicles on US roads by 2023, two years earlier than it had already planned.

The company will also be launching four technician training centres across the US to train service techs to work on the technology. The company will also be investing $56 Mn in support centres to meet the new plan.