The year 2022 has been a milestone in the history of BMW, as it completed 15 years in India and posted the best group sales and record-breaking numbers. The German carmaker has also aggressively introduced new models and upgraded its existing ones. Its new concept of connecting with customers through its ‘music and driving festival’ Joytown in three cities – Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore – has become a big success in India. Currently, BMW offers three brands – BMW luxury cars, Minis and Motorrad bikes. The company has gone from strength to strength despite the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, and posted growth of over 30 per cent in 2021. This figure rose to 35 per cent in 2022. Speaking about the action-packed year, Vikram Pawah, President of BMW Group India, stated: “We sold 11,981 cars (including Minis) and 7,282 bikes, and our total sales were in the 20,000 range. We offer a holistic marketing approach towards customer satisfaction, with new formats launched last year, including online sales and adoption of financial products offered by our sister company, all of which have contributed as key drivers leading to our growth. We have broken pre-Covid peaks as well and are out of the shadow of Covid. From a brand perspective, we will continue to grow because we are launching a great product line-up for 2023, with almost 70 per cent of our product line-up getting refreshed or being new in 2023. I don’t think any brand can say that.” The entire automotive sector has faced several logistical difficulties over the past few years. Worldwide, there has also been the influence of adverse geopolitical situations such as the global recession and shutdowns in China. The demand for automobiles has seen a hike, while there have been restrictions on the supply chain side, including a shortage of semiconductors. However, at the micro level, India’s economy is in good shape compared to the global automotive sector because the country has a robust domestic economy. Also, inflation projections in India are much better than the rest of the world. The projection is that in India, inflation will be lower in 2023 compared to 2022. Similarly, interest rates have gone up, but not in a dramatic way. These are good signs for the Indian economy. Despite the impact from global trade, the BMW Group is still growing after Covid, and that confidence promises to negate any other factors. The company was able to successfully overcome all constraints and exceed its targets at the beginning of 2020. Internally as a brand, the products are being refreshed, and good value is being offered with these new products. “I think that whether the industry grows or not, whether the economy grows dramatically or not; as long as a crash is avoided, we’ll continue to grow. We were able to navigate challenges and present a good double-digit, or at least a low double-digit, despite Covid and other challenges. Of course, without them, we might have even surpassed those numbers. That’s our aim for 2023, to realise a successful year and continue to grow in a solid way,” explains Pawah.
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Pawah: holistic marketing approach
