The subsidiary of the German automobile company Bayerische Motoren Werke AG – BMW India has announced to roll out the two-seater Roadster Z4 sports car in India. BMW India has declared that the Roadster Z4 will run on the Indian roads in the second half of the current year.

BMW India has also disclosed that the company is planning to enhance its presence in the Indian market, and it is looking to add ten more dealers in the tier-II cities including Coimbatore, Jaipur, Lucknow and Ludhiana. The company is planning to do so as its sales in India have exceeded expectations.

According to BMW India, the BMW Roadster Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports car with a folding hard-top. The car can run up to 250 kmph. The price of the car will be in the range of Rs 50-60 lakh.

The new BMW Roadster Z4 will belong to the second-generation Z4. The first-generation Z4, which replaced the Z3, was built at the BMW Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, in 2002. The first-generation Z4 was initially rolled out only as a roadster, but the coupé version of the car was released in 2006. The 2009 model of Z4 has been built at BMW Regensburg, Germany plant.  

BMW India has claimed that BMW has surpassed Mercedes Benz, the leader in luxury car market of India, in sales; BMW sold 992 cars in the first quarter of 2009, and with that BMW became the most preferred luxury car in India. Peter Kronschnabl, the President, BMW India, said, “We grew 15% in the first quarter of 2009 and surpassed Mercedes Benz in the sales tally.”

BMW India has said that it will increase its presence in the Indian market. According to BMW India, the company will double its presence in Delhi, by opening two showrooms in Gurgaon and West Delhi to lift the total number of its dealers to 24 by the end of 2009. Kronschnabl said, “We are looking at incremental sales from untapped cities. Already, Ludhiana and Coimbatore are giving us sizable sales and we expect similar numbers from other tier-II cities.”

According to BMW India, the company tied up with HDFC Bank, which is the major player in the auto loan market in India, as car financer. The company is already in deal with ICICI Bank for car finance.

BMW India has already announced to release five new cars in 2009. The company has already rolled out all-new 7 Series sedan and the new 3 Series sedan. The company is expected to release petrol and diesel models of the newly-launched BMW 7Series, priced at Rs 81 lakh and Rs 77 lakh respectively, in June. The company will roll out the SUV X6 and X3 diesel and a new sports model later this year.