Iconic Mini's First Indian Dealer Is Infantry Cars

Published: Thursday, April 5, 2012, 18:48 [IST]

Mumbai will witness the first row of iconic Mini cars hitting the roads with BMW appointing Santa Cruz's Infinity Cars as the first exclusive dealer in India. Infantry cars' Mini showroom is spread across 12,500 square feet and in first of its kind among Indian dealerships, its facility will also be housed with a restaurant.

The prestigious BMW owned British brand had forayed into the Indian market by launching a few models at the 2012 Delhi International Auto Expo in January. India is Mini's 100th market in the world. The brand will also get 2 more dealerships in Delhi, the Deutsche Motoren and Bird Automotive in a few months and the company expects many more dealerships in other cities in the coming times.

The Mini models will be quite expensive in the Indian market as the cars will be brought as completely built units, thus facing a hefty excise duty of 75%. This factor could be ignored by rich Indian buyers considering the high brand value and iconic status of Mini cars.

Mini models which will be sold in India are the Mini Cooper, Mini Cooper S, the Mini Convertible and the Mini Countryman hatchbacks. Mini Cooper will come with a price tag of Rs 25.5 lakhs, Mini Cooper S at Rs 28.6 Lakhs, Mini Convertible at Rs 30.7 lakhs and Mini Countryman at Rs 32.8 lakhs. All the cars come with petrol engines paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission.