Friday, February 07, 2014
By Kamal Swami
2014 Indian Auto Expo: BMW's jewels showcased
German luxurious car maker BMW launched 320d variant of 3 Series GT in ongoing Indian Auto Expo 2014 yesterday with price tag of Rs. 42.75 lakh. The car will be released for sale in Indian car market from March this year and will be developed at company’s production plant at Chennai. The petrol 328i variant will be launched in market sometimes during this year. Physically the 3GT variant is little longer than existing BMW3 series sedan’s existing in market. The impressive features offered in 3GT include lift back boot and the huge boot space of 520 litres, which can be expanded to 1,600 litres when seats will be folded.
Besides this the German car maker also showcased BMW i8 which it will release for sale by the end of this year and will brought through CBU route. The BMW i8 is speculated to be one of the best hybrid cars available in current scenario. An interesting feature about BMWi8 is the carries the features of both electric motors and petrol engine along with company’s dynamic driving concept enhancing the driving experience of buyers. The 96 KW motor transits power to front wheels whereas the 1.5 litre three cylinder petrol 228 bhp engine transits to rear wheels. Company sources claim that i8 will gain the speed of 100 kmph to zero in the short span of 4.4 seconds, and is capable of reaching the top speed of 250 kph.
Apart from both these vehicles company also showcased BMW M6 Gran Coupe during the show and will be launched in the second half of this year and will brought in country through CBU route. Another vehicle showcased by BMW during the auto expo was X5 which is equipped with 2.0 litre four cylinder diesel engine. It is seven seater saloon sedan designed to provide comfort travelling experience to passengers.
