Especially for the people from the grand palaces of Jodhpur and Dalal street! And people who associate themselves with the Sansad Bhavan too (none other than the parliament house of India). The German company may not claim exactly so, but the way it portrays and marketing the car, I feel that way. Feel free to comment, please!
Of course, the prices of the new car are by the way quite high-priced as usual. Starting from ₹ 92.90 lakhs (ex-showroom Pan-India), the high-spec 760Li is would cost around ₹ 1.73 crore. This would make the royals and higher-high-class royals of our land the potential buyers of the face-lifted BMW.
I wonder how cunning BMW is in publicising this car. I see certain ironical bits in this case. The new car was first previewed in India at the Jodhpur One World Retreat, a charity event! (You read it right!) This was in the second week of last month, ahead of its official launch. The event, held for the first time, was to raise funds for the Jodhpur Maharaja's Indian Head Injury Foundation. And BMW was the "luxury mobility partner" of the event! (I don't know how far that's appropriate for a charity event and the cause!). The cause may be genuine, but the event was more than just lavishly staged and spectacularly entertaining. Particularly the car launch ceremony was in itself artistic and posh with folk amusements and fireworks. A very exclusive elite audience and other select invitees witnessed the event - right clientele for the product isn't it??
Sachin Tendulkar, the brand ambassador of BMW India, along with actress Dia Mirza, Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur, socialite Suhel Seth, and industrialist Pawan Munjal took the wraps off the new 7 Series. When the auto town is facing the toughest of its times, luxury car makers are strengthening their stronghold in the market and their sales are largely unaffected. In any economic depressions, the upper class will somehow maintain their status quo and it is the poor and middle class who suffer. Luxury brands are now targeting the upper-class more clamorously. Their marketing tactics are effective - hire out the media houses for their exclusive launches and optimum use of social media. And fashionable celebrities as their brand ambassadors! Sachin Tendulkar presented the all new 3 Series sponsored by BMW to the Olympic medalist Saina Nehwal last year. I would ask why only Saina and not Mary Kom, Sushil or Yogeshwar? Because the latter three are not media kids as Saina. As simple as that!
Coming to the car, we get the extended wheel-base spec 7 Series (5.5" longer) for the very first time. The car is more attractive with more sophisticated feel compared to the last generation. The interiors gets a refresh and a new 8-speed auto gearbox is on the cards too. The engine line-up includes the 3.0l TwinPower turbo diesel delivering 258 bhp, the 3.0l Petrol V6, 4.4l V8 and the 6.0l V12 featuring at the 760Li. The LCI or the Life Cycle Impulse is nothing but an embarrassing phrase given to facelifts by the BMW.
The 730Ld model is being assembled at the company's Chennai plant, while all other versions are CBUs. Interestingly, Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8 now gets a new headache!
Image Courtesy: www.indianautosblog.com, www.netcarshow.com
Image Courtesy: www.indianautosblog.com, www.netcarshow.com
i understand that BMW is no for ordinary people. So people have to change their mind if they have BMW as their dream car. That's how it was all time right? but a nice article
ReplyDeleteVery true. But i felt like highlighting the class struggle between the usual BMW customers. Due to recession & other factors, cars sales are damn bad & companies find a very tough time. This piece was interesting because BMW focuses on the richest of the richest of high class BMW customers; marketing is only focusing only such buyers. The way they market is very cunning & this case is very ironical.
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