Lamborghini, which sells a range of super luxury cars with prices starting from Rs 3.16 crore in India, recorded its best ever sales in the country in 2021, beating its previous best record in 2019 when it sold a total of 52 units. It had sold 37 units in 2020 in the country.

New Delhi:

Driven by SUV Macan, Porsche India sales grow 62% at 474 units in 2021

German sports luxury car manufacturer Porsche posted 62 per cent growth in its car sales in India at 474 units for 2021, driven by SUV Macan, which accounted for 39 per cent of the overall sales.

The company expects this sales momentum to continue in 2022 amid a strong order bank and further expansion of its product range, it said.

With the delivery of 474 sports cars in 2021, Porsche India recorded its best sales performance since 2014, marking a 62 per cent increase over 2020, Porsche India said.

In line with the record deliveries, Porsche India’s order bank grew 165 per cent, confirming 2021 as the brand’s best ever order intake, the company said.

Backed by the best retail result in the company’s operational history in the second half of 2021, the outcome translates into the fact that on average one new Porsche SUV was sold every day of the year, it stated.

It said that the Macan luxury compact SUV continued to win over customers with 187 units delivered, representing 39 per cent of the volume and the model’s highest ever annual sales in the country.

While the brand’s other SUV, Cayenne, followed suit as the second most sold Porsche model in India, the range of two-door sports cars enjoyed a growing demand with a healthy 17 per cent combined share, Porsche said.

The demand for the brand’s luxury model range was high, with solid interest across all regions that looks likely to flow into 2022, said Manolito Vujicic, Brand Director for Porsche India.

Following a challenging first half of the year due to the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives and businesses, the retail performance from July to December established a new record for us.

“A total of 301 cars were delivered to new and established customers during the final six months, endorsing a positive outlook leading into 2022 on the back of future-oriented facility investment plans by our associates, Vujicic said.

Additionally, he said, Porsche India is looking forward to welcoming two new partners with the arrival of Bengaluru and Chennai to the retail network in the coming months.

We have big plans for the year ahead, not only with regards to the dealer network but also in the area of marketing and after-sales to complement our growing range of models, Vujicic added.

The company said it is looking at a strong start for the year, thanks to a strong order bank and the further expansion of the product range which has just seen the arrival of the first 718 Boxster and Cayman GTS 4.0 models.

The deliveries of the new Macan have started, while first units of the all-new and fully electric Taycan are due to arrive in the coming weeks. In addition, the brand is looking to further diversify its offering in the coming months with the launch of the all-new GTS versions of the fully electric Taycan, the latest 911 GT3, the Platinum Edition models of the latest Cayenne as well as the 718 Cayman GT4 RS.

To complement the investment being placed by its partners, Porsche India will move the after-sales divisions towards full digitization with an integrated Data Management Solution during the course of the year for smoother and more efficient service operations, it stated.

BMW launches new X3 SUV in India, price starting at Rs 59.9 lakh

German luxury carmaker BMW on last Thursday launched the new version of its X3 SUV in India with a price starting at Rs 59.9 lakh (ex-showroom).

The two locally produced petrol-powered trims of the model are priced at Rs 59.9 lakh and Rs 65.9 lakh, respectively.

The successful sports activity vehicle (SAV) is now sportier and more modern with its comprehensive refreshed look, premium interior with new equipment features and updated infotainment, the automaker said in a statement.

The diesel variant of the model would be launched later, it added.

“The new evolved third-generation BMW X3 is here to continue the model’s trailblazing success in the premium mid-size SAV segment. The refreshed design and driving performance make BMW X3 a luxurious and practical car that is agile on and off-road,” BMW Group India President Vikram Pawah noted.

The two-litre four-cylinder petrol engine of the X3 xDrive30i produces an output of 252 hp and a maximum torque of 350 Nm. The car accelerates from 0 -100 km/hr in just 6.6 seconds with a top speed of 235 km/h

Lamborghini expects India to rank higher in top 10 markets in APAC region

Italian super luxury carmaker Automobili Lamborghini is bullish on India to rank higher in its top 10 markets in the Asia Pacific region going forward, buoyed by strong consistent performance over the years, according to a senior company official.

In 2021, India with 69 units sold at a growth of 86 per cent was in the top 10 markets in the Asia Pacific region for Lamborghini but was way behind the top three markets — China, Japan and South Korea.

China was also the second ranked market globally for the company in 2021 with 935 units sold. The third ranked market in Asia Pacific (APAC), South Korea, clocked 354 units last year. Thailand with 75 units was also ahead of India.

“In the top 10 countries for Asia Pacific in 2021 we have India as one of them just following Thailand…Of course in the future we believe that India has a strong potential to rank higher in the top 10 markets for APAC,” Automobili Lamborghini Asia-Pacific Regional Director Francesco Scardaoni said in an interaction.Apart from the top three, the company hasn’t disclosed the rankings of the top 10 APAC markets.

Lamborghini, which sells a range of super luxury cars with prices starting from Rs 3.16 crore in India, recorded its best ever sales in the country in 2021, beating its previous best record in 2019 when it sold a total of 52 units. It had sold 37 units in 2020 in the country.

“In terms of market you can see how India is growing and of course this growth will also be projected in the next few years…We are projecting really good and positive numbers, it means we have a really positive outlook for 2022 and 2023,” Scardaoni said.

The growth in India is expected to be driven by new products along with the SUV Urus, which apart from accounting for 50 per cent of sales in the country has also brought in many first time buyers of Lamborghini.

Stating that globally, the super luxury SUV Urus has 70 per cent of customers who are new to the Lamborghini brand, he said India also has a similar trend with the model able to bring attention of customers that were not considering the brand before. Urus has been able to attract ultra luxury customers who would like to go out with family and friends on a drive.

“In a market like India, it is a perfect car and the results are showing us that we are on the right track. We are ready to let India grow even more…we are able and ready to support new customers that are joining the Lamborghini family,” Scardaoni said, adding Lamborghini is looking for consistent growth in the market in the coming years.

He said Lamborghini has also embarked on EV journey starting from “the celebration of the current engine to hybridization and then electrification” but in the short-term future, in 2022 the company will have launches of new cars in new segments and will continue “redefining the segment and the future of the automotive”.