Mumbai, Jul 27: India's top cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, an avid fan of Italian sports car Ferrari, has become the brand ambassador for rival company BMW.
Today, Sachin launched BMW's new 3 series sedan here. Sachin owns a BMW 5 series and SUV X5, while wife Anjali owns a BMW 3 series.
Tendulkar was previously brand ambassador for Fiat, Ferrari's parent company, in 2001 for its small car Palio.
“Tendulkar loves Ferraris, but it's not that his interest in cars ends with the Italians. He is as much passionate about BMWs and owns a few of them,” said an industry insider.
This is the first time BMW has associated itself with a celebrity.
The all-new BMW 3 series sedan by German luxury car maker BMW in petrol and diesel variants is priced between Rs 28.90 lakh and Rs 37.90 lakh (All India ex-showroom). The all-new BMW 3 Series is available in two exclusive design schemes- Sport Line and Luxury Line.
“The all-new BMW 3 Series is a vehicle that has an unbeatable profile and is born from pioneering technology, a beautiful design and a lot of passion,” BMW Group India president Andreas Schaaf said at the launch.
The new BMW 3 Series will establish a new benchmark in the Indian luxury car segment and contribute to BMW's winning streak in India, he said adding that BMW enjoys 40 market share in the luxury car segment in the country.
He said the slow down in the economy has affected the sales as the year-on-year growth remains almost the same (flat).
Schaff, however, said that a (interest) rate cut by the central bank could perk up the demand going forward. The company's June sales stood at 750 units.
He said that the company has lined up four more launches for this year.
“We will see the brand new six series Coupe, one of the most beautiful cars BMW has come up with in last 15 years. Its almost a sports sedan. We will see the new refreshment of seven series. It will also be launched in second half of the year. Will also launch the X1 and X6 in new looks. These four major launches will come up in the next 4-5 months in India,” he said.
Stating that BMW cars have been one of his passions from early days, Sachin Tendulkar said, “I drove this car this month in London. It felt incredible.”
“To me above all being a car enthusiast, safety is also equally important. I am really impressed. It is absolutely stunning and the interiors are unbelievable. It has got a lot of space. Compared to the earlier ones, this is far more spacious,” Tendulkar added.
