BMW mulls bringing hybrid in India in 2 yrs

"In the next 18 months the hybrid vehicle from BMW will make its international debut. There is a possibility that it could find its way to India," BMW Senior Vice-President, Asia Pacific (excluding China) and South Africa, David Panton said.     

The company, which has had a successful start to its Indian venture, has also raised its sales target in the country by 40 per cent to 2,800 units this year.     

Asked for a specific time frame for the possible launch of the hybrid vehicle, BMW India President Peter Kroncshnabl said "it could be between 18-24 months."     

BMW, under its EfficientDynamics programme, has been developing hybrid vehicles and showcased ConceptX6 ActiveHybrid at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.     

Recently, Honda had taken the lead in introducing hybrid vehicles in India with its Civic Hybrid priced at Rs 21.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).     

Commenting on the company's India performance, Panton said BMW has been able to exceed its own expectations.     

"In fact, we have revised upwards the sales target for 2008 to 2800 from the earlier 2000," Panton said.     

In the first six months of this year the company has already sold 1,563 units as compared to a total of nearly 1,400 units sold last year, he added.