BMW G 310 Twins’ Sales Exceed Expectations

• In the past 12 months, the Bavarian brand has managed to sell 2187 motorcycles.

• Of which, contribution of the G 310 twins accounts to 1640 units.

• Currently, BMW Motorrad has nine showrooms up and running across India.

• The BMW G 310 R and G 310 GS is priced at Rs 2.99 lakh and 3.49 lakh (ex-showroom India) respectively.

Let's face it, we all expected the BMW G 310 twins to be priced at a premium, but what we didn't expect is a price that would shock us all. The Bavarian bikemaker positioned the duo as “premium entry-level” bikes with an eye-watering price tag. A price of Rs 2.99 lakh and Rs 3.49 lakh (both ex-showroom India) for the G 310 R and GS respectively seemed a tad too high. However, the German manufacturer has pulled through and managed to rope in some impressive numbers in the past six months.

BMW Motorrad India sold 2187 units in a span of six months in 2018, of which, more than 75 per cent of it came from the G 310 twins. Takes you by surprise, no? To put things into perspective, its rivals, the TVS RR 310 and KTM 390s which pack similar or more performance at an affordable price have managed to sell an average of around 300 units and 500 units (per month) respectively, while the BMWs hover around 270 units per month. Granted the sales are nowhere close to that of KTM, these numbers aren’t half as bad for relatively new bikes.

What the G 310 brothers have going for them is the premium BMW badge and quality. Plus, the company never wanted to indulge in the number game like most other brands. Instead, it wanted to create its own identity as a premium brand. And, from the looks of it, the brand has succeeded to some extent.

Just goes on to show that even though India is usually considered as a price-sensitive market, there are customers willing to stretch their budget for a quality product, even if that means losing out on outright performance. Moreover, these entry-level bikes give aspiring BMW enthusiasts a ticket to enter the elite club of BMW owners at an affordable price point. The German two-wheeler manufacturer also introduced year-end cash discounts and insurance offers in 2018 which helped them reel in more customers.

The BMW G 310 twins offer adequate performance. They are in no way frantic like the KTM 390s or even as sportily designed as the TVS Apache RR 310. It also shows that customers are willing to live without fancy bits like a slipper clutch and coloured-TFT screen as long as the basic necessities are met.

With only nine dealerships up and runnings, the company can only cater to a limited number of customers in India. Including the international market though, it managed to roll out its 50,000th G 310 bike from its Hosur based plant in Chennai, last month. In order to improve its sales figures in India, the company will have to spread its reach by opening up more dealerships across the country. Dial in exceptional after sales service, and the number of BMW twins on the road could easily go up.

Source: zigwheels.com