[//M]

Got this as a whatsapp forward - M340i sold out !

No idea how many units were brought in / sold.

[spkrnh]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Good pricing for the 340i, but that 530D MSport still remains the pick of the BMW range IMHO!

For me I believe it’s going to be the other way around. 530d was mainly bought by those who wanted absolutely no compromise in performance and handling compared to 630d (along with the 6 gt’s controversial looks, I love it, many don’t).
Now the 340 with x drive should amplify that experience much further. Also 3 series is decently comfortable in rear seat and 5 is not greatly more spacious either.
At this price I will not even consider the 530d anymore. If I want more comfort, better seats I will go for the 630d gt.

[sampadroy]

Originally Posted by spkrnh

For me I believe it’s going to be the other way around. 530d was mainly bought by those who wanted absolutely no compromise in performance and handling compared to 630d (along with the 6 gt’s controversial looks, I love it, many don’t).
Now the 340 with x drive should amplify that experience much further. Also 3 series is decently comfortable in rear seat and 5 is not greatly more spacious either.
At this price I will not even consider the 530d anymore. If I want more comfort, better seats I will go for the 630d gt.

Rightly said, Couldn't agree more! The M340i is a true driver's delight and the XDrive System would surely attract more attention. This is a perfect package for any Beemer Fan looking for a BMW "M" Category performance at a much lower cost.
This car is not for the masses, it's for the niche. Great move by BMW India!

[kiku007]

Competitively priced and on-par with expectations I guess. Well done BMW.

1. Skyrocketing petrol price.
2. Ever increasing taxes.
3. Uncertain economic conditions due to COVID-19.

Yet, a sub 5 seconds to the ton, AWD petrol sedan that's compact sized for the luxury segment and priced at ~70L gets sold out in India.

Never mind the limited numbers but this is a good topic for discussion. TBH after driving the car, I wasn't sure on how the Indian market will respond to this car and I wondered if this be the ultimate sleeper or will it fall in no-mans land. So how did BMW make this happen?

I wonder if the below are some of the factors,

1. The right product that fills a gap in the market?
2. Pricing?
3. CKD?
4. Marketing push?
5. Target market is immune to rising prices and/or economic situation?

[84.monsoon]

It is the halo effect artificially created by BMW by not offering their straight-six turbocharged petrols in the mainstream 3 and 5 series cars since 2010 in India. While the 340i and 540i were part of the mainstream range in western markets. Now all of a sudden you have almost 60% more power and torque at a 20% incremental price. Unsurprisingly this is causing the enthusiast who cannot afford to go all the way to an M car but was wishing BMW would provide something better than the 330i and 530i performance for a slightly higher price, have got what they were always waiting for.

Plus the volumes are tiny, we are speaking of 40 units that have been sold out if I read the reports correctly. So this is not surprising at all.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Never mind the limited numbers but this is a good topic for discussion. TBH after driving the car, I wasn't sure on how the Indian market will respond to this car and I wondered if this be the ultimate sleeper or will it fall in no-mans land. So how did BMW make this happen?

BMW as a brand is better positioned to sell such performance oriented car. They put an M badge on it. They priced it well.

The target audience knows it's a sweat deal and past experience tells us that accessible performance cars (vRS, GTI, etc.) must be grabbed as soon as price starts making sense.

[dragracer567]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

And it's a fact that BMW has sold out the initial lot. So, if someone wants to get, better hurry and try to find remaining units with the nearest dealer.

There goes the dream of getting any discounts so common with the luxury segment

What this goes to show is that Indian consumers will not hesitate buy a resonably priced (i.e CKD) and well-built four door performance car. One example was the first batch of Skoda Octavia Vrs and now the BMW M340i which is much more expensive. This is coming at a time when luxury car makers are struggling. This shows that Indians will buy a luxury car if they get a good deal.

[AMG Power]

I think this is a Skoda vRS 245 story being retold with the M340i taking centre stage this time.

I know a dealer who has two M340i’s allotted to him and both have not yet been sold as of today and neither are there any serious enquiries for the cars yet.

The ad probably implies that the cars have been spoken for by the dealers and will be lifted from the factory. Maybe the number of cars imported aren’t a large number either.

The M340i is certainly a great car but from a positioning perspective, falls into no-mans land - it’s neither here nor there. Anyone willing to spend 80 lakhs on a performance car can well stretch it to 99 and buy a M2C. Why compromise for 19 lakhs?

Unless one has a fairly large family that needs to be accommodated where the M2C is a tight squeeze and the M3 is way more expensive. But that’s literally a stretch of arriving at a niche segment.

BMW is learning a few tricks from VW in the area of hype creation but it won’t be long before someone calls their bluff on this one.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

It is the halo effect artificially created by BMW by not offering their straight-six turbocharged petrols in the mainstream 3 and 5 series cars since 2010 in India.

While the 340i and 540i were part of the mainstream range in western markets.

Well said. In fact, globally the M-Performance or 'm-lite' range is a big marketing and sales success for BMW with especially the M340i & X3M340i flying off the shelves. Just see the various BMW forums - they are abuzz with these cars! Even in the West, BMW picked up the niche crowd who were loathe to spend so much for a non-M BMW, but would spend on a M Performance one.

Originally Posted by androdev

BMW as a brand is better positioned to sell such performance oriented car. They put an M badge on it. They priced it well.

Androdev, correct as usual - they also cannily increased the 3.0 litre tune from the 'standard' 335 bhp to the current 382/385 tune for the M-Performance range. Enthusiasts appreciated that BMW was not trying to pass off a M-Sport bodykit slapped onto a standard 340i or X3 40i.

Funnily enough, they did not create a M540i possibly to stop cannibalization of the existing 530D, but instead created the mother(!) 532 bhp V8 M550i xDrive.

[RSUDARSANAN]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

... I know a dealer who has two M340i’s allotted to him and both have not yet been sold as of today and neither are there any serious enquiries for the cars yet....

Hi,

Do share the name of this dealership.

Thought I had missed the bus... I mean car.

This is a serious enquiry.

Cheers

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

The M340i is certainly a great car but from a positioning perspective, falls into no-mans land - it’s neither here nor there. Anyone willing to spend 80 lakhs on a performance car can well stretch it to 99 and buy a M2C. Why compromise for 19 lakhs?

The starting US pricing of M340i XDrive vs M2C is just $2K apart ($56-58K a piece)

No comments on M340i vs M2 performance / character, but wouldn't you feel just a little bit ripped off by paying 20L+ extra for the M2 when BMW thinks the actual difference is worth 1.4L?

[vb-saan]

Its huge money for 3-series but still the M340i is pretty well-priced for what it offers, especially when compared to some of the performance options above and below. On paper, it may not be a match to the new M3, but the M340i would be a better choice as fun-filled daily drive. And the owners are spared from the mandatory familiarisation period (of the bunny grille) which M3/M4 owners have to go through.

[Reesnat]

Originally Posted by d3mon

The starting US pricing of M340i XDrive vs M2C is just $2K apart ($56-58K a piece)

No comments on M340i vs M2 performance / character, but wouldn't you feel just a little bit ripped off by paying 20L+ extra for the M2 when BMW thinks the actual difference is worth 1.4L?

Comparing a CBU vs a CKD will obviously have a massive price difference, no getting around that due to the duties. Which is why we all should laud BMWs efforts to bring this as a CKD at this price, its a win for everyone! Irrespective of what each of our opinions are.

Wishing them more success with this and hope to see 40i's show up in the X3's and 5 series too!

ps: the fact that they only brought in 40 odd units in this first batch is very telling on how sceptical they were about this... but let's hope they keep bringing more units in good quantity.

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by d3mon

The starting US pricing of M340i XDrive vs M2C is just $2K apart ($56-58K a piece)

No comments on M340i vs M2 performance / character, but wouldn't you feel just a little bit ripped off by paying 20L+ extra for the M2 when BMW thinks the actual difference is worth 1.4L?

Thanks for pointing that out d3mon. What you’ve said is spot on. Just checked UK prices and there too it is only about 2L more.

This is exactly what was happening with the vRS 245. There was a price difference of just 2L more than the vRS 230 in the UK whereas here it was about 50% more than the 230.

And you’re right, that difference doesn’t make the M2C appear worth it.

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

Hi,

Do share the name of this dealership.

Thought I had missed the bus... I mean car.

This is a serious enquiry.

Cheers

Will DM you the details. The dealer who had two this morning now just has one - a grey one.

On another note, I’ve been offered the car for a day but have to travel to get it. The current situation means I can’t take them up on their offer.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Competitively priced and on-par with expectations I guess. Well done BMW.

1. Skyrocketing petrol price.
2. Ever increasing taxes.
3. Uncertain economic conditions due to COVID-19.

Yet, a sub 5 seconds to the ton, AWD petrol sedan that's compact sized for the luxury segment and priced at ~70L gets sold out in India.

Never mind the limited numbers but this is a good topic for discussion. TBH after driving the car, I wasn't sure on how the Indian market will respond to this car and I wondered if this be the ultimate sleeper or will it fall in no-mans land. So how did BMW make this happen?

I wonder if the below are some of the factors,

1. The right product that fills a gap in the market?
2. Pricing?
3. CKD?
4. Marketing push?
5. Target market is immune to rising prices and/or economic situation?

Keen pricing. And brag value at that. Cars with equivalent performance are at least 50% costlier if not double.

Anyway I hope it put paid to the likes of Skoda trying to sell the next Skoda Octavia RS at an ex-showroom price of 50 lakhs!

Drive on,
Shibu