Sachin Tendulkar : The BMW 3 Series' brand ambassador

The imminent launch of the new F30 3-series is not the only thing BMW India is looking forward to this week. They are also expected to sign on legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as their first ever brand ambassador!

Getting a high profile personality like Tendulkar on board makes one thing clear – having wrested the spot of India’s top luxury carmaker, BMW will not rest on its laurel, but invest for more aggressive growth and cement this status.  

BMW’s sales growth has lagged this fiscal when compared to Audi's sales that have been growing at breakneck speed. For the first three months of this fiscal, Audi’s sales grew by 52.15% to 1,908 units as compared to last year. BMW saw its sales drop by 12.16% to 2,088 units. In fact, Audi even managed to marginally outsell BMW last month, as shipments of the old 3 series stopped.  

Brand Tendulkar

Tendulkar has a total of 17 endorsement contracts including brands like Adidas, Coca Cola, Boost, ITC, Reynolds, Aviva and Canon. He reportedly earns Rs. 40 crore annually from endorsements and commands about Rs 5 crore per endorsement. Although MS Dhoni has surpassed him as the highest earning Indian sportsperson, Tendulkar remains a highly popular figure in India and abroad. BMW India will be hoping to cash in on that image while Tendulkar is still playing cricket.

One thing that will favour this association is Tendulkar’s much publicised love for cars. From his controversial Ferrari 360 Modena (which he sold to a Surat-based businessman) to his heavily photographed red Nissan GT-R Supercar, he has always been in the news for his cars. His garage also includes the Porsche Boxster, a few BMWs and an older Mercedes Benz C36 AMG too. 

BMW hopes to get Tendulkar to hand over the keys to the first lot of 3-Series customers. 

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The 2012 F30 BMW 3 Series Unveiled. Details on Page 3