BMW launches Retail.NEXT for dealers to sell products of these 3 brands under one roof in India

German luxury automaker BMW on Monday unveiled a new platform Retail.NEXT for its dealers allowing them to sell products of its three brands -- BMW, MINI, and BMW Motorrad, under one roof in India.

“BMW Group India along with its dealers will jointly invest ₹365.6 crore across India in 33 cities over 36 months on the new initiative -- Retail.NEXT,” the automaker said in a statement.

As per the BMW’s new initiative, dealers who operate showrooms for two or all the three brands can bring all under one roof.

“The 'one floor' and 'one ceiling' bring BMW, MINI, and BMW Motorrad, Sales and Service, New and BMW Premium Selection (BPS) - pre-owned cars all present on one consistent flooring with no separation between business areas,” the statement said.

“This initiative marks the beginning of a countrywide roll-out, as we expand our vision of an immersive luxury experience in India,” BMW Group India president and chief executive officer Vikram Pawah said.

The Retail.NEXT dealerships are designed to revolutionise customer engagement by integrating 'phygital' innovations, where the physical meets the digital, he added.

Further, Pawah said: “We greatly appreciate our dealer partners for their unwavering dedication towards BMW Group and significant investment spanning over the period of three years for implementing Retail.NEXT in India.”

The automaker’s India unit announced the launch of the Retail.NEXT initiative with the opening of Bird Automotive's showroom in Gurugram, Haryana.

Faulty Brakes

BMW AG took more than two years to find out the extent of a braking system fault that is expected to cost the carmaker nearly $1.1 billion to fix, said a report by news agency Bloomberg citing a recall document.

Customers and dealers began complaining to the German auto manufacturer about faulty brakes in June 2022, said the report.

In August, BMW realized that as many as 1.5 million cars might contain the defective part, supplied by car-parts maker Continental AG.