BMW to launch its Roadster Z4 in India

World’s top luxury and sports car manufacturer BMW has said it will launch its Roadster Z4 in India later this year. Roadster Z4 is top two seater sports car that company believes will attract hip and prosperous Indian youth.

BMW is very optimistic about its chances in the Indian market. It plans to launch at least half a dozen new cars here before the year end.

Its plans are not without any basis. The company has already replaced Mercedes Benz this year as the top luxury car brand in India.



After World War I, BMW was forced to cease aircraft (engine) production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty. The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted, followed by automobiles in 1928.

The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel is often alleged to portray the movement of an airplane propeller, to signify the white blades cutting through the blue sky - an interpretation that BMW adopted for convenience in 1929, which was actually twelve years after the roundel was created. In fact, the emblem evolved from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, from which the BMW company grew. The Rapp logo was combined with the blue and white colors of the flag of Bavaria to produce the BMW roundel so familiar today.

The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports car by the German automaker BMW. Replacing the Z3, first-generation production started in 2002 at BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, with both roadster and coupe forms produced. Starting with the 2009 model year, the second-generation Z4 is built at BMW's Regensburg, Germany plant as a retractable hardtop roadster.

The German auto giant’s cars are seen as the most modern cars on Indian roads, more particularly in Indian metros. They are becoming ubiquitous on potholed Indian roads.

The German auto giant sold 2,908 cars in India in 2008, its second year of operation, closing the gap with luxury car leader Mercedes-Benz, which sold 3,625 cars in the same year, which was also its 12th year in the country.

Earlier BMW India announced to launch five new cars in 2009. It has already introduced the all-new 7 Series sedan and the new 3 Series sedan. The SUV X6 and X3 diesel and a new sports model will be launched sometime this year.



The first-generation BMW Z4 was designated the E85 in roadster form and E86 in coupé form. It was designed by Danish BMW-designer Anders Warming, who later made the Mille Miglia Concept car with some of the same shapes as the Z4.

The Z4's design addresses many criticisms of the preceding Z3; the Z4 is larger, and has a significantly stiffer chassis. The Z4 features a strut type front suspension like its predecessor. The rear suspension, however is considerably different from that of the Z3, which was based on that of the E30 BMW 3 Series.

Instead of a semi-trailing arm suspension, the Z4 uses a more advanced multi-link suspension. It was built in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Initially, the Z4 was available only as a roadster, but in 2006 a coupé version was officially launched. The last of the first-generation Z4 to be assembled in North America rolled off the assembly line on 27 August 2008.

In the meantime BMW India has said that it will add 10 dealers in tier-II cities such as Coimbatore, Jaipur, Lucknow and Ludhiana.

A top company official says, ““We grew 15% in the first quarter of 2009 and surpassed Mercedes Benz in the sales tally”.

The company overtook Mercedes Bens in January this year becoming the more preferred luxury car in the country.

BMW sold 181 more cars than Mercedes in India in January. Two mighty luxury car makers BMW and Mercedes are locked in a fight for supremacy in India. The war is going on with the entry of German car giant’s India entry a few years ago.