IAB Report - Assembly of 2014 BMW X5 begins in India; Waiting period at 3 months

The 2014 BMW X5 which was launched in India last month at INR 70.90 lakhs (ex-showroom pan-India) has started rolling out from the German automaker's CKD plant in Chennai. The kits of the SUV are shipped from BMW's Spartanburg plant in the US.

The company stated, without divulging booking numbers, that overwhelming response for the new Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) in India has pushed the waiting period up to three months. The initial deliveries of the new X5 would commence in a few days.

The third generation BMW X5 is available only in the xDrive30d variant in India. It is powered by a 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder diesel engine which has 258 hp and 560 Nm of torque in store. The power is harnessed by an 8-speed automatic transmission which sends the drive to all wheels. The SAV accelerates from 0-100 km/h in under 7 seconds before hitting a top speed of 230 km/h.

Visually, the new gen X5 is clearly an improvement over the outgoing model both outside and inside. The car adopts BMW's latest design philosophy with new headlamps, a revised kidney grille, aggressive bumpers and revised taillights with L-shaped LED elements.

2014 BMW X5 local assembly begins - Press Release

[Head to Slideshare if you can't view the press release.]