Mini begins local assembly of the Countryman at the Chennai plant

After a strong performance since the Iconic British brand officially entered India last year, Mini, a group company of BMW has started the local assembly of the Mini Countryman at the group's facility at Chennai.

This is the first time that Mini is being manufactured outside Europe. The BMW Group says that the Minis manufactured here would be fulfilling the same quality standards as the other BMW plants worldwide. The local production comes just after an year of sales and would help catering to the steadily increasing demand for the Countryman.

For the first time in India, the Mini Countryman will be offered in two diesel variants - Mini Cooper D Countryman and Mini Cooper D Countryman High, apart from a new Mini One Countryman petrol variant.

The other petrol variants of the MINI Countryman - MINI Cooper S Countryman and MINI Cooper S Countryman High – will be imported into India as Completely Built-up Units (CBU). Same will be the case for the rest of the Mini lineup.

The prices of the locally produced variants of the Mini Countryman (ex-showroom pan-India)

• Mini One Countryman (Petrol) - Rs. 23.5 lakhs
• Mini Cooper D Countryman - Rs. 25.6 lakhs
• Mini Cooper D Countryman high - Rs. 28.9 lakhs

The local assembly of the Mini Countryman makes it much more accessible.