Mini’s India sales touched record in 2022, expect momentum to continue: Asia Pacific chief Pierre Jalady

The Mini Cooper represents a sizeable part of the overall battery electric vehicle of BMW Group. (File image - Mini Cooper SE)

Pierre Jalady, Vice President, Head of Mini region Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa was in India recently. In an exclusive chat with Moneycontrol, Jalady talked about the expanding electric mobility, and new target groups.

"Sales for last year were at an all-time high for Mini in India and the momentum suggest this year will be another record year," said Jalady.

Edited excerpts:

BMW Group has been the number one luxury car-maker on the planet for the last two years. How has Mini contributed?

Yes, that's true. So, the Mini Cooper, starting two years ago, represents a sizeable part of the overall battery electric vehicle, or BEV volume of BMW Group. Last year it was 25 percent, which means a big chunk of the volume of the group is coming from Mini electric alone. Therefore, Mini is really the pilot, the pioneer for BMW Group, so whatever we develop, to the spirit of developing along with many initiatives will be what Mini will offer to all our markets. So yes, we're going to play a role overall but the way we design the car is not to go for crazy mass volumes itself. We want to grow, that's clear but in a strategic way.

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How do you rate the Indian market and have sales been growing?

Last year was not only a good year, but an all-time high for Mini in India. Never have we been able to deliver to customers as many Minis as last year. Percentage-wise we grew by some 11 percent and crossed well over 700 cars in sales which was good for a year where there were still restrictions, so it was really a lot more than what we planned to set out to in the beginning of the year. India is a market with huge potential for Mini, in the urban areas which is our turf, and we will focus on how we can get even stronger in the key cities. Electric vehicles are going to play a big role in the future. This year will probably be another year of record for Mini in India. So, the momentum is there.

If it is 2030's for the world, when can we expect to see a full electric roll out in India?

Yes, we are looking at that, and obviously, there will be some flexibility in the transition period to get there. But we want to get there by 2030 since the world is going to have electric cars one way or the other.

Mini's design language is iconic - which means you can't tinker around too much with a statement that is a classic vintage - Yet with the new generation of EVs how will you target a new generation of consumers without losing the core audience?

I can tell you; we are today and for the next generation, going to keep the true DNA of Mini. The true DNA of Mini, is about smart usage of the space. So, wherever we are developing new Mini’s, and showcasing concepts it is still about the clever use of space. That's basically what we do. So that's one element. The second one is definitely the joy of driving it. That will not change whatever the size. And I can tell you even for the next generation, actually, we can push the excitement levels of driving even further. So, when on the development side even if it's a bigger Mini, how can we make sure that we get the specific Mini-drive feeling is what we stay focused on. The last element is definitely the design because when you see a Mini, when you enter it, you have a smile on your face. You recognize it on the street. That's never going to change. Yes, there will be slight design changes but it will be evolution not revolution.

Can you share who your target audience in India is?

Well, the first thing is that Mini is an urban brand worldwide and it's the same here. So, it’s very much a big city person's car. Also, the type of customer that we're having in India is a bit younger. It's clearly someone who's from the creative class or interested in design as a concept. It could also be someone who's driven by a passion of cooking, right, or photography. So, some of them are the hidden creative folks. There's a passion that drives them in life.

The electric MINI Cooper SE sold over 40,000 units last year which was a large percentage of your overall EV pie. What does that mean for other markets?

In Europe, in the US, in China, in the region, actually, everywhere in the world, we see that the SE is successful whenever it's available. The Mini Cooper SE is a success because in a sense that it's first a Mini before being electric and that's what makes the difference. Meaning you get with this car, really the thrill, the fun of driving a Mini, and it happens to be an electric car. That was very important for us to really make not what was an electric car positioned as a Mini, so if you look all around the world, this package, this approach of making electric fun, is one reason for its success. Actually, if you look at the electric vehicle markets, this is the lowest price in the premium segment. So, it doesn't mean that because we are premium and we have to be overly expensive. And especially we are demonstrating in India that we can be very strong and go beyond just the premium segment. So, understand that also actually, there is no other hatch in our space, right? We don't really have a direct competition to the Mini. Tesla's not here. We basically have the space to ourselves.