BMW India on Monday said that cars under its Mini brand would cost over Rs 25 lakh. The company has already announced its intention to launch the premium hatchback brand at the auto expo in January 2012 in completely built units (CBU) form imported from Germany. The Mini brand will be positioned above its current entry-level cars X1 (Rs 22.40 lakh) and three-series (Rs 24.40 lakh).

“The focus in 2012 will not be on volumes but on building Mini’s brand perception. We will set up 12 exclusive showrooms in the country starting with New Delhi and Mumbai,” said Andreas Schaaf, president, BMW India. The luxury carmaker is currently evaluating the models that may be launched from the Mini portfolio. The company globally sells hatchback, convertible, coupe, countryman and clubman variants under Mini brand. However, the company is yet to decide on the launch of its one-series premium hatchback, Schaaf added.

The Mini premium brand has 80-year heritage value and India is the only country where it has not been launched. “We will launch three-series convertible next year. We are ready to bring every car concept to India which is worldwide,” Schaaf said. The company aims to sell 10,000 units this year, compared with 6,246 cars sold in 2010. X1 will be the major contributor with sales of 3,000 units this year, Schaaf added.

Meanwhile, BMW India plans to launch car-leasing business later this year to rival Mercedes-Benz that last week started ‘Star Lease’ business. Mercedes is offering its C Class and E Class sedans on monthly payments starting Rs 96,000 onwards for three years. The rentals cover insurance and maintenance charges with the option of purchasing the car from the company’s used car showrooms after three years.

Schaaf further said that by 2020, India would be one of BMW’s top ten markets globally. “We aim to sell around 60,000 cars in India annually by 2020 and maintain our leadership,” Schaaf added.