All new 2018 Mini Countryman starts its local assembly in India

British marque MINI recently launched the all new 2018 Mini Countryman in the Indian car market. And now, the company has started the local assembly of the new Mini Countryman at its current parent company BMW Group’s Chennai facility.

The Mini Countryman is the largest model in the iconic British brand’s product lineup. The new 2018 Mini Countryman is being assembled in India right after launch and said the president of BMW Group India, to Vikram Pawah, and has more than 50 percent localization that is in line with the other locally assembled products from the house of BMW. The localization of the new Countryman ensures competitive price range, which the company is banking on and is hoping to boost the sales to two-folds in the car market of India. BMW India is also expected to bring in other updated products from the Mini range in India such as the already launched refreshed Cooper, Convertible and Clubman is order to boost sales rates in the country.

For the uninitiated, the all new 2018 Mini Countryman which is in its second generation is available for sale in India in three model trims, namely the Cooper S which is priced at Rs. 34.90 lakhs; the Cooper SD – priced at Rs. 37.40 lakhs; and the sporty Cooper S JCW Inspired that has been tagged at Rs. 41.40 lakhs (prices, ex-showroom India).

The all new Mini Countryman has been underpinned by the UKL, which it shares with its cousin, the BMW X1. The new Countryman is available in both petrol and diesel engine versions. The petrol powered Cooper S and the Cooper S JCW Inspired models pack in a 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine which has the capability of generating a peak power output of 192 hp along with a top torque of 280 Nm. On the other hand, the Cooper SD gets equipped with a 2.0 litre diesel motor that is good to pump out a max power output of 190 hp and 400 Nm of top torque. The generated power gets transmitted to the front wheels of the Countryman through a sophisticated 8 speed automatic transmission gearbox. In the international car markets, the Mini Countryman is offered for sale in both the front wheel drive (FWD) and the all four wheel drive (AWD) system options. However, the Indian car market only gets FWD version of the all new 2018 Countryman.

Being a globally celebrated model, the Countryman boasts of being loaded with a long list of good features. The latest iteration of the Mini Countryman is obviously more updated in terms of features and offer premium equipments including the latest iDrive infotainment system integrated with a touchscreen display. The S JCW Inspired model of course looks the most appealing among the three available variant. This variant offers front apron air ducts, a rear spoiler and larger 18 inch alloy wheels (other trims get 17 inch ones). The Cooper S JCW model also offers additional interior features including a sporty steering wheel, a head-up display, a rear view camera, wireless charging, sporty stainless-steel pedals and a Harman Kardon audio system.