New Delhi: BMW India will soon locally assemble the Mini Countryman at their Chennai plant, with a launch expected to happen in the second half of this year. The third-generation model was launched in July 2024, as an EV, with a single, high-performance petrol trim, the 300 bhp Countryman JCW All4, joining over a year later, in October, both of which came as CBU imports.

Locally made, however, it will come in just a petrol iteration, and it is expected to come in a lower-spec trim with a two-wheel drive setup. Both previous generations of Countryman were made in India, the first starting in May 2013, the second in May 2018.

The Mini Countryman petrol is based on the same front-wheel-drive platform, codenamed UKL2, like the BMW X1, which is also assembled in India. As such, it could even share its petrol engine, which happens to be a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged unit paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Of course, there is still a chance of a more powerful Countryman S that gets a 2.0-litre engine making 218 bhp.

What is the expected price of the locally assembled Mini Countryman

Mini Countryman rides on UKL2 platform

Even though the Countryman JCW All4 comes priced at Rs 64.90 lakh, the locally made model is likely to cost much less, closer to the BMW X1’s Rs 51 lakh price. The previous-gen locally assembled petrol model costs about Rs 48 lakh when it last went on sale in 2024. 

However, with inflation and depreciation of the Rupee against the Pound since, the expected price should be somewhere at Rs 55 lakh, ex-showroom. 

BMW India Group, in general have enjoyed a good start to the season. Their Q1 sales have helped them just inch ahead of their German rival, Mercedes-Benz, for the first time in a decade. Mini brand itself saw a growth of 42 per cent, and the introduction of this locally-assembled Countryman SUV will likely help make a case for itself.