BMW India Launches Price Protection Scheme For MINI Cooper S Amid India-UK Trade Deal Uncertainty

German luxury carmaker BMW has introduced a price protection guarantee for Indian buyers of its MINI 3-Door Cooper S model, amid customers expressing concerns about potential duty reductions following the recently concluded India-UK Free Trade Agreement, news agency PTI has reported.

What Is The Protection Programme

The announcement by BMW Group India, ensures that buyers of the UK-manufactured MINI model will receive refunds if import duties are reduced within the next six months. The protection programme covers vehicles purchased during a 180-day window starting immediately.

Under the protection scheme, BMW dealerships will refund the difference between the original invoice price and any reduced showroom price that may result from duty cuts. This approach aims to encourage immediate purchasing decisions rather than waiting for potential price drops.

BMW Group India President and CEO Vikram Pawah said that customer inquiries prompted the decision, as buyers were uncertain about timing their purchases given the impending trade agreement's impact on pricing.

"We have been getting calls from customers as to what the impact is, because MINI 3-Door Cooper S is coming from the UK, what will happen, whether they should buy now or not," Pawah was quoted as saying by PTI on Friday.

The company's solution addresses this market hesitation directly. "We are telling our customers if there is something to happen in the next six months we will protect your price," Pawah added.

India-UK FTA

The recently finalised India-UK FTA is expected to significantly reduce automotive import tariffs from over 100 per cent to 10 per cent under specific quotas for both countries. Electric vehicle imports will receive duty-free treatment, though this benefit is capped at several thousand units.

Currently, the MINI 3-Door Cooper S carries an ex-showroom price starting at Rs 44.9 lakh as a completely built-up import from BMW's Oxford facility. The model faces a 70 per cent basic customs duty under existing regulations.

However, BMW's price protection offer excludes the all-electric MINI Countryman model, which is imported from the company's Leipzig plant in Germany and retails for Rs 54.9 lakh.

The luxury brand's MINI division recorded modest sales figures in the Indian market, with 150 units sold in the first quarter of 2025 and 709 units throughout 2024.

While government officials have confirmed the completion of India-UK FTA negotiations, specific implementation details remain pending, creating the uncertainty that prompted BMW's customer protection initiative.