German car maker expects its new 2-Series Active Tourer minivan to attract many first time buyers for the brand. The company feels that almost 75 percent of the people buying the 2-Series Active Tourer minivan to be first time customers.
This latest offering from BMW will be the first front wheel driven car, breaking the company’s tradition of making rear wheel drive cars.
Speaking to Automotive News Europe at the model’s press launch, Frank Niederlaender, head of product management for BMW’s lower model range, told, “We are expecting the Active Tourer will have a conquest rate of around 75 percent.”.
BMW expects the minivan to attract customers who would otherwise buy vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz B class or Volkswagen Touran.
European customers BMW’s new minivan will get three petrol powered and three diesels powered engines. The 2-series Active Tourer will go on sale in Europe in September with prices starting at 27,200 (approximately Rs 22 Lakh) euros in Germany.
Engineers at BMW believe that extensive fine-tuning paired with new chassis innovations such as a single-joint spring strut front axle will help give the Active Tourer the agility and handling typical of a BMW.
Siegfried Mueller, development project manager for the minivan told the automotive website, “The Active Tourer offers precisely the driving fun that constitutes the fascination of a BMW.”
BMW plans to launch a longer version of the Active Tourer with three rows of seats to accommodate seven passengers. A plug-in hybrid will follow with nine more BMW-brand derivatives off its front-wheel-drive architecture planned for the future.
Stay tuned into Motoroids for more updates from the world of auto. Do share your views on the BMW’s new minivan through comments below.
Source: europe.autonews.com
