BMW Group India Appoints Hardeep Singh Brar as New President & CEO, Signalling Fresh Growth Momentum!
By Ashutosh Arora
In a strategic leadership move aimed at accelerating its expansion in one of its fastest-growing global markets, BMW Group India has appointed Hardeep Singh Brar as its new President and CEO, effective 1 September 2025. This significant transition marks a new chapter for the German luxury automaker in India, as Brar takes the reins from Vikram Pawah, who will be relocating to head BMW Group Australia and New Zealand.
This leadership realignment underscores BMW’s long-term commitment to the Indian market and its ambitions to deepen its presence in the region. Jean-Philippe Parain, Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, highlighted India’s pivotal role in the BMW Group’s strategic roadmap. He noted that Brar’s seasoned industry experience and nuanced understanding of Indian market dynamics make him ideally positioned to lead the next phase of BMW’s growth story in the country.
Brar brings to the table over 30 years of leadership experience across top-tier automotive brands including Maruti Suzuki, Volkswagen, General Motors, Nissan, Great Wall Motors, and most recently Kia India, where he served as Senior Vice President – Sales and Marketing. His expansive career spans critical verticals such as sales, marketing, customer experience, dealer development, and corporate strategy. A Mechanical Engineering graduate from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Brar further honed his leadership skills at Harvard Business School’s Senior Executive Leadership Program.
His appointment comes at a time when BMW India is scaling operations with an increased focus on local assembly, premium product offerings, electric mobility, and digital transformation. Under Vikram Pawah’s leadership since 2017, BMW India achieved major milestones, including a stronger foothold in the luxury segment, deeper localization efforts, and the launch of cutting-edge EVs and digital retail platforms. His dual role in India and Australia helped align cross-market strategies and strengthen BMW’s regional presence.
BMW Group India’s operations span across its luxury car brand BMW, lifestyle brand MINI, and premium motorcycle division BMW Motorrad. Since its inception in 2007, the Indian arm has built a strong local ecosystem, including a manufacturing facility in Chennai, a distribution center in Pune, a training academy in Gurugram, and a robust dealership network across major metropolitan cities. Ten BMW models are locally assembled in India, while MINI and Motorrad continue to carve out their own niche customer bases in the market.
With Hardeep Singh Brar stepping into this pivotal role, BMW Group India is set to enter a new era of innovation, localization, and consumer-focused growth, aimed at reinforcing its position as a leader in the Indian luxury automotive space.
