2014 BMW X5 SUV hits the CKD assembly circuit at Chennai, India

BMW India has begun assembling the X5 luxury SUV through the completely knocked down (CKD) kit route from its Chennai factory. The CKD kits arrive from BMW America’s Spartanburg factory at South Carolina.  Customer deliveries will begin from the end of this month. The CKD assembly represents the first instance of BMW India taking the local assembly route for the X5, which was previously imported into the country as a completely built unit. Notably, the 2014 X5 is the 7th BMW car to be assembled through the CKD route at Chennai.

CKD assembly has helped reduce the price of the SUV as locally assembled cars are taxed with a lower import duty. The German luxury car giant launched the X5 earlier this year, in May. The 2014 BMW X5 is an all-new SUV that comes with a 7 seat layout. The luxury SUV is priced at 70.9 lakh rupees, ex-showroom India. Demand for the new X5 has been strong with the crossover commanding a waiting period of 3 months.

The 2014 X5 comes with a single, turbodiesel engine option. The engine in question is a 3 liter, inline 6 cylinder unit that produces 258 Bhp of peak power and 560 Nm of peak torque. The engine powers all four wheels of the X5 by means of an eight speed automatic transmission and an all wheel drive system. The diesel powered BMW X5 is a perky performer with performance that can shame many a sportscar.

Top speed is rated at 250 Kph with the 0-100 Kph sprint coming up in a rapid 5.9 seconds. Click here to read more about the 2014 BMW X5 crossover, which is in its third generation worldwide. Apart from the X5, BMW sells two other luxury crossovers – the X1 and the X3. The X1 is BMW India’s entry level model and prices start from 30.75 lakh rupees while the X3 is a mid-segment luxury SUV whose prices start from 47.9 lakh rupees.