The Countryman, no doubt, is an aspirational five-seater SUV as it beautifully balances the retro looks with state-of-the-art technology. According to Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India, “The new MINI Countryman inspires you to take the path to new experiences and new horizons of the mind. This versatile sports activity vehicle (SAV) is just as home in an urban jungle as it is in the great outdoors. Its adrenaline-pumping engine, elegant interior design features, and latest technology blend harmoniously together.”

The Countryman easily stands out in the crowd as it retains MINI’s unique boxy rugged design with signature oval-shaped angular headlights. The LED adaptive headlamps are housed in an external piano black casing. The revised mesh grille is all-black in colours like the lower bumper, which also houses the fog lamps and vertical air dams. To add a sporty flair to its exteriors, the Countryman showcases black racing stripes on the bonnet, contrasting black roof and wheel arches along with silver roof rails. Coming to the rear, the crossover gets the trademark Union Jack LED taillights with vertical reflectors on the bumpers. It also gets silver-coloured skid plates at the front and rear.

The Cooper S comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, while the JCW Inspired version gets bigger 18-inches with run-flat tyres, a white coloured roof and a Comfort Access System that allows you to open the car door and start the engine without taking the key out of the pocket. This system is also in sync with the boot, which can be opened by swiping your foot underneath the rear fender.

Step inside the cabin and the circular touchscreen welcomes you in the middle of the dashboard. Moving below and the centre console sports physical buttons and metal finished retro toggle switches. The Cooper S is equipped with a 6.5-inch touchscreen with an LED ring around it. At the same time, the JSW Inspired gets a bigger 8.8-inch infotainment unit including navigation system, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charger, Harman Kardon music system, adjustable rear seats, 2-zone automatic climate control, panoramic sunroof and an all-digit 5.5-inch instrument cluster. On the other hand, the front seats are electrically adjustable, and the driver side comes with a seat memory function. The Cooper S’s cabin is slightly subdued with carbon black interiors and upholstery, while the top variant JCW Inspired takes the luxury quotient to the next level as it gets an option of either Chester Malt Brown or Chester Satellite Grey colour trims.

Now, coming to the million-dollar question, what lies under the hood? The new Countryman is only available in petrol and is powered by the 2-litre 4-cylinder engine with TwinPower Turbo technology, which churns out 189bhp and 280Nm of torque. Just to give you an idea of how quick it is off the mark; both the variants do 0-100km in just 7.5 seconds and boast a top speed of 225kmph. The Cooper S is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), and the JCW Inspired takes a notch higher with the seven-speed Sport DCT that offers quick gear shifts, paddle shifters and launch control for faster acceleration from standstill.

To make the driving more involving, the MINI Countryman has three driving modes. The individual mode lets you customise the suspension set up and driving dynamics according to your preference. Apart from this it also comes with Green (Eco) and Sport mode.

As expected, the Countryman comes fully loaded with safety features like front airbags, brake assist, cornering brake control, anti-lock braking system (ABS), Dynamic Stability Control and much more.

The Countryman doesn’t really have any direct competition, but in terms of a compact luxury SUV, the Audi Q2, Volvo XC40 and the upcoming new Mercedes-Benz GLA are the other options available in the market along with the BMW X1. (MT)

Mumbai-based automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra has announced its wholesales for April 2025 at 84,170 vehicles, a growth of 19 percent, including exports.

The auto major sold a total of 52,330 SUVs in the domestic market, which was 28 percent higher than 41,008 SUVs sold for the same period last year. Commercial vehicle sales in the domestic market came at 22,989 units, which was 4 percent YoY. 

Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Building on the strong momentum of last year's performance, we began the year on a strong note in April by achieving SUV sales of 52,330 units, a growth of 28 percent and total vehicle sales of 84,170 units, a 19 percent growth over the same month last year. These numbers indicate the strength of our portfolio and customer offerings.”

JSW MG Motor India, a leading passenger vehicles manufacturer, has announced its wholesales for April 2025.

The company reported sales of 5,829 units, which was 23 percent higher over April 2024, when it sold 4,725 vehicles.

Interestingly, the automaker's popular offering, the Windsor EV, has continued to be the top-selling electric passenger vehicle for the seventh month in a row.

JSW MG Motor India's Windsor EV has now gone home to over 20,000 customers.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest carmaker, has reported its wholesales of 179,791 units in April 2025, marking a 7 percent increase compared to 168,089 units sold in April 2024. The growth was primarily propelled by strong performance in utility vehicles and a sharp rise in export volumes.

Domestic sales, including passenger and light commercial vehicles, remained flat with 142,053 units, as compared to 140,448 units in April 2024. Within this, light commercial vehicles (LCVs) like the Super Carry saw a significant jump of 34.2 percent, with sales rising to 3,349 units from 2,496 units last year.

In the passenger vehicle segment, SUVs such as the Brezza, Ertiga, Grand Vitara and others recorded a 4.4 percent increase, selling 59,022 units compared to 56,553 in the previous year. However, sales for Eeco declined by 5.2 percent, while the mini segment (Alto, S-Presso) saw a sharp 45 percent drop, falling to 6,332 units from 11,519 units. The compact segment, which includes high-volume models like the Baleno and Swift, grew by 8.1 percent, reaching 61,591 units.

Sales to Toyota Kirloskar Motor rose sharply by 79.2 percent, from 5,481 units to 9,827 units, indicating a growing demand for cross-badged products.

The standout performer was the export segment, which surged 26 percent to 27,911 units from 22,160 units in April 2024. This strong export growth helped bolster the company’s overall numbers despite weaknesses in domestic sub-segments.

While some product lines such as the mid-size sedan Ciaz (-63 percent) continue to struggle.

Tata Motors reported total wholesales of 72,753 units for April 2025, reflecting a 6 percent year-on-year decline from 77,521 units in April 2024.

The passenger vehicle (PV) segment, including electric vehicles, accounted for 45,532 units, down 5 percent from 47,983 units in the same month last year. Within this, domestic PV sales dropped 6 percent to 45,199 units, while international business (IB) sales rose significantly to 333 units, up from 100 units. Electric vehicle sales (domestic + IB) declined 16 percent year-on-year to 5,318 units.

Commercial vehicle (CV) sales stood at 27,221 units, marking an 8 percent YoY drop from 29,538 units in April 2024. Domestic CV sales contracted 10 percent to 25,764 units, while CV exports (IB) grew 43 percent to 1,457 units. Key sub-segments like Small Commercial Vehicles (SCV) and pickups saw a steep 23 percent decline.

Despite growth in certain categories like ILMCV trucks and passenger carriers, overall sales momentum was tempered across both PV and CV segments.