By Shailesh Yadav

Gurugram (Haryana) [India], April 8 (ANI): After tensions in West Asia rattled global oil markets, India's luxury carmakers are seeing an unexpected beneficiary, electric vehicles.

BMW Group India says the ongoing geopolitical turmoil is driving a measurable shift in buyer sentiment towards EVs, and the numbers are backing it up.

BMW Group India posted its highest-ever first-quarter sales in 2026, selling 4,567 cars between January and March, up 17 per cent year-on-year. But the headline number that turned heads was a staggering 83 per cent jump in electric vehicle sales, 1,185 BMW and MINI EVs sold in just three months.

Hardeep Singh Brar, President and CEO, BMW Group India, was candid about what is driving buyers to go electric.

'There is news of an oil crisis and an increase in crude prices. For the time being, the government is holding on to fuel prices -- but I am sure after elections are over, the prices are going to go up. A lot of customers are aware of that and they are apprehensive. And hence there is a lot of shift towards electric vehicles,' he told ANI on Wednesday.

Brar's remarks come at a time when the West Asia conflict has kept crude oil prices volatile and jittery. While the Indian government has so far absorbed the pressure and held retail fuel prices steady, consumers -- particularly in the premium segment -- are clearly reading the writing on the wall and hedging their bets by switching to electric.

The shift is no longer marginal. One in every four cars sold by BMW Group India today is an electric vehicle. The company now commands over 70 per cent market share in India's luxury EV segment -- a dominance it has built through a combination of product range, charging infrastructure and financial incentives.

'Fortunately for us, the supply was very good for electric vehicles in Q1, which really helped. We grew 83 per cent in our electric category portfolio, that has really helped us grow the market,' Brar said.

BMW Group India's EV lineup spans eight products, the BMW i7, iX, i5, iX1 Long Wheelbase, MINI Countryman E, MINI Countryman SE ALL4, BMW CE 04 and BMW CE 02 -- the widest luxury EV portfolio in the country.

Beyond the geopolitical push, BMW has worked to remove the practical barriers that have historically held EV adoption back. Customers now have access to over 6,000 charging points nationwide, backed by services such as Destination Charging, Smart E-Routing, Charging Concierge and a High-Power Charging Corridor.

An assured buyback of up to 74 per cent of ex-showroom price for EVs, combined with up to 40 per cent lower monthly instalments through BMW India Financial Services, has made the switch financially compelling, not just emotionally driven.

'We are able to tailor-make financial products for customers based on their individual cash flows, along with assured buyback for electric vehicles. All of this put together has really helped us grow the market,' Brar explained.

For now, BMW Group India is preparing for what Brar called the company's most ambitious product year, with 27 new launches planned in 2026 across BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad -- many of them electric.

'We have entered 2026 in an extremely strong position,' he said. 'With each new car, we aim to deliver joy to our customers who enable this success story.' (ANI)