Once on work I saw BMW 650i convertible here in Ahmedabad. I was happy that convertible cars has hit Ahmedabad roads and that made me to explore other options among convertible cars. No no I am not going to buy one, at this stage I can't even afford to think of buying it. It was just to add one more classification in my dream cars. Now let's see most promising players in Indian market.
BMW
BMW earlier had couple of its 6 series cars 640d & 650i & now it has launched one of its best selling cars Z4 in India. 640d has 3.0 litre 24V diesel engine with maximum power of 313 bhp & 630 Nm of maximum torque while 650i has 4.3 litres 32V petrol engine with maximum power of 435 bhp & 650 Nm of maximum torque. Z4 has 3.0 litre 24V petrol engine with maximum power of 306 bhp & 400 Nm of maximum torque.
Among others there is 330d which has 3.0 litre 24V diesel engine but best among them is 650i & also the costliest among all BMW convertible cars as its on road price is around 1.5 crores. On the other hand Z4 is cheapest among them as its on road price is well under 1 crore. Moreover Z4 has potential of standing against newer convertible cars like Mercedes' SLK series.
Mercedes Benz
Merecdes Benz has only one contender if we consider only convertible cars & i.e SLK class 55 AMG which has 5.5 litre 32V petrol engine with maximum power of 421 bhp & 550 Nm of maximum torque. It has been launched recently in India buts all the cars in SLK class are having their own class. SLK 55 AMG's on road price is around 1.5 crores. Now only time will say that whether SLK 55 AMG is capable enough to put a dent in the market share of 650i or not.
Jaguar
Jaguar has two contenders among convertible cars F Type and XK R. F Type again has two models one is F Type 3.0 V6 S which has 3.0 litre 24V supercharged engine with maximum power of 375 bhp 339 Nm of maximum torque and the other is F Type 5.0 V8 S which has 5.0 litre 32V supercharged engine with maximum power of 488 bhp & 460 Nm of maximum torque. Jaguar XK R has 5.0 litre V8 supercharged engine with maximum power of 503 bhp & 625 Nm of maximum torque. Jaguar cars are comparatively costlier than others, all of them are ranging from 1.5 to 2 crores. If you are a ethnocentric person & have budget of 2 crores then you should definitely go for Jaguar.
Porsche
Porsche has Boxter & 911 in convertible cars. Porsche Boxter has 3.4 litre boxer engine with maximum power of 315 bhp & 360 Nm of maximum torque. Porsche 911 has various models with 3.6 litres boxer engine with maximum power of 350 bhp to 493 bhp & 390 Nm to 650 Nm of maximum torque. Porsche cars again are comparatively costlier than others as Boxter's price is around 1 crore & 911 goes well over 2 crores if you are planning to buy boxter then go for BMW Z4 instead as it is far better & cheaper than boxter. While 911 is on the different level all together, I can't even compare it with other cars.
Audi
Audi R8 spyder has 5.2 litre V10 petrol engine with maximum power of 518 bhp & 530 Nm of maximum torque. Its on road price is well over 2 crores. Ya it has more power than other cars & its engine is also better than others that's why its price is also more than others. If it is going to hurt anyone then its going to be Jaguar XK & Porsche 911 Carera turbo.
Mini
Mini Cooper convertible 1.6 has 1.6 litre petrol engine with maximum power of 121 bhp & 160 Nm of maximum torque. Its on road price is also well under 50 lacs. So its the cheapest convertible car in the premium segment of convertible cars. Mini is known for its excellence in small cars, so if you want small cute looking convertible then Mini Cooper convertible 1.6 is perfect for you.
The cheapest convertible car is San Motors' Storm pricing around 10 lacs. I know, I haven't mentioned big names like Ferrari, Lambhorgini, Bentley, Bugati, Maseratti etc. in this. Here I have taken all the convertible cars under the price range of 2.5 crores & for all these cars feet are going well out of the blanket & if feet keeps going out of the blanket then we will start shivering, so better keep it to this much only. Now on a serious note I hope any of the newspaper won't copy it & If any newspaper wants to then kindly contact me for that, I won't charge much.
