Over 50 years after the original Alec Issiginis-designed BMC model was launched, the current BMW-owned British model line is about to go on sale in India introducing the brand here for the first time.

The cars are being shown to the public in Delhi ahead of sales due to start in March.

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Mini India head Benjamin Negal reckons the iconic car will be a big hit. He said: “Many people in India have heard of it but they have not been able to buy one before.”

The company announced plans to launch the brand last September and Nagel said there are already 50,000 Facebook fans in India.

“There is still some educating to do in terms of what the brand is all about – premium cars are generally perceived as large here.”

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He added: “We are not making any predictions on numbers but there is no direct competition in terms of the small premium segment; there is no Audi A1 or Mercedes A-class.

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“People are making comparisons with the VW Beetle and the Fiat 500 but the Mini is very different to them and with the convertible there are no other four-seaters around that come anywhere near the price.”

Orders are being taken at the show and it is planned to introduce the hatchback, Countryman wagon – Nagel expects this to be the biggest seller – and convertible.

“It has the practicality that many people will like,” he said.

Dealerships will operate separately from BMW’s. Nagel said three Mini-exclusive sites have been set up in New Delhi and Mumbai although they are part of existing BMW outlets.

“We will see how the market reacts and we will start looking at other cities such as Chennai, Bangalore and Pune.”