<p>Bengaluru: Enthused by strong demand for its cutting-edge, ultra-luxury cars among young, aspirational Indians, Mercedes-Benz India is looking to aggressively expand its footprint in the country this year, opening 20 new touchpoints and entering new markets.</p><p>“Mercedes-Benz will expand to 20 touchpoints by the end of 2026. We expect investments of over Rs 450 crore by our franchise partners, and will be present through more than 145 touchpoints across 60+ cities — the densest luxury network in India,” Mercedes-Benz India MD and CEO Santosh Iyer said.</p><p>In line with this strategy, the German luxury carmaker on Friday inaugurated its new luxury sales and service facility, ‘Viva Star’, in Bengaluru. The multi-storey dealership features a 10,400-sq ft luxury sales space and reflects the company’s ‘Go to Customer’ approach.</p><p>Highlighting Bengaluru’s importance to Mercedes-Benz’s India plans, Iyer said, “In Bengaluru, 40 per cent of luxury car buyers, particularly Mercedes-Benz customers, are below 38 years of age. The city has around 31,600 millionaire households, ranking third nationally, according to a Hurun report. Karnataka’s GSDP has risen 56 per cent over the past year, driven by technology, AI adoption, and startup leadership. These trends necessitated our network expansion.”</p>.Rationalise customs duty on imported luxury cars: Mercedes-Benz India CEO.<p>Apart from Viva Star, Mercedes-Benz partners with Sundaram Motors and Advaith Motors in Bengaluru. The city has eight touchpoints, part of the 13 across Karnataka, which also include Mysuru, Mangaluru, and Hubballi.</p><p>Viva Star Bengaluru also houses Karnataka’s first ‘Mercedes-Maybach Lounge’, featuring a shop-in-shop concept with dedicated Maybach retail elements. </p><p>“Last year, India was among the top-five Maybach markets globally. With this background, we decided to locally manufacture the ultra-luxury GLS Maybach in India. While customised versions will continue as CBU imports, the core car will be made locally,” Iyer said.</p><p>The GLS Maybach will be priced at Rs 2.75 crore (ex-showroom), down from Rs 3.17 crore earlier, aided by localisation. Mercedes-Benz sold over 500 Maybach units in India in 2024, a 145 per cent year-on-year increase, averaging nearly 10 cars a week.</p><p>“The luxury market has three segments — entry, core, and top-end. Our focus is clearly on the core and top-end segments, which is why we remain bullish on Maybach,” Iyer added.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Enthused by strong demand for its cutting-edge, ultra-luxury cars among young, aspirational Indians, Mercedes-Benz India is looking to aggressively expand its footprint in the country this year, opening 20 new touchpoints and entering new markets.</p><p>“Mercedes-Benz will expand to 20 touchpoints by the end of 2026. We expect investments of over Rs 450 crore by our franchise partners, and will be present through more than 145 touchpoints across 60+ cities — the densest luxury network in India,” Mercedes-Benz India MD and CEO Santosh Iyer said.</p><p>In line with this strategy, the German luxury carmaker on Friday inaugurated its new luxury sales and service facility, ‘Viva Star’, in Bengaluru. The multi-storey dealership features a 10,400-sq ft luxury sales space and reflects the company’s ‘Go to Customer’ approach.</p><p>Highlighting Bengaluru’s importance to Mercedes-Benz’s India plans, Iyer said, “In Bengaluru, 40 per cent of luxury car buyers, particularly Mercedes-Benz customers, are below 38 years of age. The city has around 31,600 millionaire households, ranking third nationally, according to a Hurun report. Karnataka’s GSDP has risen 56 per cent over the past year, driven by technology, AI adoption, and startup leadership. These trends necessitated our network expansion.”</p>.Rationalise customs duty on imported luxury cars: Mercedes-Benz India CEO.<p>Apart from Viva Star, Mercedes-Benz partners with Sundaram Motors and Advaith Motors in Bengaluru. The city has eight touchpoints, part of the 13 across Karnataka, which also include Mysuru, Mangaluru, and Hubballi.</p><p>Viva Star Bengaluru also houses Karnataka’s first ‘Mercedes-Maybach Lounge’, featuring a shop-in-shop concept with dedicated Maybach retail elements. </p><p>“Last year, India was among the top-five Maybach markets globally. With this background, we decided to locally manufacture the ultra-luxury GLS Maybach in India. While customised versions will continue as CBU imports, the core car will be made locally,” Iyer said.</p><p>The GLS Maybach will be priced at Rs 2.75 crore (ex-showroom), down from Rs 3.17 crore earlier, aided by localisation. Mercedes-Benz sold over 500 Maybach units in India in 2024, a 145 per cent year-on-year increase, averaging nearly 10 cars a week.</p><p>“The luxury market has three segments — entry, core, and top-end. Our focus is clearly on the core and top-end segments, which is why we remain bullish on Maybach,” Iyer added.</p>
