Mercedez Benz's new M-Class SUV launched

Mercedes Benz India, part of German luxury carmaker Daimler group, on Tuesday, rolled out its new M-Class SUV priced at Rs 56.9 lakh and Rs 66 lakh, stating it was looking to assemble more cars in India in the wake of government raising import duties on completely built units (CBUs).

Mercedes-Benz India has so far invested about Rs 650 crore at its plant at Chakan in Maharashtra to step up vehicle assembly in India. The company said it is looking to assemble more models in India to be more cost competitive after the hike in import duties on imported vehicles.

The company plans to assemble the M-Class SUV here along with the other models in the pipeline such as the B-Class and the A-Class. Stating that there would be cost benefits for consumers, Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director & CEO Peter Honegg said for instance the M-Class could be cheaper by Rs 9 lakh once it is assembled in India.

He also said in the long run, the company will shift to manufacturing if numbers grow.