Mercedes-Benz lines up new launches

German luxury car company Mercedes-Benz India has said that its strategy for India is on course, as it stays bullish on launching new cars and also increasing its dealer network in the country.

Talking to Deccan Herald, on the sidelines of the CeBIT India and Bangalore ITE.biz expo recently, Mercedes-Benz India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Eberhard Kern hinted, “The company is looking at launching more models in the coming year.” He, however, did not go into any further details.

Explaining about the auto major’s India strategy, Kern said, “Our strategy is based on three pillars: Bringing in the latest technology and models into the Indian market, increasing the number of dealerships and offering Mercedes customers a complete set of services such as financial support, insurance, roadside assistance and extended warranty among others.”

As part of its portfolio, Mercedes-Benz already has products in every segment, beginning with the compact car ‘A-Class’, which is the company’s most reasonably priced car, going all the way to cars in the utility, performance and high-end luxury sedan segments.“Up to now, this year, we launched nine cars in different segments, some of which were upgrades of existing models, while others were new models altogether,” Kern said, adding that the new models consisted of the SUV GLA and the CLA 45 AMG sedan.

On November 25, 2014, the company will be launching the new model C-Class, which will be the tenth car from the Mercedes stable in India, this year.

“In the last two years, we have experienced around 50 per cent growth,” he said. Mercedes-Benz  India sold 7,000 cars in 2012, 9,000 cars last year and this year, it expects sales of over 10,000 cars.

“One of the fastest growing segments for us is that of SUVs, at 100 per cent, with the performance (AMG) car models segment growing at around 150 per cent,” he mentioned.Mercedes cars are well-received in all regions of the Indian market, Kern claimed, whi

“As of now, there are 66 Mercedes-Benz dealerships in 36 cities, across India,” he said, adding that by the end of this year 14 new dealerships will be added to the list of existing ones.

“We have already opened eight of the 14 dealerships, while the remaining six will be opened soon in Nasik, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Karnal and Madurai, among other towns,” Kern said, emphasising the commitment of the company’s strategy in all regions, including Tier-II and Tier-III cities.