Mercedes-Benz is all set to become the first luxury car brand in India to clock annual sales of over 11,000 units this calendar year. The top luxury brand in the country by volumes has indicated that it continues to see strong sales momentum and is confident of posting double digit growth for the third year in a row.
“Sales momentum is still there for our brand. July and August were good. Usually, second half of calendar year will be better in sales due to festive season. So, we hope 2015 will be yet another strong year for Merc,” Eberhard Kern, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India (MBI) said after the inauguration of Titanium Motors, Merc’s new dealership by VST Motors, which has spent about Rs.45 crore in opening two showrooms and a service centre in the city.
MBI ended the first half of this calendar year with total sales of 6,659 units, up 41 per cent over a year-ago period. It is now the fastest growing luxury brand in India. After a robust first half, Merc is confident of doing even better in the second half which will get a festive boost.
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Thus, even a lower double digit growth in annual sales will see Merc’s volumes crossing 11,000 units in 2015, thereby becoming the first brand in the luxury segment to achieve such landmark sales in a calendar year. The company posted sales of 10,201 units in 2014.
Meanwhile, Merc is gearing up to launch five new models in the next four months. Most of these new launches would happen in the upper end of the luxury segment. The next launch will be AMG C63S on September 3. This model, which comes in the performance segment, will be its 11th launch in this calendar year. Merc will also launch its AMG-GT as well as three more new models, details of which were not disclosed.
Mr. Kern said Mercedes was no longer one or two products brand and its portfolio included at least nine volume driver models that include C Class, E Class, and GLA. “About two thirds of our sales come from upper end models. Luxury compacts are major volume drivers. But other segments also contribute in a big way,” he added.
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In terms of dealer outlets, Merc now offers the widest reach among the luxury brands with 78 outlets across 39 cities. Its faster network expansion has also been a major driver of sales growth.