After a flat 2012, Mercedes-Benz India has bounced back with a 22% growth in FY13 (January to July period).
Eberhard Kern, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, was confident of continuing the double-digit growth for the rest of the year and says 2013 will be a successful year for Mercedes in India with sustainable and profitable growth. The number game is of no interest to us, Kern said on Mercedes reclaiming leadership of the Indian luxury car market. In a shaky economic environment Mercedes is doing well, Kern said.
There is currently a waiting period for most of the Mercedes-Benz cars in India and we are trying to get allocations for India increased, Kern said. He will be staking claim to greater share for the Indian market at a meeting with the parent company HQ in Germany next month. They are currently only limited by supply and are hoping to bring down the waiting period with higher allocations from the HQ, Kern said. The M-Class SUV launched in October 2012 has a four-month waiting period. The A and B Class have two-month waiting.
Kern credited the success at Mercedes-Benz to the product offensive that saw the company launch the new A and B Class diesel, new E-Class and M-Class. The company is also readying for the future by doubling capacity at the Pune plant in Chakan to 20,000 units a year, Kern said during the launch of GL Class luxury SUV in India.
