Mercedes-Benz Leads Luxury Car Market in India, BMW on Second Position

Sales in the country’s luxury car market have grown rapidly in the last few years. In the first half of this year, Germany’s Mercedes-Benz ranks first in this market. The company’s sales grew by about nine percent to 9,262 units. BMW is in second place, selling 7,089 units.

Mercedes has got a large share of its sales from the SUV segment. Its models like GLA, GLC, GLE and GLS have a strong demand in this segment. Mercedes’ luxury sedans like A-Class, C-Class, E-Class and S-Class are also getting a good response from customers. The company also holds the first position in the electric vehicle (EV) segment in the luxury car market. In the first half, the company’s sales in this segment were 60 percent on a year-on-year basis. EVs account for about five percent of its total sales. In comparison, BMW has sold only 397 units in the EV segment.

Mercedes launched the first electric car EQC in the country. Last year, Mercedes made a record delivery of cars during the festive season. This indicated a strong response from the customers. The launch of new and updated models has helped Mercedes to increase the pace of sales. In the last financial year, Mercedes’ sales in the country grew by about 10 percent year-on-year to 18,123 units. Recently, the company introduced Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC SUV and AMG S 63 E Performance Edition.

The company believes that the growing demand for high-end luxury cars like the Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC SUV and the AMG S 63 E Performance Edition is an indication of the growing popularity of this segment. The premium vehicle segment includes vehicles priced at Rs 1.5 crore and above. To increase sales, the company is also focusing on EVs. Mercedes claims that one out of every four vehicles sold in the country is a top-end vehicle. The company expects the country to contribute about 25 percent of its total EV sales by 2027. India is the fifth largest market for the company abroad. Its new EV models will be a mix of import of completely built units and assembly of completely knocked down units at the company’s Chakan plant in Maharashtra.