Mercedes Benz in India these days seems to be driven around by young people compared to the fact that a few years ago, the average age of a Mercedes Benz owner in India would have been 50 years old.
The introduction of the new C-class last year and latest varient of the new E350 CDI which features a package of fuel-saving technologies, known as ‘Blue Efficiency Technology’, which helps save fuel by up to 13 per cent has caught the eyes of young entrepreneurs.
“The average age of our customers has come down to 35-40 level from the earlier age of 50. An increasing number of young entrepreneurs and professionals from various fields are buying luxury cars and this affluent segment has been boosting our sales volumes,” Suhas Kadlaskar, director, corporate affairs and HR, Mercedes-Benz India, told Financial Chronicle.
According to company officials and dealers, C-class, priced between Rs 30-35 lakh, is the largest selling luxury car of Mercedes in India. E- class is also selling in good numbers, while S- class and others have select segment of buyers.
Mercedes Benz India reported a sale of 325 units of passenger vehicles in October 2009 that was an increase of 132 percent as compared to their 2008 October performance and takes their cumulative numbers to 2,640 units of passenger cars for the period January – October 2009.
“In tune with the rest of the market, 2009 was a slow start for us. However we have witnessed increased demand since the second half of this year and October 2009 is the continuation of this growth story. The new E-Class which made its debut end of September 2009 and has won hearts of customers with its bold looks and aggressive stance and has sold 127 units in October 2009,” commented Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, managing director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India.
The S-Class, the leading luxury vehicle from the Mercedes-Benz stable also registered very strong sales performance with 30 units sold in October 2009 (as compared to 6 units in October 2008). The C-Class has also added to the volumes netting 153 units in October 2009 (100 units in Oct 2008).
Debashis Mitra, director- Sales and Marketing, “Mercedes-Benz India offers the widest and deepest portfolio for customers; our network penetration is the deepest across the Indian luxury car segment. We have worked very closely with our customers to ensure that our products, service and the value proposition match their needs. October sales numbers are encouraging for us.”
