Mercedes Benz India, the India arm of Germany based leading luxury car maker, is gearing-up to mark its debut in the mid range segment of cars in the Indian auto market. The move will be taken in a bid to enhance the market reach of the brand Mercedes in the Indian auto market. The new cheaper Mercedes Benz portfolio cars will be launched in the Indian market over a period of next 2 to 3 years.
Speaking to the reporters on Thursday, Peter Honegg, managing director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said, "We are positively considering to enter into mid-range segment of cars in India over the next two-three years. This will help us take the Mercedes brand to larger masses and increase our sales in the country.”
The upcoming Mercedes Benz car in the mid-range segment will be positioned below the segment of Mercedes Benz’s C-Class. At present, C – Class is the starting range of models of Mercedes Benz in the Indian auto market, priced at Rs 28 lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi).
In a bid to price the upcoming mid-range cars, Mercedes Benz will be bringing these models to the Indian market through CKD (completely knocked-down unit) route. These models will be assembled at the company’s facility at Chakan, Pune in Maharashtra.
While speaking at the occasion of the launch of a new Mercedes Benz Dealership in Ahmedabad, Mr. Honegg said, "It's getting bumpy for luxury cars now as the fuel prices have increased and interest rate hike is also not helping in sales. The pace of growth may slow but in long term, we see India becoming world's third largest car market in next ten years."
