Mercedes-Benz is eyeing double-digit sales growth nationally this year with the bouncing back of demand for luxury cars after Covid-induced slowdown.
Santosh Iyer, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mercedes-Benz said the company is on the cusp of a big change in terms of electrification to drive it to the next phase of growth. “We see healthy signs in the market with projected double-digit growth. There is no better time to take up the challenge and drive the company for the future, he told media persons.
Iyer was in Kochi to inaugurate one of the world-class 50,000 sq. ft Mercedes-Benz Coastal Star ‘MAR20X Experience Center.
Kerala market, according to him, is also growing rapidly after the pandemic with the demand for top-end luxury cars of Mercedes-Benz priced above ₹1 crore posting a surge. “We have grown more in Kerala compared to the whole of India. We grew at 59 per cent in Kerala while it was 41 per cent nationally”, Iyer said, adding that the state market is registering progressive growth in the last few years.
“We see a lot of repeat purchases in Kerala, thanks to people’s trust in our customer service. We are getting a lot of new younger customers aged below 40 in Kerala. We sell a significant number of GLE and GLS models. We have sold over 10,000 Mercedes-Benz cars in Kerala and on an average Kerala contributes 5 to 6 per cent of total sales in India,” he said.
Mercedes-Benz car sales in India were 15,822 vehicles, and Mumbai and Delhi were the biggest markets, contributing close to 18 per cent of the sales. In next few years, 25 per cent of sales will be electric vehicles, he added.