Luxury car major Mercedes-Benz India has raised its investment to Rs 850 crore as part of the expansion plan of its factory at Pune, Managing Director and CEO, Eberhard H Kern, said.
Kern told reporters here today that India has become the second market outside the US to start local production of M-class SUV.
He said that the company would focus upon customer experience and “after-sales delight” in eastern India.
The move was part of the strategy to reinforce its footprint in the region where dealership in Bhubaneswar was already operational and that in Jamshedpur was on the anvil, Kern added.
About the focus on network growth of Mercedes-Benz, he said efforts were on for deepest network penetration for any luxury car manufacturer with 72 touch points located in 31 Indian cities.
The luxury carmaker sold 7,138 units of cars in 2012 as wholesale to its dealer partners achieving a benchmark in terms of overall sales in luxury cars in India.
He also announced ‘benchmark Inter-crafts’ as the primary and high performance dealer in Kolkata for Mercedes-Benz.
Kern said Mercedes-Benz unveiled eight new products in 2012, including new M-class, C-class AMG performance edition and C-class sport edition.
“We hope 2013 will be a remarkable year for Mercedes-Benz in India,” Kern said.