The German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has set a hectic pace for itself and expects to launch three new models in India within three months.

The company will introduce its all-new luxury sports utility vehicle GL in the presence of German tennis star Boris Becker on May 16 in New Delhi.

This will be followed by the launch of the diesel variant of its B Class and the globally popular A Class hatch in both the petrol and diesel variants.

Eberhard H. Kern, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, said, “The company will significantly expand its product portfolio during the year and thereby be able to address a much larger luxury car market.”

He told Business Line that the luxury auto market in India is set to grow significantly from barely 1.2 per cent of the 2.6-million passenger car market to about 4 per cent of the expanded market by 2020.

“We are currently functioning in India within fewer segments with the C, E and S Class and the petrol variant of the B Class. But wherever we are present we have a leadership role,” he said.

“Having closed 2012 with overall sales volumes of about 7,000 cars, and registering a growth of about 5.3 per cent during the first quarter ended March 31, 2013 with 2,009 cars, we expect to register double-digit growth during the current year with the expanded portfolio,” he said.

The company last year commissioned a new paint shop at Chakan in Maharashtra, which can handle up to 20,000 cars. It expects to complete the expansion project, which will take the capacity to 20,000 vehicles per annum, by the year-end.

>rishikumar.vundi@thehindu.co.in

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