DESPITE
DIESEL BAN, MERCEDES BENZ HOPES TO GET LAST YEAR'S SALES VOLUME
India’s largest luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz
is hopeful that the company will retain the same volume as last year despite
diesel ban in Delhi and NCR region. “Diesel ban has affected sales but we hope
to achieve the same volume as last year. We have sold 6,597 units in the first
half of this calendar year. Last calendar year, we sold a total of 13,502
units,” Mercedes Benz India Managing Director and CEO Roland Folger told The
Pioneer at the sideline of an event here.
In a move to aggressively cater to the Indian market in luxury
segment, Mercedes Benz, on Thursday, also rolled out locally-produced GLC SUV
from its Chakan plant. The new model comes in both diesel and petrol variants
and is little over Rs 5 lakh cheaper than the imported version. Accordingly,
the 2.1-litre GLC 220d entry model diesel version comes at Rs 47.9 lakh, while
the 1.99-litre top-end GLC 300 petrol version is priced at Rs 51.9 lakh,
in Delhi. Launching the GLC, Folger said that the local production of the model
has been completed in four months due to the tremendous response to the CBU
version.
“And doing so in four months is a record for Mercedes India. We
are enthused by the customer response to this dynamic SUV GLC, which has
altogether redefined the segment and given the customers a refreshing choice,”
he said, adding that the GLC is the ninth product from Mercedes Benz to be
locally produced after Mercedes-Maybach S500, S-Class, E-Class, C-Class, GLS,
GLE, GLC, GLA and CLA.
Talking about the customer’s benefit, Folger said, “Generally,
whenever a product exceeds 500-unit demand mark on a sustainable basis we plan
investment for making the product locally. When a product is produced locally
our cost also comes down and customer is the winner as we pass on the benefits
to them. Even in the case of this product, there is also a significant price
reduction.” By rolling out the GLC SUV from its assembly line, Mercedes
Benz India has also become the only luxury car manufacturer boasting of the
largest locally-manufactured product portfolio in India.
The locally-produced GLC is launched in three variants GLC 220 d
4MATIC Style, GLC 220 d 4MATIC Sport and GLC 300 4MATIC Sport. Pertaining to
the increasing demand of the GLC, Mercedes-Benz started the local production
within just four months of its India debut in June, 2016. With the introduction
of the ‘Made in India’ GLC, Mercedes-Benz bolstered its local production
portfolio significantly with nine products rolling-out from its world-class
facility in Chakan, Pune. “The GLC has already become one of Mercedes-Benz’s
highest selling products, and we are very confident that it will replicate the
global success in India as well. With the localisation and availability in
petrol and diesel, we are confident that the GLC will become an attractive
proposition for our discerning buyers with enhanced value propositions and
increased availability,” said Mercedes Benz India chief.
However, Piyush Arora, Executive Director, Operations of
Mercedes-Benz India said, “We are extremely satisfied with our localisation
strategy, which is pivotal to our long-term success in this dynamic market. The
rolling-out of the ‘Made in India’ GLC underscores our positive outlook for the
Indian market, as we look forward to introducing more locally produced vehicles
depending on future market growth.
(THE
PIONEER)
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