Live
- Prateeksha Srivastava says she seldom meets fellow music composers Rusha, Blizza, in person
- KTR Accuses Government of Brutality Against Farmers, Calls for Immediate Action
- Manchu Manoj Attends Shooting Amid Family Controversy
- BWF World Tour Finals: Treesa-Gayatri defeat Malaysian pair to keep semis hopes alive
- MUDA case: Complainant Krishna asks Lokayukta to file new plaint on CM Siddaramaiah on ED’s report
- Airport capex in India to cross Rs 60,000 cr in fiscals 2025-2027 to handle growing traffic: Crisil
- Five-Year-Old Boy Dies After 55-Hour Rescue from Borewell in Rajasthan's Dausa
- Chaos in Parliament over Congress-George Soros link claims, BJP MP poses questions
- Bus Driver Arrested After Deadly Accident in Mumbai’s Kurla; 42 Injured
- Community lunch, a ritual to prevent drought in Adoni
Mercedes to launch 4 more models
German luxury car maker, Mercedes-Benz, is gearing up to roll out four more models by the end of this December. The company had earlier announced its commitment to launch 12 new products and open 10 dealerships in the Indian market during 2016.
Hyderabad: German luxury car maker, Mercedes-Benz, is gearing up to roll out four more models by the end of this December. The company had earlier announced its commitment to launch 12 new products and open 10 dealerships in the Indian market during 2016. “The last quarter of the year looks promising with four more product launches and three more dealerships to strengthen our presence across the country,” said Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Roland S Folger.
The luxury automotive major, which had increased its investment in its India plant to over Rs 1,000 crore to double the annual manufacturing capacity to 20,000 units, currently has a dealership network of 87 outlets across 40 cities. Announcing the launch of Silver Star dealership in Hyderabad on Monday, Folger said despite the uncertainty created on diesel cars in the National Capital Region (NCR), the first nine months of 2016 had been exciting for Mercedes-Benz.
“We sold 13,502 units during January-December 2015, registering a year-on-year growth of 32 per cent. We have maintained growth momentum as we sold 9,924 units in the January-September 2016 period, despite issues like ban on diesel cars in Delhi-NCR. In the third quarter of this year, we witnessed a strong 45 per cent growth in demand for our sports utility vehicles (SUVs). If the current numbers are any indication, our growth this year is expected to be roughly the same as last year,” he said.
On the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is scheduled for implementation from April 2017, Folger said the company was still not clear on what its impact would be on the automotive sector. “Also, the GST implementation will impact the suppliers. Hence, we need to wait and watch on its likely impact,” he added. According to Folger, in an effort to drive more value to the customers, Mercedes-Benz has increased its localisation content by up to 60 per cent for the cars it makes in Pune.
“We are confident of a very bright future for the luxury car industry in India,” he said. The Silver Star dealership, Mercedes-Benz’s seventh in the country this year, is built at a cost of Rs 37 crore. Comprising 20,000 sft of display area and a 50,000-sft workshop, the dealership can service up to 6,000 cars in a year. Silver Star delivered 30 Mercedes-Benz cars on its inaugural day, said Amith Reddy, Principal Owner, Silver Star.
