Every 1 out of 3 cars Mercedes sells in India are its most expensive models

Who buys a Mercedes in India? According to the German carmaker, every one out of three customers have their pockets deep enough to go for the most expensive models from the brand. These models, all of which cost above the ₹1 crore price tag, range from the AMG, Maybach versions or the top-end flagship cars from Mercedes-Benz. What is more intriguing is that Mercedes thinks sales of such models will continue to grow and bolster its position as India's top luxury car brand in the near future.

The German carmaker said it is seeing accelerated growth for top-end cars which have contributed around 30 per cent of its overall sales in the first nine months of the year.Till September, Mercedes has sold 11,469 units, which is already more than 11,242 units the German carmaker could sell in 2021.

Santosh Iyer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Mercedes-Benz India, said, “If I look at it internally, we are seeing 68 per cent growth in our TEV segment, which is our top-end luxury segment, compared to the overall growth of 28 per cent. Today, 30 per cent of our sales are in top-end vehicles, cars above ₹1 crore price." Iyer said that the luxury car market used to be driven more by entry level cars. Things have changed in recent past which the company terms as ‘maturity' of Indian customers. "It also shows a very strong consumption ability by the luxury customer," he added.

Iyer thinks the trend will continue for demand of its models worth more than ₹1 crore which could increase from 30 per cent currently to more than 40 per cent. The Mercedes cars in India, which are priced above the Rs-1 crore price tag, includes models like GLE 450, GLE400d, GLS, GLS Maybach, S-Class, S-Class Maybach, G-Class, AMG E53, E63 AMG and EVs like EQS and EQS53 AMG. The EQS sedan, which is the first Mercedes EV to be assembled outside Germany, was recently and has already received more than 300 bookings.

Iyer said supply issues will determine if the sale of such models will increase further in coming days. He said, “The availability of some of these top-end vehicles is also a challenge in terms of supply. We have to wait and see, but clearly the strategy in India and globally is to increase our top-end vehicle share. We are highly focused on being a true luxury brand to push those segments much higher."

Currently, Mercedes has an order backlog of nearly 7,000 units across its lineup in India. The wait to drive home a Mercedes car can stretch up to nine months in India. The Mercedes models with highest waiting period include GLS, S-Class Maybach, G-Class and GLS.