Demand for used Mercedes as high as for new model

Vinay Sanghi, chief of online car sales firm Cartrade, which is connected to 1,200 used car dealers across India, said most luxury car owners change t
...
Merc-launches-Grand-Edition-of-C-class-Photo-Autocar-India
Merc-launches-Grand-Edition-of-C-class-Photo-Autocar-India

For every new Mercedes, Audi or BMW sold in India, there's a second-hand luxury car changing hands somewhere in this country.

"A new Skoda Laura costs 16-17 lakh. A second-hand Mercedes Benz C Class is available at that price. Many prefer the latter," said Faizal Lakhani, vice-president, pre-owned car business, Shaman Group, a large Mumbai-based automobile dealer.

Trending Cars

Find more Cars

The best sellers are 3-4-year-old Mercedes Benz C Class, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, which are available in the 15-20 lakh price range. "You can get a 2008 model Benz C Class petrol version at 12 lakh," he said.

"We sold 1,200 pre-owned Mercedes-Benz cars in 2013, a more than 25% growth over the previous year," said Eberhard Kern, MD & CEO, Mercedes Benz India.

"People are changing their cars quite fast these days," an Audi spokesperson said. BMW did not respond to HT's request for a comment.

Vinay Sanghi, chief of online car sales firm Cartrade, which is connected to 1,200 used car dealers across India, said most luxury car owners change their vehicles in three years, leading to a large supply of these cars in the second hand market.

Cartrade estimates the market for second-hand luxury cars to be about 30,000 units per year — the same as the market for new luxury cars. Most people HT spoke to said this estimate was largely accurate.

"There is huge demand for used luxury cars that we can't cater to," said Yatin Chadha, senior V-P, Mahindra First Choice, India's largest seller of used cars. It recently opened its first showroom exclusively for used luxury cars in Gurgaon.

That demand was met by the unorganised sector. And as the market for luxury cars grows, the used car market is expected to grow in tandem.

First Published Date: 31 Jan 2014, 01:01 AM IST
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS

Please provide your details to get Personalized Offers on

Choose city
+91 | Choose city
Choose city
Choose city

Want to get the best price for your existing car?

Powered by: Spinny Logo
By clicking "View Offers" you Agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy

Dear Name

Please verify your mobile number.

+91 | Choose city
Couldn't verify the OTP.
It's either expired or it's incorrect.