Mercedes confident of better performance in India this year with 15 new products

Mercedes-Benz India is confident of putting up a better performance this year despite severe challenges posed by the second wave of Covid-19. The company is banking upon the experience of last year's first wave and it also has more confidence in its customer base.

The company has said that it will abide by its original plan of bringing 15 new products to the country this year, as per a PTI report. The company recently launched its 2021 GLA SUV in the market at ₹42.1 lakh (ex-showroom), which was delayed by almost a month due to fresh surge in coronavirus cases in April.

Last year, during the first wave of coronavirus, Mercedes-Benz dealt with supply chain disruptions but it plans to use the experience to make things better in the current year. "The first wave was not as heavy as the second wave but it took only four to six weeks from the peak to a good fourth quarter," Mercedes-Benz India MD & CEO Martin Schwenk was quoted as saying by PTI. "Now of course the situation is worse but there is more confidence in the businesses on how to manage it."

Schwenk also said that the company aims to sell more units this year as compared to the previous one, citing confidence in the substantial order bank from last year. "We will try to fulfill these orders and that will also bring the volumes, assuming that we don't have heavier lockdowns," he asdded.

Mercedes-Benz India is hoping that the market will bounce back by around July provided the Covid situation doesn't get any worse and businesses will be back running like before. Further, pent-up demand will help volumize the order books.

The luxury carmaker has so far launched six products out of the 15 planned for the country this year.