Mercedes-Maybach and Lamborghini see demand soar among young ultra-rich buyers in India

Mercedes-Benz's ultra-luxury wing Maybach and Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini have been witnessing revved-up demand over the last few years, as the growing tribe of young and ultra-rich buyers have been splurging on super luxury cars, driving their sales numbers to record levels. Buoyed by this trend, both these European carmakers are expecting ramped-up sales numbers in the near future.

Owing to this improving situation in favour of luxury cars, Italian supercar maker Lamborghini, fresh from a year of record sales, is exploring the plan of opening its fourth showroom in India. On the other hand, Mercedes-Maybach sees the country as a potential top-five market by sales, Reuters has reported. "India, for us, is an asset ... there is a huge potential for the future. There is the idea of having maybe a fourth dealership but this is still something in the early stages," Lamborghini's Stephan Winkelmann reportedly said. He further stated that this optimism is driven by a change in generation in the country with the momentum from younger customers.

Winkelmann has added that the average age of a Lamborghini buyer in India is below 40 years, which makes it the youngest market globally after China. "You have a lot of startups in India which are very successful. You have very young, high-net-worth individuals who are stepping into this type of car. So this is positive for us," he further added.

India has been witnessing rapid economic growth, which has brought a fundamental shift in young consumers' attitudes towards luxury purchases that differs from their elders, who were more concerned with saving. However, despite the surge in demand, luxury car sales in India make up just over one per cent of the four million vehicles-a-year market, and super luxury cars are an even smaller percentage.

Lamborghini registered its best year in India in 2024, selling 113 cars, up 10 per cent over 2023. Winkelmann expects this growth momentum to continue in 2025 as well, on the back of a strong order book lasting 18 months. The Lamborghini Urus SUV, made up half its sales, with the rest coming from the Huracan and Revuelto.

On the other hand, Mercedes-Maybach achieved 145 per cent growth in India in 2024, selling 500 of its super luxury cars. Daniel Lescow, head of Mercedes-Maybach, said India was already in its top 10 markets and had the potential to be in the top five, but the speed of growth would depend on how the luxury market develops. "I'm convinced there's so much more potential ... so many opportunities here," Lescow added.

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