With EQS on the wings, Mercedes-Benz aims to accelerate EV sales in India

With its plans to locally assemble its all-electric sedan EQS in India, luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz aims to accelerate the sales of electric vehicles in the country. The Mercedes-Benz EQS will be the second all-electric offering from the company here and the first locally-produced luxury EV in the country.

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed plans to launch the EQS SUV here in the last quarter of 2022 which will be assembled at the company's plant at Chakan in Maharashtra. It will accompany the carmaker's all-electric EQC SUV, which was launched last year as a fully imported unit priced at ₹1.07 crore. While the EQC was first available in six markets in the country, its presence was gradually expanded to 50 cities.

The carmaker now plans to expand its electric portfolio in the country with the EQS. "We have taken a step by step approach in developing electric vehicle strategy in India… (and EQS) we believe has a stronger volume appeal and (we are) producing it locally," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director & CEO Martin Schwenk told PTI.

He added that EQS comes with completely different characteristics and has a different customer base. "We would also expect a broader base of interest. So the local production makes sense," Schwenk added. Elaborating on the future models of the company, he said, "We are planning on the one hand and on the other we are acting based on how the environment is developing. We now see the time is mature to bring locally produced EQS."

He added that Mercedes-Benz has a "strong backbone of products" in its global EV portfolio. The company will assess which car has the best chance to be launched in India, either as locally produced or as an imported vehicle. "This conversation will continuously happen but it will only be decided when we feel we see a clearer view of what the next step should be," Schwenk said.