MERCEDES-Benz has reclaimed the top slot in the Indian luxury market after losing it to BMW last year by driving in 15 new cars into one of the worlds fastest-growing car markets so far in 2010.And it plans to keep up the tempo for the rest of the year by bringing more vehicles,Wilfried Aulbur,MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India,says.The company on Monday announced its entry into pre-owned car business in India.The German carmaker has invested Rs 200 crore to revamp its sales network to stay ahead in the increasingly competitive luxury car segment,which constitutes less than 1% in the overall car market but is growing at a fast clip,he told Chanchal Pal Chauhan in an exclusive interview.Excerpts:
Last year had been perhaps the toughest for Mercedes-Benz India.What helped you regain your leadership in the market this year
Last year,we lacked the product line as competition offered a large portfolio of products.We were without the E Class for half of the year.So we ramped with new launches and introduced 12 new vehicles in the first 12 weeks of 2010.Subsequently,three new cars with different powertrains were rolled out.The bouquet is not limited to it and an array of new products is linedup for the 2010,but I cannot reveal details now.We have invested Rs 200 crore revamp our sales and dealership network throughout the country to give truly global sales and service experience to Indian customers which is at par with any developed markets like the US or Germany.
Tell us about your new pre-owned car business,Proven Exclusivity Program
We have already more than 30,000 Mercedes (cars) on the roads,so there is a huge potential for potential customers who want to trade in their vehicles,and a market with customers looking to buy a Mercedes Benz family,but dont want to enter at the price point of a C-class (starts from Rs 26 lakh).We are looking for an upgrade into the premium car segment within a price point of Rs 15-18 lakh.Each of these pre-owned cars will come with a standard warranty of six months or 15,000 km and will not be more than six years old.Also,all standard financing options for the new cars would be extended to the Proven Exclusivity Program though slightly tweaked.We are initially starting with four dealers currently Delhi,Mumbai,Chennai and Ahmedabad which would be extended to all our outlets by next year.
Whats the market reaction for the super luxury Rs 1-crore plus cars
We launched the AMG range starting from Rs 1 crore two years back and its response prompted us to introduce the Mercedes-Benz S-600-Guard,with a twelve-cylinder engine coming at Rs 6 crore.Already we have eight confirmed bookings of the S-Guard,proving that the India has car enthusiast who have the propensity to spend that kind of money.And going by the high GDP growth,the luxury car market is just going to expand at a much faster rate.
Metros and big cities account for most of your sales.Do you have a strategy in place for smaller cities and towns
The major metros form 70% of our sales but the potential of other smaller cities is growing.We got 125 bookings from Aurangabad that proves the customers are just waiting to be reached out.We have expanded in Surat,Jaipur and Goa,while new dealerships at Indore and Bhuvneshawar are coming up soon.
Source :ET
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