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| Mercedes to sell 100 units in eastern India |
| BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar Jul 20, 2009, 00:22 IST |
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Mercedes-Benz India Limited, a leading player in the luxury car market in the country is aiming at a sales volume of 100 units across all its models in the eastern region in 2009 out of which 20-25 units are expected to be sold in Orissa.
The German luxury car maker sold 82 units in the eastern region in 2008 out of which 18 were sold in Orissa. BMW India, the closest competitor of Mercedes in the luxury car market in India, clocked a sales volume of 72 units in the eastern region in 2008.
On a pan-India basis, Mercedes sold around 4,000 cars in 2008, the highest by any luxury car maker. The biggest markets for Mercedes in India are Delhi and Mumbai and together the two cities account for 45-40 per cent of the car maker’s total sales.
“The eastern region of the country is a growing market for luxury cars. Mercedes has clocked a year-on-year growth of 14 per cent in the eastern region and we expect to sell 100 luxury cars in this region in 2009”, said Hiteshwar Singh, chief executive officer of Interkrafts, the sole dealer for Mercedes-Benz in eastern India.
He was talking to reporters at the launch of the Mercedes M-Class sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the city.
The size of the luxury car market in India is estimated at 6,000-7,000 per annum and the segment is growing at the rate of 30 per cent every year.
The Mercedes M-Class is being imported as completely built unit unlike the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class which are assembled as completely knocked down kits at the assembly plant of Mercedes at Chakan (Maharashtra).
“Mercedes has appointed a sales representative who will exclusively focus on the Orissa market. We are thinking of opening a Mercedes showroom in Orissa in the long run”, added Singh. The new Mercedes M-Class with a price tag starting from Rs 55 lakh is available in petrol as well as diesel variants.
The SUV is equipped with safety features like reversible belt pensioners and adaptive belt force limiters apart from anti-lock braking system and brake assist system.
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