24 years after launch, Mercedes rolls out its 100,000th car in India today

German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz on Sunday reached cumulative production of one lakh cars in India with the rolling out of an E-Class sedan from its Chakan plant near Pune.

The company, which began its journey in India 24 years ago said the next production milestone will be achieved sooner considering the growth that the Indian automotive market has witnessed over the past few years.

The company said in a statement that the roll out of the 1,00,000th Mercedes-Benz vehicle in India is a strong testimony of the customer trust and brand equity that it enjoys in this dynamic country.

Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Roland Folger said the achievement also reiterates the company's "commitment and we strongly believe in the India story and its potential. We will further deepen our strong connect with the Indian customers and keep continuing to fascinate them with our products and customer service".

Folger further said that a "spiralling aspiration among lyoung successful Indians, our extensive and expanding local portfolio...we are positive that the next production milestone will be attained even earlier."

In 2014, the company had rolled out 50,000th Mercedes-Benz car from the assembly lines in Chakan. Mercedes-Benz was the first luxury automotive brand to enter the Indian market in 1994.

The W124 E-Class was the first luxury car in India's modern era which rolled out of the assembly plant of Mercedes-Benz India in Pimpri, Pune.

The company has now moved the facility to Chakan near Pune with an investment of over Rs 10 billion. Spread over 100 acres, the plant is a part of Mercedes-Benz' global production network.