Used luxury car market on a roll as volumes slowly accumulate

Martin Schwenk, country head for Mercedes-Benz, says the ratio of used Mercs to new ones is 1:4 - that is 25 per cent of all its car sales, underscoring the importance of the segment

Premium German car-makers Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz forever grapple with the challenge of high import duties coupled with a consumer culture that is only now coming to terms with conspicuous consumption. The silver lining for them is starting to appear in the form of growing used luxury car sales as volumes start to slowly accumulate over the years.
 
The new car market is estimated at around 30,000 units a year in sales in a good year, whereas the used car market for luxury vehicles is estimated at around 60,000 cars annually, say automotive executives who watch the sector keenly.