Mercedes-Benz Sales Drop Marginally In Jan-Sept 2018

Mercedes-Benz India has recorded a marginal drop in sales in the first nine months of this year. The Stuttgart based luxury carmaker sold 11,789 units in the January-September period this year against 11,869 units which it sold in the same period last year, witnessing a de-growth of 0.67 per cent. However, Mercedes-Benz remains India's largest luxury carmaker selling 3,874 units more than BMW which holds the second spot. The long-wheelbase E-Class continued to be the best selling model for Mercedes-Benz in India, followed by the pre-facelift C-Class.

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The nominal drop in sales that Mercedes-Benz has recorded in the period is mainly due to a high base as the festive season started early last year. Commenting on the sales, Michael Jopp, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India said, "We continue our sales momentum and leadership in the Indian luxury car market as our customer centric initiatives have been bearing fruits. We are satisfied with our sales performance despite experiencing the prevailing micro-economic headwinds and also a high base of 2017, which was a result of the strong built up to the GST roll-out and also the onset of an earlier festive season, posing stiff sales challenges. We are however, satisfied with the sales performance of our mainstay sedans and SUVs which remains our key volume drivers despite many comparable products in the market."

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Moreover, Mercedes-Benz is expecting a good sales turnover in the last quarter of calendar year 2018 on the back of the new C-Class facelift and festivities. "Moving into the last quarter of 2018, we are confident of a good festive season. We have introduced an array of products in the Indian market including the new C-Class and with a strong brand connect, unmatched service network," Jopp added.

Mercedes-Benz has launched some of the significant models this year in India including the BSVI engine powered 2018 S-Class 500, S-Class 650 Maybach, E-Class All Terrain and 2018 C-Class facelift. The G 63 AMG is its most recent launch and we expect it to launch the facelifted C 43 AMG early in 2019.