In 2023, Mercedes-Benz India will bring out 10 new cars: Iyer Santosh

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Santosh Iyer is now officially the Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India. He talks about how ambitious the German luxury car maker’s plans are for 2023, what new cars are on the way, and what the new year has in store for him.

 

The luxury market has been growing in India and has seen unprecedented growth in the last couple of years. How do you see 2023 turning out for you?

Mercedes-Benz India had its best year ever in 2022 because we sold a lot of cars. We also got a bigger share of the core market. We also saw a 69 percent increase in the high-end level, which includes cars that cost more than Rs 1 crore. This means that 22 percent of our sales come from our most expensive products. Based on this, we expect growth of more than 10% in 2023.

The strategy for 2023 is built on a few key questions, such as “What else can we do to grow as a luxury brand?” We will do this by putting out 10 new cars in 2023. With our Retail of the Future model, we will make it easier for customers to have a smooth journey. We sold 2,000 cars online last year, and this platform will soon have new features like the ability for a business customer to book online, add GST details, etc. Before, we could only show the inventory of finished products. Now, we can show the inventory for the next 12 months. This platform will also show the customer online when they can expect their order to arrive.We are also focusing on the market for used cars. You can now put in information about your current car and get an estimate of its value.

We will work on stabilising our current electric vehicles, like the EQS and the EQB, by getting them to customers as quickly as possible. Our whole fast-charging network is now up and running, and all 140 touch points are available as of this month. Forty of them are fast DC charging stations with a lot of power.

Mercedes-Benz will launch 10 premium vehicles in India throughout the year. Details in the video! pic.twitter.com/CZ84Mx3bwL

— Newzera (@newzeraapp) January 7, 2023

Mercedes-Benz India manufactures Maybach, AMG and EVS, what next can we expect?

The product line is one of the best things about our plant. We have the biggest selection of CKD kits (Completely Knocked Down) in India. We have the ability to make Maybachs, AMGs, and now EQs, but it’s very important to keep production steady and shorten the time our customers have to wait. Since they come from the US and Germany, the supply chain is an important part of this. We still don’t think that 2023 will be a normal year because there are still questions about Covid and political problems. Yes, the semiconductor has thought about things a little bit more, but the other two problems are still there. We still think that 2023 will be better than 2012.

 

Going by the luxury car sales trends, are the SUVs still more in demand keeping in mind that your best-selling vehicle continues to be the E-Class?    

SUVs make up 54 percent of our sales, while sedans make up 46 percent. If the C-Class had been on the market for the whole year, its share of the sedan market would have been 50%. We lost the first four months of 2022 because we didn’t start selling the C-Class until May. In 2023, the GLC, our best-selling SUV, will only be available in Q3, so sedans may end up selling more. SUVs and sedans have sold about the same number of cars for us.