German carmaker Mercedes-Benz is eyeing double digit growth this year after it achieved best ever 32 per cent growth last year in the country.
“last year we launched eight products and expanded our dealerships aggressively as a result we could sell 9003 cars last year. Building further on the strong foundation we aim to clock double digit growth this year despite challenging conditions,” said Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India Eberhard Kern.
“We are also looking to expand our dealer networks. The company plans to add 10 more outlets this year and most of them will be in Tier I and II cities like Bhopal, Bhuvaneshwar and the like,” added Kern.
2013 was the best ever year for Mercedes-Benz India as it witnessed highest ever 32 per cent growth and sold a highest ever 9003 cars in the country.
The company is also getting future ready as it plans to double production capacity at its Chakan plant from the current 10,000 units to 20,000. “Construction is already on and we hope to be future ready soon,” added Kern.
The company on Wednesday launched the latest version of its S-Class luxury sedan in the country, priced at Rs 1.57 crore (ex-showroom Delhi). The Rs 1.57 crore price tag is for the launch version of the new S-Class, which is fully imported.
“We are launching the all new S-Class in India just three months after its global launch in October last year, following up on eight new products we launched in 2013 here,” Kern said, adding, “the company will sell the car as a completely built unit initially and follow up with the locally assembled product later.
Kern added that the company has already sold out the 125 units of the launch edition allocated by its German headquarters for India. Bookings have started for the S-Class to be assembled locally, with different specifications and pricing, and deliveries will start by April. The new S-Class comes with a 4.6 litre V8 engine and has a top speed of 250 km per hour.