On the back of its strongest year in sales, Mercedes-Benz India announced a significant retail expansion plan today beginning with the setup of a performance driving centre.

AMG Speed City

Called ‘AMG Speed City’, the performance driving centre will allow enthusiasts to drive a selection of AMG cars and fine-tune their performance driving skills in a safe and controlled space. Speed City is essentially a driving experience format that will move from city to city covering key AMG markets. Customers would be under the tutelage of AMG experts from motorsport event firm Renger Racing, trained at Affalterbach, Germany, where Mercedes houses the design and development of its AMG range, as well as the engine production facility and management services. “We want our customers to really enjoy the full potential of the AMG cars and also, at the same time, hone their driving skills. That's why we think this centre would be much appreaciated,” said Santosh Iyer, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India at an online media address.

MAR20X dealerships

Mercedes-Benz inaugurated its first MAR20X luxury showroom in Nagpur this January and announced today that it would add Mumbai and New Delhi to that list by April this year. MAR20X is the company’s new global retail format, which Mercedes says has a key focus on design and digital enhancements. The facility in Nagpur has elements like an EV corner, dedicated delivery bay, hospitality counter, shop wall for a boutique display and a sample studio. By the end of the year, 25 existing dealerships are scheduled to be updated to the new international MAR20X standards.

10 new locations planned

Mercedes-Benz currently has 125 customer touchpoints across the country and announced that it would expand into 10 new cities and open workshops in cities like Jammu, Kannur, Kottayam, Udaipur, Amritsar, Agra, Valsad and Patna.

Supporting this retail expansion will be the launch of nine new vehicles this year, which would comprise of three new BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) and four new TEVs (Top End Vehicles), including the AMG S 63 e-Performance and the AMG C 63 e-Performance, launching in the second quarter of this year.