Indian government to lease 55 Mercedes-Benz diesel cars

German automaker Mercedes-Benz has been awarded the mandate to provide 55 top-spec E250 CDI sedans on lease to the Indian government’s Ministry of External Affairs. The leased vehicles will be used to ferry foreign dignitaries including Heads of State, Presidents, Prime Ministers and other top diplomats.

Commenting on the business order, Roland Folger, managing director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said “Mercedes-Benz has always been the preferred luxury brand for Head of States across the globe including India, and we are extremely proud of this fact...The mandate from the Ministry of External Affairs opting for the E-Class luxury sedan is a reiteration of the inherent strength of our product and of the unsurpassable brand equity that Mercedes-Benz commands in the Indian luxury car market.”

According to the carmaker, the E-Class has sold more than 30,000 units sold in India, and is the first luxury car to be produced in India since 1995.

The order is likely to enhance the carmaker’s presence in the Indian market, and also boost its already impressive growth this year. Mercedes has recorded a strong growth in 2015 with the company posting record sales for the period of January to September 2015 delivering 10,079 cars, a growth of 34 percent compared to the same period last year.