Mercedes-Benz India posts best-ever quarterly sales

Mercedes-Benz India today announced its best-ever quarterly sales for the January-March 2017 period. The German luxury carmaker sold 3,650 units (up 1 percent year-on-year) during the quarter supported by a strong growth momentum in the SUV segment.

The luxury sedan segment comprising the C-class, E-class and the S-class also performed as per expectations, with the E-class sedan re-emerging as the highest selling model for Mercedes-Benz in the Jan-Mar quarter. The company said the all-new long wheelbase E-class had seen huge customer interest across markets with demand surpassing supply.

The E-class’ popularity was closely matched by that of the C-class sedan, which remained a significant volume contributor and was the second highest selling model of the quarter. Apart from the sedans, the new generation cars continued to attract younger customers to the brand, while the AMG and Dream Cars portfolio helped drive a rise in brand equity.

Commenting on the Q1 2017 results (Indian entity follows the calendar year as per its German principal), Roland Folger, managing director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said, “2017 began with a positive drive and we are confident of bettering our sales performance in the coming months. We are glad to witness growth re-emerging in Q1 2017. With new product introductions coupled with the availability of the all-new long wheelbase E-class, we are confident that our growth momentum continues.”

APAC sales on a high in Q1

Global sales for Mercedes-Benz in the first quarter of 2017 also surpassed all previous quarters, with sales rising by 16 percent to 560,625 units. The Asia-Pacific region was also a strong performer with highest-ever Q1 sales (219,418 units, up 27.4 percent). In China, sales in March grew by more than 30 percent to 49,871 vehicles, a new record. In South Korea, Australia and Malaysia, the Stuttgart-based company set best-ever figures for sales in March and in the first quarter.