Mercedes-Benz India today announced a revival in sales in July-September 2016, which can be attributed to the Supreme Court’s decision to lift the ban on registration of diesel vehicles above 2,000cc.
Volumes stood at 3,327 units in the quarter, a growth of 12 percent from 2,975 units sold in April-June 2016, the company said in a release today. However, the German luxury carmaker had registered a flat growth in sales during January to June 2016 when compared to the same time in the previous year due to the ban. Additionally, sales for July-Sep 2016 dipped by 2.7 percent when compared to 3,420 units sold during July-Sep 2015. And the company’s sales for the January-September 2016 period had declined by 1.6 percent to 9,924 units from 10,079 units registered in the same period last year.
The company’s SUV portfolio including the GLA, GLC, GLE and GLS has recorded the strongest growth of 45 percent, it said. The GLE continued to be the highest-selling SUV followed by the GLA, the GLS and the GLC. Amongst sedans, the C-class sold the highest followed closely by the E-class.
“We are delighted to see green shoots emerging in our sales volumes compared to the previous quarter. Though the resurgence of sales is still slow, we are confident that it will gain pace in the remaining months,” said Roland Folger, managing director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.
Mercedes-Benz India recently introduced the locally built GLC SUV (both petrol and diesel versions) in an effort to enhance the car's appeal and reduce the waiting period. Localisation has eased prices of the SUV significantly by Rs 4.20 lakh for the diesel variant and by Rs 4 lakh for the petrol. The company expects the GLC to become one of its highest-selling models in the country.
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