South leads Mercedes’s new E-Class bookings

The five southern states constitute 30 per cent bookings, of which Chennai alone contributes around 8 per cent, says Michael Jopp, VP, Sales and Marketing.

The Chennai ex-showroom price of the E 200 is Rs 57.71 lakh while the E 350 d is available for Rs 71.40 lakh. Jopp, who was in the city for the second regional launch of the right-hand drive E-Class on Tuesday, said this is the first new-generation car that has been produced locally since its market launch. 

Asked if this model would be exported, he said, this was purely for the country, where the right-hand drive version had been launched. About 60 per cent of the content was indigenised. It has taken 48 months to develop this new version, Jopp said, adding a “significant investment” had gone into realising this vision. Dwelling on the challenges, he said the diesel ban in New Delhi and other policy guidelines had hit the sales last year but it is confident of reporting growth in the first quarter.  

Cities continue to be the “most dominant market” with demand for SUVs showing an uptick, he said, adding 34 per cent of the total Mercedes-Benz car sales were from the E-Class range though last year sales were lower. However, next year, the E-Class segment is expected to cross 30 per cent sales. 

Noting that majority of its E-Class customers were chauffeur - driven, Jopp said TN happens to be one of the most prominent markets for this range with 2,000 of them plying on roads in the region. “We witnessed a growth of 10 per cent for sedans last year with the E-Class constituting 20 per cent. The south grew by 12 per cent indicating the demand for E-Class in the region,” he added. 

The purchases were primarily through finance with over 70 per cent  preferring this route. Though the November demonetisation had caused the sales to slump by “double digit,” the car maker is upbeat about growth with March proving to be the one of the “strongest months for sales.” 

Mercedes-Benz India also plans to boost its dealer network this year though the official did not specify the numbers. As on date, it has 89 outlets in 41 cities. Globally, the car maker has sold 13 million units of which the E-Class sedan and Estate happened to be the growth drivers.