Latest news with #SantoshIyer
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Mercedes-Benz sees its ultra-luxury cars driving growth amid market volatility
The luxury car market in India has been growing at a gradual pace. At a time when the mass-market segment of the Indian passenger vehicle market has been witnessing sluggish growth owing to various factors such as increased pricing, higher cost of maintenance, rising inflation, economic uncertainty due to geopolitical tensions, tariff blow, etc., the luxury car market has been witnessing continuous growth. What Mercedes-Benz India has revealed is even more interesting. The German luxury car marque has claimed that the company is recording its top-end ultra-luxury car portfolio, continuing to drive growth for the brand in a volatile market condition. The automaker has revealed this while launching its latest product, Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe in India at ₹1.35 crore (ex-showroom). In an interaction with PTI, Mercedes-Benz India MD and CEO Santosh Iyer said that with this growth momentum for the luxury cars in India, the segment is pegged to grow at around four to five per cent on a year-on-year basis. However, he also revealed that despite this growth projection, the demand is flattish as compared to last year for the industry. "Considering all the geopolitical developments happening around us, the growth may not be there as much as what we have seen in the previous years, but it is still there," Iyer stated. Top-end models driving growth for Mercedes-Benz For Mercedes-Benz, the top-end cars and core segments continue to grow while the entry-level vertical has de-grown, Iyer noted. He said that with eight launches in 2025, the OEM's top-end luxury vehicle strategy has been very successful, garnering immense customer response and elevating the desirability of Mercedes-Benz in the market. "So yes, we are not seeing that double-digit kind of growth momentum that we saw in the previous year, but still, flattish to single-digit growth is there," he added. The Mercedes-Benz India official also noted that while there are some headwinds, the industry is also witnessing some tailwinds, which augur well for the growth in the coming quarters. Iyer cited GDP growth projections and record GST collections this year as some of the positive factors. "Obviously, macros are strong, and they should not affect the fundamental position. But yeah, it's a volatile market, for sure," he added. Mercedes-Benz eyes festive season to boost sales The festive season is considered one of the most prosperous times of the year when the auto industry in India across all segments witnesses significant growth. This year, after recording muted sales in the first half of the year, the auto industry is expecting to see a turnaround in the sales performance during the upcoming festive season, which is about to start in a few weeks. Mercedes-Benz is no different. The luxury car company is expecting a better sales momentum with the onset of the festive season. Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2025, Best SUVs in India. First Published Date:
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Mercedes-Benz India banks on top-end models for growth amid market volatility
New Delhi: Mercedes-Benz India said on Tuesday that its top-end model portfolio continues to drive sales growth despite a volatile business environment and subdued demand in the domestic luxury car market . The company's Managing Director and CEO, Santosh Iyer, said the overall luxury car market in India is projected to grow by around 4–5 per cent year-on-year, with industry demand remaining largely flat compared to last year. 'Considering all the geopolitical developments happening around us, the growth may not be there as much as what we have seen in previous years, but it is still there,' Iyer told PTI. For Mercedes-Benz, the top-end and core model segments are witnessing steady growth, while the entry-level segment has seen a decline. 'With eight launches in 2025, our top-end luxury vehicle strategy has been very successful, garnering immense customer response and elevating the desirability of Mercedes-Benz in the market,' Iyer said. He noted that while the company is not experiencing the double-digit growth seen in previous years, flattish to single-digit growth remains achievable. Strong macroeconomic indicators, such as robust GDP growth projections and record GST collections, are expected to support the segment in the coming quarters, despite market volatility. The German luxury carmaker also expanded its performance lineup on Tuesday with the launch of the AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe, priced at ₹1.35 crore (ex-showroom).
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Business Standard
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- Business Standard
Bulk of Mercedes cars on road E20-compliant: MD & CEO Santosh Iyer
Bulk of Mercedes-Benz cars currently on Indian roads are E20-compliant and the luxury carmaker has been selling such models in the country since 2018, the firm's India Managing Director & CEO Santosh Iyer (pictured) told Business Standard in an interview. E20 compliance means that a vehicle's engine, fuel system, and emission-control components are designed and tested to operate safely on petrol blended with up to 20 per cent ethanol without causing damage. There have, however, been heightened social media discussions during the past few weeks about whether E20 fuel affects efficiency and engine performance. 'Mercedes Benz was the first in India to introduce a BS-6 compliant car. In August 2018, we introduced the new S class, which was BS-6 Gadkari (Union roads minister) himself flagged that car,' Iyer said, adding that all BS-6 compliant cars sold in India have been E20 compliant, too. The German carmaker has not tested the 'cars that were sold prior' to August 2018 for the impact of E20 fuel on their engines and fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, Iyer admitted that cars sold prior to 2018 might face a slight impact on performance due to E20 fuel, which is now being sold at fuel pumps. 'We have sold close to 200,000 cars in India in the past 30 years. However, the past 100,000 units were sold just in the past six years. The last 150,000 units were sold in the past 10 years. So, a bulk of the cars that we would have sold in India would be E20-compliant,' he noted. Iyer was talking to reporters on Tuesday night after launching the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé — a high-performance, two-door luxury model — in India, with prices starting at ₹1.35 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). 'In 2024, we started getting the E20 certificates for our cars. So, in that sense, all our cars that we sell in India are fully compliant today on the E20,' he said. 'I think material compatibility (with E20 fuel) also remains for cars that we have sold earlier. But the fuel, and by the laws of physics and chemistry, you can say that if you have a lower or higher ethanol rating, the combustion process is different... I would say that you will definitely have a difference in performance,' he said. 'But today, the cars that we are currently selling have no change in performance because they are all compatible with the E20 fuel,' he pointed out. 'The cars that were sold many years back might have had a slight impact on the performance, but otherwise, I think the government's direction is clear and from April 2024, we started getting our cars certified as E20 compliant,' he noted. Mercedes-Benz, India's top luxury carmaker, started FY25-26 with its best-ever April–June sales, delivering 4,238 cars, a 10 per cent increase from last year.
Economic Times
a day ago
- Automotive
- Economic Times
Mercedes says top-end car portfolio continues to drive growth in volatile mkt
Agencies Mercedes-Benz India Mercedes-Benz India on Tuesday said its top-end model range continues to drive growth for the automaker amid a volatile business environment. In an interaction with PTI, Mercedes-Benz India MD and CEO Santosh Iyer said that the overall domestic luxury car market growth is pegged at around 4-5 per cent year on year. He noted that demand is flattish as compared to last year for the industry. "Considering all the geopolitical developments happening around us, the growth may not be there as much as what we have seen in the previous years, but it is still there," Iyer stated. For Mercedes, the top end vehicle and core segments continue to grow while the entry level vertical has de-grown, he noted. "With eight launches in 2025, our top-end luxury vehicle strategy has been very successful, garnering immense customer response and elevating the desirability of Mercedes-Benz in the market," Iyer said."So yes, we are not seeing that double-digit kind of growth momentum that we saw in the previous year, but still, flattish to single-digit growth is there," he noted that while there are some headwinds, the industry is also witnessing some tailwinds, which augur well for the growth in the coming quarters. Iyer cited GDP growth projections and record GST collections this year as some of the positive factors."Obviously, macros are strong and they should not affect the fundamental position. But yeah, it's a volatile market, for sure," he added. The German Luxury carmaker on Tuesday launched AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe priced at Rs at 1.35 crore (ex-showroom, India).
The Hindu
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Mercedes-Benz introduces AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé at ₹1.35 crore
Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday launched the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé at ₹1.35 crore (ex-showroom, all-India) further strengthening its top-end luxury performance portfolio in India. 'The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé completely redefines the luxury performance category, further strengthening our top-end luxury offering. With eight launches in 2025, our top-end luxury vehicle strategy has been very successful, garnering immense customer response and elevating the desirability of Mercedes-Benz in the market.' Santosh Iyer, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India. 'The sporty, two-door model combines the agility and sportiness of the C-Class with the space, elegance and status of the E-Class,' the company said. The car's 3.0-litre M 256M inline six-cylinder engine with double turbocharging produces 330 kW (449 hp) at 5,800-6,100 rpm and 560 Nm torque (briefly 600 Nm with over boost) at 2,200- 5,000 rpm. It has capability to achieve 0-100 km/h acceleration in 4.2 seconds with electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (optional 270 km/h with AMG Driver's Package), the company added.
