Mercedes-Benz India expands dealer network to 92, tightens grip on key Mumbai market

India's leading luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has increased its already expansive dealership network by another two showrooms in Mumbai by Landmark Cars, taking its countrywide network up to a record 92 outlets.

With this, the company further consolidates its dominance in the Mumbai region, where it commands a record 46 percent market share of the luxury car segment. India’s financial capital has traditionally been a stronghold for Mercedes-Benz, accounting for a large chunk of its overall volumes.

"Volume-wise, Mumbai is our biggest market along with Delhi. We sell nearly 45 percent of our total vehicles (January-September 2017: 11,869 units) from both the cities combined," Roland Folger, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, told Autocar India.

Playing a pivotal role in the city's rise to becoming the number one market for the company is Auto Hangar, the oldest Mercedes-Benz dealer partner in Mumbai which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

L-R: Jayasinh Mariwala, chairman, Auto Hangar; Mohan Mariwala, MD, Auto Hangar; Avijit Nanda, owner of the 11,000^th Mercedes-Benz; and  Michael Jopp, VP (Sales & Marketing), Mercedes-Benz India.    

On December 13, 2017, Auto Hangar delivered its 11,000th car, an S400 followed by two more deliveries, an E350d and C200. More than 210,000 Mercedes vehicles have been serviced by Auto Hangar till date and the dealer partner boasts sales of over 150 vehicles per month.

According to Mohan Mariwala, founder and managing director, Auto Hangar, ”Our personal objective is to sustain the leadership position that we have maintained through customer satisfaction backed by power of a strong product line-up that Mercedes gives us.”

Expansion in Mumbai
Further strengthening its footprint in the country's financial capital, Mercedes-Benz introduced Landmark Cars as its third dealer partner and inaugurated Landmark's 3S (Sales, Service, Spares) facility in Thane district and a showroom in Kandivali.

L-R: Michael Jopp, VP (Sales & Marketing), Mercedes-Benz India; Roland Folger, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India; and Sanjay Thakker, chairman, Landmark Cars.   

Spread across a humungous 83,000 square feet, the 3S facility is capable of having an 11-car display and has a dedicated 'S-Lounge'. Together, both facilities will cater to locations such as Dombivali, Kalyan, Borivali, Dahisar, Vasai and Virar. 

Sanjay Thakker, chairman, Landmark Cars, said, “We have had a longstanding association with Mercedes-Benz and are pleased to continue it by opening two dealerships in Thane and Kandivali. This part of Maharashtra has an affluent customer base with a keen interest in Mercedes-Benz. With this inauguration, we have state-of-the-art facilities in Gujarat, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and now in Maharashtra.”

Speaking about the company’s expansion strategy for 2018, Folger said Mercedes-Benz India will focus more on enhancing the qualitative aspect of its network. The German carmaker has the largest presence among all luxury car brands with 92 outlets in 45 cities.

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