C-Class is Mercedes-Benz India’s highest-selling model in 2015

Everything's official about it now. A day after Autocar Professional breaking news and sales details about Mercedes-Benz India registering its highest-ever sales in a calendar year, the Indian arm of the German automaker Mercedes-Benz sent out its official release on January 9. 

The carmaker has announced that it has sold a record 13,502 units in 2015 (Autocar Professional's estimated sales were 13,506), up 32 percent as against 10,201 units sold in 2014. Mercedes-Benz India, which had unleashed the ’15 in ‘15’ product offensive last year, said that it will add 12 new products to its portfolio this year while also opening 10 new showrooms, taking its all-India network to 93 dealerships. 

The C-Class has emerged as the highest selling car with more than 90 percent growth and replaces the E-Class as the top seller. The carmaker’s SUV portfolio comprising the GLA, GLE and GL-Class grew by 100 percent, followed by the AMG and Dream Car portfolio at 54 percent, and the sedan portfolio consisting of CLA, C-Class, E-Class and the S-Class saw a growth of 42 percent.

The new-generation cars such as the A-Class and B-Class registered strong double-digit growth, the carmaker said in a statement, adding that for the first time ever, Mercedes-Benz India retailed 503 units using digital platforms.

Commenting on the sales performance, Roland Folger, managing director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said, “2015 has been the most successful year for Mercedes-Benz as we registered our highest sales ever in India. This gives us confidence that 2016 will be an exciting year in many ways.”

Mercedes-Benz India witnessed a strong growth even as unexpected challenges emerged on the sales front in the key markets of Chennai and Delhi, Folger added, referring to the severe floods in Chennai and the temporary ban on registration of diesel vehicles having engine capacities of over 2,000cc in Delhi.

2015 saw the German carmaker add a new production line at its Chakan plant in Pune to double its annual capacity to 20,000 units, up from 10,000 units earlier. Over the course of the year, it announced plans to assemble the GLA SUV, the CLA sedan as well as the Mercedes Maybach S 500.

Furthermore, Mercedes-Benz also increased its cumulative investment in its production facility to Rs 1,000 crore, the highest for any luxury carmaker in India. Apart from the new launches announced for 2016, the carmaker will also focus on the Tier II and III markets to drive its growth.

Globally, the carmaker pipped Audi for the second place at the end of 2015, on the back of buoyant demand for the C-Class as well as strong China sales, behind highest selling carmaker BMW. Mercedes-Benz sold a total of 1,871,511 vehicles globally (Audi: 1,803,250 units), a growth of 13.4 percent year on year, posting its fifth record year in a row.

Also read: Mercedes-Benz posts record global sales in 2015