Following the withdrawal of the excise duty sops on December 31, Mercedes-Benz India today announced an upward revision of the price of its entire model range effective from January 22, 2015. The quantum of the price increase would be up to 4 percent, varying across the model range.

Commenting on the price hike, managing director and CEO Eberhard Kern said: “Mercedes-Benz India offers the ‘Top of Pyramid’ products for its customers, creating more value to the total cost of ownership. The excise duty cut was of much relief to the automotive sector in general and luxury cars, in particular. However, the end of excise benefit left us with no option but to pass on the additional cost to our customers. Mercedes-Benz India is on a strong growth curve with a clear focus on maintaining a profitable and sustainable growth. We want to maintain our premium brand positioning in the market and sustain the strong foundation which we have created for the brand in India.”

In 2015, Mercedes-Benz India continues its aggressive growth strategy by committing to ‘Live the Best’ which is integral to the founding philosophy of the brand: ‘BEST or Nothing’. The growth strategy is built on 5 key initiatives with an aim to provide the ‘best’ to its customers through products, operations,touch-points, customer experiences and corporate citizenship.

In 2014, Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Year of Excellence’, the company grew by 13 percent registering a sale of 10,201 units, making it the best year yet in the company’s sales in India.