Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz today announced its India sales for the third quarter of 2016. The Stuttgart-based automaker sold 3,327 units in the July-September 2016 period (Q3 CY2016) compared to 3,420 units it sold in the same quarter last year, a decline of 2.72% year-on-year (YoY). Its sales for the January-September 2016 period also fell – by 1.56% – with the company reporting sales of 9,924 units (January-September 2015: 10,079 units).

On the other hand, Mercedes-Benz India saw an 11.83% growth in the Q3 CY2016 compared to April-June 2016 (Q2 CY2016) when it sold 2,975 units. Sequential growth in Q3 CY2016 came thanks to the lifting of the diesel ban and commencement of sales in the key Delhi-NCR region, new product launches and the onset of the festive season.

Commenting on the sales performance, Roland Folger, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said, “Mercedes-Benz remains the undisputed market leader in the luxury car segment in India today. We are delighted to see green shoots emerging in our sales volumes compared to the previous quarter. Though the resurgence of sales is still slow, we are confident that it will gain pace in the remaining months. New products, especially the SUVs, combined with our strategic network expansion will boost customer sentiments, and we are confident of sustaining the momentum gained.”

GLE the best-selling SUV

The GLE remained the highest selling SUVs of the quarter followed by the GLA, the GLS and also the newly launched GLC. The GLC in particular witnessed high customer preference and Mercedes-Benz expects this trend to continue with the interest around the ‘Made in India GLC’ gaining traction across the whole country. Mercedes-Benz expects the GLC to emerge as one of its highest selling models. Among the luxury sedans, the C-Class emerged as the highest selling closely matched by the E-Class.

Folger further added, “The growth in the third quarter was led by our SUVs which grew by 45%, followed by the sedans. The introduction of the localised GLC was a strategic move and we are encouraged by its strong response, and expect more customers to decide in favour of the GLC. There will be other exciting new models in the pipeline which will push our growth story further. Apart from this, the fact that we are the only luxury brand in India to offer a petrol variant in each product line, also contributed to our success story. With challenging market dynamics, the growth of Mercedes-Benz firmly reaffirms the strong consumer trust in the brand over the years. We believe the implementation of GST will benefit the auto industry in entirety, by abolishing the current complexities in the tax structure and providing a uniform one."

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