A while ago, the Indian automotive blogosphere was abuzz with the news of Mercedes Benz working on an India specific car and pricing it competitively for the car to have reasonable acceptance amidst sophisticated luxury car buyers looking for a small city run about. Along with this, Mercedes Benz and BMW, two fellow German car makers, have been indulging in one-upmanship against each other in the Indian market for sales volumes with each maker doing it’s darndest best to outdo the other. In a remarkable change of tack, Mercedes Benz will now focus on revenues rather than just sales volumes. Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche had this to say about Mercedes Benz’s latest plans for India.
We lose the strength by moving away to a different brand. We are a premium car manufacturer, and very successful in the segment. There is no benefit in expanding to the volume segment. Competition is good. In any case, unit volume is not the top priority for us. Our aim is to grow in revenues.
In other words, we simply need to stop expecting Mercedes Benz to launch a low cost brand in the near future. BMW India on the other hand is basking in the strong demand for it’s X1 Crossover while Mercedes Benz India does not have a car yet to tackle this space. Mercedes Benz, recently announced that the MFA platform that was to spawn a range of FWD(front wheel drive) Mercedes Benz cars to take on the likes of the BMW X1 was on track. Now, with the latest statements coming from the Daimler CEO, we’re wondering whether the Mercedes Benz GLC will ever make it to Indian shores in 2012.
