Mercedes-Benz India to launch over six new models by next year

Mercedes-Benz India is on a war footing to maintain the momentum and double digit growth it achieved last year. This year the German luxury car maker plans to launch a variety of new models, including compact cars, a new sedan and some SUVs. At the same time it is expanding its presence in small cities of the country, which are gradually becoming strategically important for car makers across the spectrum.

During a visit to Mercedes-Benz home turf in Stuttgart, Germany, we discovered that the company is lining-up over half a dozen new car models for India to ensure greater footfall of luxury car buyers at their showrooms. The first couple of cars to reach Indian shores would be from the sporty AMG range, which would include the GL63 AMG which is high-performance SUV scheduled to be launched next month, followed by the compact-yet-powerful CLA 45 AMG sedan.

The other important launch for Mercedes-Benz in India will be of the new generation C-Class, which would help the company rake-in the desired volumes. The new sedan is only expected  next year thanks to the testing of the right hand drive version of the car taking longer. But  it comes to India in 2015, Mercedes will bring in the new C-Class with a big pomp and show to ensure the growing crowd of luxury car buyers take enough notice of the car and find it alluring.

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The other new car that is expected to make its debut in our country would be the A 45 AMG, which is a souped-up version of the A-Class hatchback. Compact cars like the A- and B-Class alone consist of close to 20 per cent of the total car sales of Mercedes-Benz, and after the introduction of the new C-Class the company hopes to better, and not just match, the nine thousand unit sales Mercedes managed in 2013.

Mercedes isn't going to stop there, however. It will make its presence felt in the  burgeoning compact luxury SUV segment as well. Mercedes Benz India will first launch the GLA, a crossover based on the new A-Class platform but with better ground clearance and more butch styling. Then, in 2015, Mercedes will bring in its long awaited Audi Q5 and BMW X3 challenger - the GLK-Class.

The GLK which has been available internationally for years never made it to India because it wasn't developed in right hand drive form. But, the new generation GLK which will be unveiled in the first half of next year, has been designed for right hand drive markets as well. The new GLK should be in India soon after its international debut.