EXCLUSIVE: Mercedes says Diwali bookings have started early

Mercedes Benz India, the largest luxury car maker in the country in terms of market share, is optimistic about the ongoing festive season. The company has witnessed a good demand during Onam and Ganesh Chaturthi. Santosh Iyer, MD & CEO of Mercedes Benz India, spoke exclusively to CNBC-TV18 and said that the recent launches have really driven up demand for the company and hopes to end the festive season on a positive note. To drive up sales during the festive season, Mercedes Benz India has launched a special festive campaign.

Santosh Iyer: New products drive market excitement and customers wait for them. We will be introducing some of the most awaited products for the Indian market, especially as a run-up to Diwali. Even before the festive, which is stretched to 4 months this year, we have launched our highest-selling SUV, the New GLC and the EQE SUV made its debut this month. We have introduced timely upgrades and facelifts for our customers, to keep them excited and offer them the latest products. We recently updated our popular BEV, the EQS luxury sedan, with multiple latest features and technologies. Similarly, we have upgraded the EQB 350 and also the A-Class sedan.

Santosh Iyer: This year the festive season is spread across four months, and we are optimistic as we started on a very positive note, from Onam onwards. With a strong demand primarily driven by recent launches and buoyant customer sentiment, we expect the growth momentum to continue, though we still face a long waiting period for deliveries. We are trying our best to deliver these cars to customers at the earliest and fulfil their expectations.

Santosh Iyer: In the past, festive used to be synonymous with offering attractive discounts. Now, even if Diwali is on November 11th, customers are already booking their cars months in advance, as they know it takes around two to four months to get deliveries from the time of booking. This year we are celebrating festivities with our ‘Unlock Desire’ festive campaign, offering popular financing options like Star Agility and also offering a range of benefits including assured buybacks, complimentary insurance and benefits to corporates.

Mercedes Benz EQE SUV

Santosh Iyer: Our current order book continues to be 3,500 cars with a waiting period ranging anywhere between one month to 2 years for an AMG G 63.

All three segments comprising entry luxury, core luxury and TEV are performing very well and we see an overall strong performance of our models.

Santosh Iyer: Ahead of the festive season, we launched the EQE 500 4MATIC SUV with the highest equipment level for Indian customers, giving them a highly desirable BEV in the segment. To boost the EV transition in India, we are democratizing the Ultra-Fast charging network. All EV customers in India across brands can now enjoy the luxurious Mercedes-Benz experience while using our charging network. Further to boosting the charging infrastructure, we are also ensuring a hassle-free EV ownership experience, offering a reduced service cycle of once in 2 years, assured residual value comparable to ICE vehicles and an industry-first 10-year battery warranty. We soon will announce a special customer campaign in October, aimed at raising sustainability awareness and accelerating BEV adoption.