With three new launches rolling out and a brand new segment (compact luxury) to crack, Mercedes-Benz India has its work cut out this year. In a chat with TOI, company's MD & CEO Eberhard Kern discusses products, strategy and the future. Excerpts:With a price of Rs 21.93 lakh for the 180 CDI Style and Rs 22.73 lakh for the 180 Sport, the justlaunched A-Class is competitive only if you do not factor in the discounts currently ruling the market . Given that this compact luxury segment is your big volume bet, is this pricing good enough?
We have always maintained that our pricing is all about value for money . We are not in the game for the lowest price or the highest discount. Our positioning is that a Mercedes-Benz commands a premium. If you consider the fact that both the variants of AClass are fully loaded versions, it's pure luxury and it's a fair price.
Globally the A-Class is available in a whole range of variants. Will you launch more variants in India as well or stick to the two just launched?There are no plans to launch any more variants just yet. We have decided to go for one diesel and one petrol version and we have chosen the variants that we feel are most suited to India . There may be some life cycle measures in 3-4 years but that's not something we can talk about right now.
What kind of bookings has the A-Class generated and is your allocation enough to take care of the demand?
The bookings are quite good and the pre-booking is excellent. Worldwide , the demand for A-Class is pretty high so it was quite a challenge to get sufficient allocation but on the BClass and the A-Class we are happy with what we have got. We are not strapped for cars like the ML and GL where there is a 3-4 month waiting period . Hopefully we can avoid that kind of situation with these models.< /p>
After more than 3 years you have regained your number 2 position in India's luxury car market . What are your plans to claw back to number one?
That's not the goal. We want to delight our customers, do profitable and sustainable business and then the numbers will come on their own. Also the portfolio of each luxury car brand is very different right now in India. For instance , our compact luxury range (B-Class and A-Class ) is something that the market does not have right now. And there are segments where we do not have a product as of now.
In sedans and top-end luxury SUV segment, we enjoy a leading position. With the B-Class , A-Class and the B -Class diesel , we are targeting a new segment altogether. As for the compact SUV segment, where demand has been good, we will take a call on that. W hen we see potential we will look into the Mercedes-Benz portfolio and decide about entering that segment.
By when will you take a call on local assembly?
Right now we assemble the EClass , C-Class , S-Class and ML. From August we will start assembling our fifth model GL. We will take a call on what else to produce in our Chakan plant once the current capacity expansion process is complete, that is by the beginning of next year.
Mercedes Benz India to double its production capacity - Hindustan Times
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