'Stock market boom will double Merc sales'
Bangalore,
Sep
20:
Spurt
in
the
stock
market,
the
real
estate
boom
and
creation
of
the
modern
class
of
affluent
IT
professionals
will
drive
the
sales
of
the
German
luxury
car
maker
Mercedes
Benz
to
double
its
sales
this
year,
Wilfried
Aulbur,
Managing
Director
and
CEO
of
DaimlerChrysler
India
said
today.
Speaking to media persons before flagging off 'Mercedes-Benz: The India Trial' campaign here, he said the company, with its new plant at Chakran near Pune going on stream, was ready to cater to the booming luxury car market in India. To meet this demand it had taken up expansion of its production lines involving an investment of 50 million euros.
"In view of the good GDP growth in India we believe the luxury car market will grow and match this growth. Buoyancy in Stock Exchange, real estate boom and the new class of affluent people in IT sector will see our last year's 11 per cent growth in sales bettered," he predicted.
The company had notched up 5.5 per cent growth in 2005, 11 per cent in 2006 and in the first eight months in this callender year, it had already posted 22 per cent year-on-year growth.
"In '06 our sales had been 2121 units with E class taking a larger slice. We have sold 1681 units already this year and the market looks good to me. For the young IT professionals our C-class cars appeals most as it is sporty and this is where we expect significant growth in the coming years," he said.
Dr Albur said with the new investment the Pune plant would have a capacity to produce 5000 cars per year and a 'few hundred' trucks and buses. "We have been quite successful in luxury car segment and begun rolling out the trucks. Next you will see Mercedes-Benz buses on the Indian roads. We are eyeing the inter-city services where our Sutlej buses will prove to be best mode of transport," he said.
The company would be soon rolling out Sutlej buses from its Pune plant. According to the CEO, the company would now be vacating its rented facility at Chikli near Pune that belongs to Tata Motors.
On local component in the cars manufacturerd in India, Dr Albur said the company believed in global supplies and the components manufacturered in its Indian facilities was being exported to its plants in Japan, Europe and the US. "The local value addition is in the body shop, motor, transmission and painting. For painting we have a tie-up with Tata Motors. In C-class the local component is nearly 50 per cent," he said.
The
Mercedes-Benz:
The
India
Trial
came
to
the
city
today
with
a
fleet
of
glimmering
Benz
cars
zipping
across
the
streets
of
Bangalore.
This
drive
was
flagged
off
from
Pune
on
September
17
that
covers
a
cumulative
distance
of
more
than
40,000
kms
when
it
ends
on
October
10.
The
trial
features
the
complete
portfolio
of
diesel
cars
from
the
Mercedes-Benz
stables
in
India.
This
include
S-Class,
C-Class,
E-Class,
M-Class,
The
Bio-diesel
C
Class
and
the
Viano.
UNI