Pune: While the mass market car sales dipped in the last three months in a row, Mercedes Benz has bucked the industry trend by posting the highest ever Q3 2024 sales in the history of the automaker at 21 per cent to 5,117 units.
The German luxury car maker also clocked the best-ever sales in Jan-Sep 2024 period by selling a record 14,379 units, a year-on-year growth of 13 per cent.
To drive up the sales momentum in the festive season, on Wednesday it launched the much-anticipated sixth-generation all new Made-in-India E-Class Long Wheelbase (LWB) priced at Rs 78.5 lakh at pan India showroom. Deliveries will start in November.
Santosh Iyer, Managing Director and CEO at Mercedes-Benz India said the company was well-positioned to surpass its CY 2023 (17,408 units) sales performance in CY2024. Significantly, the CY2023 sales performance milestone not only represented the company’s highest-ever sales in India but also strengthened its position as the leader in the Indian luxury car market for the ninth consecutive year.
The new E-Class LWB is its 12th new luxury product in the Indian market in 2024 and Mercedes is confident to drive up the sales momentum this festive season and retain its leadership in the luxury car market where its archrival BMW, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo and Lexus compete.
The new LWB E-Class once again sets a new benchmark in the luxury business saloon segment, remaining the most desired luxury car in India, Iyer noted.
“Being the only RHD market manufacturing the LWB E-Class globally, we have made multiple ‘India Specific’ enhancements to the ‘Made in India’ E-Class, making the luxury sedan more suited to Indian conditions,” he pointed out.
Iyer said with its ground-breaking technology and digital intelligence, the new E-Class is more advanced and personal than before.
“Its superior and comfortable driving dynamics, combined with high-quality luxurious interiors featuring the segment-renowned back-seat comfort, makes the LWB E-Class the most compelling choice for any discerning luxury customer,” he said.
Mercedes E-Class, the bread and butter of the brand along with C-Class, is the ‘longest running production car’ badge in the entire Indian automotive market”.
The E-Class LWB is available with three engine options. The base variant is powered by a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel that makes 201 BHP and 320 Nm of torque. The E220 d uses a 2.0-litre diesel that puts out 194 BHP and 440 Nm of torque and the top-end E450 packs a 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces 375 BHP and 500 Nm of torque.
All three engines are paired with a 48V mild-hybrid system and a 9-speed automatic transmission. The E450 gets all-wheel drive as standard.
