Mercedes-Benz to double its production to 20,000 units

Mercedes-Benz is now looking forward to double its production in order to meet the growing demands. The German luxury carmaker will increase its manufacturing to 20,000 units per annum. In the current year, the company is also planning to expand its dealership by opening 10 new showrooms. "In the first half of May, we saw people in the wait-and watch mode but post the formation of the government, the number of footfalls and inquiries increased. The optimism in the market place has gone up and we anticipate another good year for the company," said by Eberhard Kern, MD, Mercedes Benz India. He also said a stable government is a positive and good news for the Indian automotive market.

The luxury car market has been growing in double digits over the last few years and is expected to see better growth this year, says Kern. The luxury car market which is about 33,000 units per annum will grow another 10% this year. The company is also aiming to increase its sales in this growing market. For the year 2014, the company has decided to launch 10 new products out of which, the automaker has already launched the S350 CDI at Rs 1.1 crore and the AMG model of its premium SUV, ML 63 AMG at Rs 1.49 crore.

The ML 63 AMG is powered by 5.5 liter, Bi-turbo, V8 engine which belts out a power of 557.44bhp in between 5250-5750rpm and a peak torque of 760Nm between the range of 2000-5000rpm. In the upcoming months, the company will also launch its another performance enhanced vehicle CLA 45 AMG and compact SUV GLA. Globally, the company is planning to launch its new Mercedes-Benz AMG GT. However, up until now only the interiors have been revealed.

Moreover, earlier in March, the automaker launched the CKD version of S-Class, the S500 which is Rs 21 lakh cheaper than the CBU model. Previously when the car was launched in January, it was priced at Rs 1.57 crore but soon after the company decided to roll out its CKD variant which is manufactured at its Chakan plant.

The made in India S Class is now priced at Rs 1.36 crore (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The car is powered by 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine. Moreover, the company has recently expanded its S Class family by introducing the diesel variant S 350 CDI. The car is powered by 3.0-litre V6 engine which churns out a power of 254bhp and peak torque of 620Nm.

Source: ET