Mercedes India expects compact car sales to grow by 50% in 2015 - Report

13/02/2015 - 10:54 | ,  ,   | Anjan Ravi

CLA and GLA expected to drive growth this year.

Mercedes-Benz India ended 2014 with record sales of 10,201 units, an increase of 13 percent compared to 2013. Compact cars, or NGC (New Generation Cars) models like the A Class, B Class and GLA Class, accounted for roughly 20 percent of this number.

Mercedes CLA Review
The CLA is the latest entrant in Mercedes India's NGC portfolio, and was launched last month.

The company began 2015 with the launch of the Mercedes CLA, a NGC based on the A Class's front-wheel drive platform. The company expects sales from the four-member NGC portfolio to grow by over 50 percent this year, Eberhard Kern, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India told PTI.

The CLA and GLA have exceeded the company's expectations, and have waiting periods of 30-45 days. The first month allocation of the CLA is sold out.

Going forth, the B Class, which was the first NGC launch in India in September 2012, is due to receive a facelift in India this year. Already available in European markets, the cosmetic update sees minor changes to the front fascia and interior of the B Class.

2015 Mercedes B Class front at the 2014 Paris Motor Show
The B Class facelift debuted at the Paris Motor Show in October last year.

Also read: Review - Mercedes CLA

The NGC portfolio abroad consists of the above mentioned four models, and the CLA based estate known as the CLA Shooting Brake. However, Mercedes-Benz India is unlikely to introduce the Shooting Brake in India given that the estate segment bears little or no significance in the country.

[Source - Economic Times]

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