Revision as of 16:05, 14 July 2025

Sales

2009-15: luxury car sales

The Times of India

Sales: January- March 2015, Graphic courtesy: The Times of India

Apr 07 2015

Nandini Sengupta

Merc tops luxe car market in Jan-Mar

Regains no. 1 quarterly spot after 5 years

After a neck-andneck race that lasted two years, Mercedes-Benz is back at the top of the heap in the Indian luxury car market. In the January-March 2015 period, Mercedes-Benz has 3,566 units compared to Audi's 3,181 units in the same period, which makes Mercedes-Benz the leader in the luxury car market ousting Audi from the top spot for the quarter. German rival BMW does not disclose sales numbers but estimates put the brand's January-March 2015 sales at nearly 1,500 units, making it the third luxe brand in the pecking order. Mercedes-Benz has returned to the top slot in the Indian luxe car market five years after losing the perch to BMW in 2009. BMW in turn lost it to Audi in 2012. For the financial year 2014-15 Audi continues to be the top luxe brand though its lead over No. 2 MercedesBenz is a slender 79 units. In FY15, Audi India sold 11,292 units, up 11.51% over the yearago period. In the same period, Mercedes-Benz India sold 11,213 units, up 17.5% year-on year. BMW , say industry sources, sold around 7,000 units.

The three German brands have traditionally commanded nearly 90% of Indian luxury car sales.

Eberhard Kern, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said: “We grew by 40% in the January-March 2015 period which also resulted in a significant lead with respect to our competitors, and we have taken over the top spot in terms of sales volume. Our growth in Q1 2015 could have been even more, but some of our key models like the S-Class, GL-Class, ML-Class and CLA-Class were on a waitlist. Our leadership position, which we were able to acquire quite early in 2015, makes us even more confident of our success for the remaining year. We are the fastest growing luxury car brand for two consecutive years now, and we will be achieving another year of double-digit growth in 2015,“ he added.

Arch rival Audi, for its part, is taking a “marathon“ view of the race instead of a “sprint“.Said Joe King, head, Audi India: “We are happy to retain leadership position in the luxury car market this financial year and for two consecutive years, despite having only one major launch (Audi A3) in the last fiscal. Our first quarter sales are well ahead of plan and we look forward to new blockbuster model launches to continue our success story in India. Audi is the only luxury car brand in India that has grown consistently and continuously over the last seven years. We have consciously followed a strategy which delivers consistent growth and not sporadic peaks. We made the choice to not blindly chase volumes, we're here for the long-term and not just to `sell more cars this year',“ he added.

Auto experts say Mercedes Benz stepped on the gas in 2013 with the launch of its volume models A-Class and B-Class.

Sales: 2015- 2018, June

The sales of the Top 3 Luxury cars in India, 2015- 2018, June
From: Pankaj Doval, Merc races past BMW in Jan-Jul, July 7, 2018: The Times of India

See graphic:

The sales of the Top 3 Luxury cars in India, 2015- 2018, June

2016: Mercedes Benz remains first

Pankaj Doval, Audi loses number 2 spot to BMW , May 3, 2017: The Times of India

Units sold in 2016, Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi; Pankaj Doval, Audi loses number 2 spot to BMW , May 3, 2017: The Times of India

Audi's sales in India crashed by over 30% in 2016 as the company lost its second ranking in the luxury market to fellow German compatriot BMW , which staged a revival on a 14% growth. Mercedes Benz, however, maintained its top billing in the category.

Slide for Audi continued in the first quarter (JanuaryMarch) of this year as numbers slipped by 22% year-on-year. Its volumes fell to 2,131units as against 2,738 units in the same period last year, sources told.

When contacted, Rahil Ansari, head of Audi in India, refused to confirm the numbers, but conceded that 2016 “was a challenging year“.

“Although 2016 was a chal lenging year in general for the industry , we utilized this period to consolidate our business in India,“ Ansari said, adding that, “We do not discuss our sales data in media. However, we can confirm that we had a good start to the year (2017). We are ahead of our planned targets and expect to close the year with double-digit growth.“

Ansari took charge of Audi's Indian unit in February 2016, succeeding Joe King, who was moved back to the company's headquarters in Germany .“We want to be at the top spot as we belong there. We do not have to do it overnight but in a sustainable manner -when we reach the top, we will stay there,“ Ansari said. Sources said the slide in Audi's volumes was being seen as “worrisome“ by the company's management, considering that it was top luxury carmaker in India just two years back.

BMW, on the other hand, has been making a slow progress towards getting its mojo back in India. Once a strong force, the company had lost its drive over the past few ye ars. It made a comeback in 2016 -although on a small base -giving it a reason to cheer.

BMW's revival was led by Frank Schloeder, who was the acting president of the India operations last year. “2016 has not been an easy year for the automotive industry and that applies equally to BMW Group India... Despite a challenging business environment, BMW Group India has increased sales and market share,“ Schloeder, now posted out of India, said on the company's performance.

Ansari said India is a “small but strategic market“. “There are short-term constraints like high taxes and duties but the GST regime seems to offer a simpler approach with fewer layers, which will probably make easier to do business.“

2016-18: Luxury car sales at record high

The sales of the Luxury cars in India, 2016-18
From: Pankaj Doval, April 7, 2018: The Times of India

See also:

The sales of the Luxury cars in India, 2016-18

2013-2023

The sales of luxury cars in India’s major cities, 2013-2023
From: June 23, 2025: The Times of India

See graphic:

The sales of luxury cars in India’s major cities, 2013-2023