Indian CEOs just want to drive a Mercedes-Benz, despite the bevy of luxury cars that have hit the roads in the recent past.
No less than 98 per cent of 55 CEOs from FMCG, bank, healthcare, IT and telecom sectors surveyed by the US-based Synovate Motor Research in the last week of December in six metros adjudged Mercedes-Benz as the best luxury car brand.
The survey also says that the other cars fancied are the Rolls-Royce and the BMW, followed by the Bentley.
Of all these top brands, only Mercedes-Benz is produced in India, though BMW plans to set up a manufacturing plant in India soon. The idea of local sales and service backup, which tend to lower the cost of ownership, was actively considered by the CEOs, the survey has revealed.
The CEOs viewed Mercedes-Benz cars especially the sportier SL range as their ultimate brand in the high-end category. Other DaimlerChrysler models - E Class, S Class, C Class and the mighty SUV M Class - also bagged wider acclaim from India Inc.
"We are offering 25 models across five different class of vehicles, leaving a wide choice for the Indian customers. We are also importing the Viano - a mini van- for special clients," said Sanjiv Sahajwala, director (marketing), DaimlerChrysler India.
The other cars that featured in the survey but could not make to the first line of choice were Skoda, Honda, Toyota and Audi. Some of these, however, scored well on the performance front: Honda, Skoda and Toyota were rated highly for their consistent performance.
"All these cars are perhaps driven and tested by the CEOs themselves and they are influenced by their performance. Though Honda has only two models, the Accord and the CR-V in the luxury segment, our CEOs still want to be seen in it. Despite their affluent status, they still want prompt sales and service backup for the cars they are using," said a Synovate Motor Research functionary.
