The 11th edition of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Rally in Mumbai on Sunday featured headturners that left the audience gasping in awe. Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com presents a ringside view.
India's luxury auto market is rebounding after a slow start to 2025, with GST 2.0 emerging as the main catalyst.
While GST on ICE vehicles was brought down significantly, for electric cars it remained at 5 per cent.
Former Chief Justice of India B R Gavai set a new precedent by leaving the official Mercedes-Benz car for his successor Surya Kant after the latter's swearing-in ceremony.
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is considering assembling more electric vehicles at its plant in India not merely to gain cost advantage but also to meet its zero emission mobility and carbon neutral setup goals, according to a senior company official. Mercedes-Benz India, which currently assembles its flagship electric luxury sedan EQS at its Chakan unit, is considering localisation of other models depending on demand.
'We expect this festival buying spirit to continue in October as well, with upcoming festivities including Dhanteras and Diwali, which traditionally witness spirited buying from customers.'
A deep split has emerged within India's auto industry over the proposed CAFE exemption for small cars, with only Maruti Suzuki and Renault backing the move in the final SIAM vote.
After a record-breaking year, India's automobile industry is entering 2026 on a relatively strong footing, with sales growth expected in the 6-8 per cent range. The outlook is underpinned by policy support, including GST rationalisation, easing monetary conditions, and income tax relief, which together are likely to improve affordability and sustain consumer demand across vehicle segments.
Electric passenger vehicle (PV) retail sales jumped more than twofold in September with Tata Motors (TaMo) leading the pack having over 6,000 registrations and a 40 per cent market share.
Vroom, which was conceptualised by MuSo and executed in partnership with Vikram Mehta, CEO of Planet Auto, is more than a car show, it is an educational pit stop that promises to ignite a lifelong interest in engineering, mechanics, and design.
Luxury carmakers are shifting into high gear with a mix of product launches, personalised experiences and lifestyle-led engagement.
The share of EVs in the luxury segment rose from 7 per cent in January-May 2024 to 11 per cent during the same period in 2025, marking a 66 per cent growth in the electric luxury segment.
Nearly one in two luxury cars sold in India in the first three months of 2024 was a Mercedes Benz, which achieved its best ever quarter (January-March), selling 5,412 units, up 15 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) from 4,697 units in the previous year.
'In the luxury car segment, the adoption of EVs is almost double compared to the mass market.'
Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers breathed a sigh of relief after the GST Council on Wednesday night retained the concessional 5 per cent rate on EVs, though they now face competition from small petrol and diesel cars, which will attract a lower 18 per cent levy.
Mercedes-Benz India is aiming to post double-digit growth in sales volume during 2024 as it plans to launch over 12 car models during the year, says its managing director and CEO Santosh Iyer. The German carmaker, which leads the luxury car market in the country, recorded 10 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth to 17,408 units in 2023. "For 2023, we always said that the growth would be in double digits.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused Karnataka Congress MLA K C Veerendra of collecting over Rs 2,000 crore through online betting sites. The agency alleges that Veerendra and his associates used various gateways and fintech service providers to mask their illicit activities.
India may see its busiest EV festive season in 2025 with SUVs, luxury cars and scooters set to launch, but rare-earth supply bottlenecks risk delaying rollouts.
German premium car maker Mercedes-Benz on Wednesday reported nearly 100 per cent growth in sales at 4,101 units in the domestic market in September of the current year. Mercedes-Benz India had sold 2,058 cars in the Indian market in the July-September period of 2020. The strong rebound in sales particularly in Q3 2021 retail, reflects the continuous V-shaped recovery witnessed since the pandemic affected second quarter (April-June), owing to the return of economic activities, a stable economy at large and an overall positive market outlook.
You increase the production, only then it is possible to reduce cost, Gadkari said.
FIFA boss Infantino also presented President Trump with the very first ticket to the tournament's grand finale.
Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz India on Thursday said it will increase prices of its vehicles ranging between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 12 lakh across different models from April 1, to offset rising input costs specially the adverse impact of foreign exchange. This will be the second time in three months that the company is increasing prices of its vehicles. The ex-showroom price of the company's model range will increase by up to 5 per cent from April 1, 2023, the company said.
Driven by a rise in sales during the current year, German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz said on Thursday that the company is expecting a growth in sales of around 8-10 per cent in the next few years. This comes at a time when the company is ready to surpass the previous highest sales of 15,538 vehicles (2018) in 2022. During the first half, the company sold 7,600 units. It already has an order bank of around 7,000 vehicles. In 2021, the company sold 11,242 vehicles.
Joao Neves scored twice as Paris St Germain swept aside Lionel Messi's Inter Miami 4-0 at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium to secure their place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals.
Elon Musk-led Tesla Inc is yet to express interest in India's flagship scheme to attract global investment in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, said Union Minister for Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy on Monday. In contrast, multiple global automobile giants -- such as Mercedes-Benz, koda Auto Volkswagen, Hyundai Motor, and Kia Motors -- are keen to participate, the minister noted.
Sales of Mercedes-Benz in the country have jumped by 36.67 per cent to 16,497 units in 2022-23 amid high demand for its top-end vehicles, according to its India MD & CEO Santosh Iyer. "This is the highest-ever sales recorded by the company in any financial year," he stated. In the luxury car segment of India, Mercedes-Benz is the market leader with about a 42 per cent share.
Real Madrid hit their stride at the Club World Cup on Tuesday, edging Juventus 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals thanks to a second-half strike from academy graduate Gonzalo Garcia.
Mercedes-Benz India started producing the new generation cars (NGC) in its global assembly network along with sedans and SUVs locally.
The Mercedes-Benz Museum at Stuttgart, Germany traces the remarkable history of the 125-year old Mercedes-Benz brand.
"Our presence in the commercial vehicles segment now widens with the introduction of Mercedes-Benz buses. The coaches stand for the latest and best technology, design, comfort, reliability and performance," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Wilfried Aulbur told reporters at its Pimpri plant.
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz on Friday said it will hike prices of its vehicles in India by up to 3 per cent on its entire model range in the portfolio from January 1, 2025, citing a rise in input costs, inflationary pressures and higher operational expenses. Prices of Mercedes-Benz cars in India will be revised by Rs 2 lakh for the GLC to Rs 9 lakh for the top-end Mercedes-Maybach S 680 luxury limousine, Mercedes-Benz India said in a statement.
For the first time in history, the luxury car market is poised to cross the sales mark of 50,000 units in 2024, with Mercedes leading the way
Mercedes Benz is planning to play automotive soccer matches at Mercedes-Benz World.
The Mercedes-Benz Museum at Stuttgart, Germany traces the remarkable history of the 125-year old Mercedes-Benz brand.
Leading global luxury vehicle maker Mercedes-Benz, which on Monday launched two variants of the 2010 M-Class here said it was `bullish' on India in 2010 and keen on leveraging India for its growth strategy in terms of research and development and global sourcing.
Analysts believe Tesla will first focus on building the Model Y brand before expanding -- both in terms of volume and models.
The E's nature is genteel, more upscale and assured. And that's what most people who gravitate towards the three-pointed star want. It's just that attaining that experience has become that much more accessible with these two new variants.
The sedan portfolio grew 39 per cent in the January-September 2015.
About 99,165 electric cars were sold in India in 2024, but electric car penetration -- share of electric car sales in total sales -- was just about 2.5 per cent.
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