Electric vehicle (EV) penetration in the luxury car segment has seen a drop by nearly 3 percentage points in the GST 2.0 era with the internal combustion engine versions offering better total cost of ownership, according to industry players. While the trend is also visible in the mass market segment, it is the entry luxury segment that is witnessing a more marked shift towards internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles as price difference between EV and ICE widened under the new GST rates.
'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.'
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
It's in the looks department that Mercedes-Benz's new compact sports utility vehicle, the GLA, scores over its competition in the luxury segment.
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.
The sedan portfolio grew 39 per cent in the January-September 2015.
Many of these companies have a waiting period from 6-18 months now, indicating a rise in demand.
After a brief lull during the pandemic, there is a strong revival in luxury car sales, bolstered by more launches across price bands, replacement demand, ban on old diesel vehicles in the NCR, and 'revenge buying'.
The new car market is estimated at around 30,000 units a year in sales in a good year, whereas the used car market for luxury vehicles is estimated at around 60,000 cars annually.
While Mercedes-Benz India expects 25 per cent of its India sales to come from EVs in the next four years, BMW says it estimates around 10 per cent of sales to come from those in the near future.
'Since we have a long waiting period, customers will be able to see cars for the next one year which are going to be produced and block (book) them.' 'So, if there is a wedding or a birthday in October, they can already check its availability in that month and block it.'
The company had announced its plan to launch 15 new products in 2015.
As many as 11 Mercedes models are impacted by the ban.
The company got back in the numbers game only in 2013.
The diesel variants of the C-Class will be available as completely built units.
The GLE will be available in two variants.
This SUV will look as cool in 2030 as it might have in 2010 and ultimately that's what drives the core appeal of Mercedes-Benz and its products -- being classic, says Pavan Lall.
While this hip-hop edition is unlikely to drive Merc's market share, the SUV exemplifies what the German automaker is best known for: Innovative engineering and, in this particular case, putting a smile on the face, discovers Pavan Lall.
Audi's 2015 sales were three per cent higher than its 2014 sales, which stood at 10,851 units.
Trying out the most powerful Mercedes-Benz E-Class of all time - the AMG E 63 S 4Matic+ -- at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, India's only Formula 1 track, is serious business, as P Tharyan finds out.
Automakers are caught in a chicken-and-egg situation: Prices have to come down if volumes are to increase, and volumes won't increase unless prices come down, notes Pavan Lall.
The six-seater is built for long journeys, especially when you don't want to waste time and would rather wrap up meetings while, say, on the road to the airport, writes Pavan Lall.
'More than one brand in a showroom is too risky because customer loyalty in this market is low. Most people don't drive different cars made by the same manufacturer for a lifetime, they experiment.'
The ban does not speak about used luxury cars.
New Mercedes-Benz S-Class gets a power lift and cosmetic changes, says Joshua David Luther.
The Maybach S650's focus on luxury would make a private jet's interiors appear pedestrian, says Pavan Lall. Does it mean it has no room for improvement?
Each year, at least 10 million Indians marry and the market is estimated at nearly $35 billion, growing at about 25 per cent annually.
In the past four months, launches of luxury and super luxury cars have sped ahead of non-luxury ones.
With festive season around the corner, automakers are launching their best cars.
The Audi mobile showroom will tour 30 cities over the next two years.
Prominent ones are Maruti's smoky Ciaz and Fiat's gorgeous Avventura.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances