Mercedes-Benz India has lined up 12 new launches for the year 2016.
Mercedes-Benz India has lined up 12 new launches for the year 2016. The first of which has already been launched in the form of the GLE 450 AMG Coupe. The company showcased the GLC SUV and the S-Class Cabriolet which are line up to launch in India. The company marked the highest growth ever in India at 32 percent over the same period in 2014. We spoke to Mercedes-Benz India CEO and MD, Mr. Roland S. Folger to know his plans for the country and views on the all important Delhi Diesel Car ban. Read on.
Q) What is the next step considering the diesel ban in Delhi? Is Mercedes looking to get more green technology to India?
A) I think we have already gone public in the recent past with our intentions, it is more of a offer to bring Euro 6 in India much before the 2020 deadline. We can understand the supreme court wants to save lives of people and this is to be applauded because not much was happening so far but now we need to come up with something sustainable. We have talked to our headquarters in Germany to find out how early could we move into the Bharat Stage 6 and supply the appropriate engines for that and this could be as early as 2018 given that we are given the right fuel.
Q) What about hybrids?
A) This all depends on when we will get to the Bharat Stage 6 as all hybrids comply with Euro 6 engines so that would open up the whole discussion on plug in hybrids, range extenders and hence we are keen to bring this technology to India.
Q) With the recent GLE 450 AMG launch are there efforts to make the AMG brand more accessible?
A) It is part of our strategy and you will see much more along those lines because we have such a positive response to AMG. Again it is all about rejuvenating the brand, making it a more sexy, sporty and people are really picking up on that in India. So we decided to give basically a much more attractive solution to customers that don’t want to have the excessive power.
Q) Average Mercedes buyer’s age in India is 37, so are you planning anything with the design or the pricing? Do we see more affordable offerings?
A) About 7 years ago we already changed our design. If you see the A-Class or the S-Class were started to be designed about 7-8 years ago and these directives basically helped us to bring the average age down so significantly.
Q) Do you have any plans to get in flexi fuel engines into India as a short term policy as hybrid technology is expensive?
A) We currently do not have any plans to do anything about flexi fuel engines from our perspective. You take a high risk with that. Some companies might like to do that. We supply engines to worldwide users and we have not had a positive experience, let me put it this way.
Q) Has there been a change in plan since the diesel ban has come in?
A) No not yet. We are optimistic that this will be over by the end of March. If it does not come down we will have to increase our petrol engine which again won’t help much as it will increase CO2 emissions. India has a petition in Paris to reduce CO2 emissions by 25 percent. Life is complicated; you need to find out what you really want to do.
Q) Are you restructuring your strategy to improve the sales of the A-Class and B-Class?
A) No. Because we are happy with the performance of the A- and B-class and are selling as per our expectations. After the GLA and CLA, the A-Class would have difficulty in selling but there are still buyers out there who buy the A-Class for its design statement and a great entry price of course.
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