Mercedes-Benz has started its new year with the launch of the GLS Facelift SUV in the Indian market. The auto giant has announced that 2023 was an amazing year in India in terms of overall sales. Mercedes-Benz India registered sales of 17,408 cars and SUVs from January to December last year. The carmaker marked its best-ever notable growth of 10 percent over the 2022 calendar year with the sale of 15,822 units. This growth was fueled by a robust sales performance in the last three months of the previous year.
Mercedes sold over 17,000 units, of which the SUV lineup contributed around 55 percent to sales. Almost 10,000 customers have opted for a Mercedes SUV. The sedan range, on the other hand, contributed to the remaining 45 percent of sales. The Mercedes-Benz sedan lineup includes the C-Class, A-Class, S-Class, and E-Class. The auto giant sold under 8,000 units of its sedan. The manufacturer stated that demands for its vehicles, which it calls ‘Entry’, 'Core', and ‘Top-End Vehicles’ (TEV), have remained strong.
Read more: BMW Records Highest Ever Sales Growth in 2023
In India, the E-Class sedan, which comes with a longer wheelbase, remained the best-selling Mercedes model. The demands for the company’s SUV lineup have increased, and the manufacturer is revealing several new models, including the 2nd-generation GLC and the GLE facelift, along with the GLS and GLA.
The manufacturer announced at the launch event of the new GLS facelift that it is going to invest an additional INR 200 crore in this year towards its developing operations, new product start-ups, and digitization of manufacturing processes, therefore bringing its complete investment in India till today to INR 3,000 crore.
Mercedes-Benz’s EV portfolio includes the EQB, the EQE, and the EQS sedan. All these EVs contributed to around 4 percent of total volumes. The automaker sold just under 700 units and marked a three-fold hike over the 2022 calendar year.
The auto giant also confirmed that it is going to set up its presence in 10 new cities and introduce 20 workshops that will be spread across Kottayam, Jammu, Udaipur, Kannur, Valsad, Amritsar, Patna, and Agra in 2024. Apart from this, the company will unveil 12 new models in the country this year, and the majority of these will be three new battery powered EVs and TEVs.