The luxury car segment might be a mere 20,000 units a year, but that does not stop Mercedes-Benz from actively promoting its vehicles in India. For the first time, the German trio are putting efforts to reach a larger section of the market by showcasing their cars at malls. BMW has parked the new 3-Series (F30) in a box full of red balloons in malls around the country. The Bavarian automaker hopes to build excitement around the new 3-Series which will be launched in Mumbai on the 27th of June. The new 3-Series is a game changer and will be offered in range of variants.
Now Mercedes-Benz too is taking the mall route. One of the company’s dealer has parked the E-Class in Inorbit mall to lure buyers to checkout the German sedan. A complete section with screens and F1 posters have been added as well. Clearly Mercedes-Benz is lagging in overall sales compared to Audi and BMW, with the reason being the lack of a compact crossover on offer. Mercedes-Benz also doesn’t have a direct rival to BMW’s X3/X5 and Audi’s Q5/Q7. While the ML-Class and GL-Class are formidable rivals, they aren’t priced as aggressively.
The sales figures of the first quarter of this fiscal year reveals the battle currently being between Audi and BMW. While BMW sold 2088 cars in Q1, Audi was close on its heals with 1908 units. Audi launched the A4 facelift, S4, TT and Q3, which have brought in the numbers. However BMW hasn’t launched any new vehicle and plans to bring in the new 3-Series, X1 facelift and 7-Series facelift in the coming months. These new offering will ensure BMW maintains its numero uno position. Mercedes-Benz managed to sell just 1257 units in Q1 and one can expect sales to increase marginally with the launch of the B-Class.
Are malls the right place to find buyers for a car which costs upwards of Rs. 40 lakhs?
