Mercedes Zips: A Star Is Reborn

Mercedes zips past rivals to regain leadership of the Indian luxury car market. A story foretold not by the night sky but by a blurry flag.

-  Aresh Shirali

Whizzing past at over 250 km per hour, the chequered flag is just a blur to a Formula One racer. And it’s a flag that flutters with the story of how Mercedes-Benz has zoomed past Audi to regain leadership of India’s market for luxury cars after a gap of six long years. The blur here is not about lack of clarity. Of that, there is plenty. It’s about the blurring of squares, the blending of black and white, and the blowing away of old notions— the repixillation, as it were, of what it means to be well-wheeled in an age where the ‘revolutions’ that make our pulses race are the ones displayed ‘per minute’ on a car’s dashboard.

In 2015, Mercedes sold 13,502 sets of wheels, up a stellar 32 per cent over the previous year. Audi, which had led India’s luxury car market for the previous three years, sold 11,192 units, up 3 per cent. The figures for BMW, which had stolen Mercedes’ lead in 2009 and then had its own three-year run before it fell behind the other two German marques, are still awaited. But no one doubts that Mercedes is the year’s top seller in a market estimated at 35,000 units overall.

“We’re doing the right things,” chuckles Roland Folger, managing director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, on being asked for his response to the brand’s achievement. “It had been a harsh few years for us earlier,” he adds, after a few seconds, “But we always try to relate better to customers—and we have.” Arch-rival Audi, meanwhile, draws attention to its ‘consistent performance’ over the years. “We are in India for a marathon and not a sprint,” says Joe King, head, Audi India, “Leadership for us is not just sales volumes; it is about having good quality service, effective customer interaction and strong brand pull.”