Luxury car companies speed up amid SUV ‘road rage'
Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi are set to launch several new sport-utility vehicle models over the next three months, hoping to further deepen their foothold in this growing segment fuelled by evolving lifestyle trends and changing preferences of India’s affluent buyers.
Such premium vehicles priced at more than Rs 50 lakh currently make up as much as 60% of sales at these companies, attracting a broader set of buyers including families and adventure enthusiasts, according to data collated by Jato Dynamics. Versatility and imposing road presence of SUVs over luxury sedans is finding increasing favour among Indian buyers. Mercedes-Benz with the largest portfolio of a dozen SUVs, grew sales by 41% in Q1 2024 «buoyed primarily by record sales of GLA, GLC, GLE and GLS SUVs in the first quarter of 2024 and we expect this demand to remain strong in coming months,» said Santosh Iyer, MD, Mercedes-Benz India.
Iyer said the company is seeing strong demand for its topend SUV models as more customers are now preferring road trips for intercity travel--either for business or leisure. Mercedes-Benz SUVs retail from Rs 52 lakh for GLA to Rs 4 crore for the AMG G 63. It plans to launch a facelift of its GLB SUV soon. Waitlists extending up to a year for popular Mercedes Benz models like GLC underscore the robust demand, said Ravi Bhatia, president, Jato Dynamics.
“At Audi India, we have a strong SUV portfolio and have witnessed strong demand for our cars including the Q3, Q5 and Q7. Our Q range is attracting many buyers; we’re
