Luxury vehicle manufacturers have posted double-digit growth despite an overall slowdown in the Indian auto sector.

Mercedes Benz India is aiming to breach 20,000 sales in 2024 subject to availability, said Mercedes Benz India chief Santosh Iyer.

The company has sold 14,379 units from January to September 2024 posting a 21 per cent growth.

BMW Group India sold 10,556 units in the same period posting a 10 per cent growth.
The company sold 5,638 motorcycles (BMW Motorrad) and 10,056 units of BMW cars and 500 units of the Mini.

Mercedes also leads the electric vehicle (EV) segment with 800 deliveries from January to September.

A total of 725 units of fully electric BMW and MINI cars were delivered in the first nine months of 2024. The BMW i7 was the largest-selling BMW EV, said the company.

JLR India announced a 36 per cent year-over-year growth in sales in the first half of the fiscal at 3,214 units.

The growth in sales was higher at 41 per cent in the second quarter compared with 31 per cent a year ago.

Audi India has not released its figures for July to September. It sold 2,477 odd units till June 2024. The company, which posted 33 per cent growth last year, has said it will not reach double-digit growth this year.

JLR's performance has been driven by the Range Rover and Defender models, particularly with the local manufacture of the entire Range Rover portfolio, said the company.

Rajan Amba, managing director, of JLR India said: “Our strategic decision to locally manufacture the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport has yielded impressive results, with orders surging by 60 per cent."

"As we enter the festive season, we are confident in maintaining this momentum through the second half of the year, driven by our robust product portfolio and customer-centric approach.”

Merc E-Class

Mercedes has launched its sixth generation Long Wheel Base (LWB) E-Class.

India is the only country to sell the LWB E-Class in right-hand drive (RHD), which contributes 20 per cent to its sales.

The LWB is also sold in China. In other countries, the short wheelbase of the E-Class is sold.

"For Indian driving conditions, the LWB E-Class is best suited," said Iyer.

With more than 56,000 units on Indian roads, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class remains India’s longest running production car till date. It started production in 1995.