Mercedes Benz India is facing deteriorating supply chain issues and has a backlog of 3,000 vehicles. The German luxury player delivered 12,768 vehicles from January to September this year, posting an 11 per cent growth.

MBIL managing director and CEO Santosh Iyer said: “We have had good sales and there is a very strong demand in the market. But we are yet to realise the full potential of the demand because we are unable to supply.”

The company is facing a shortage of its best-selling SUVs — GLA and GLC.

“There are over 3000 components in a car and if one component is missing, then the supply gets affected. Even the Tier 2 and Tier 3 component suppliers can make a difference in the supply chain,” said Iyer.

Asked if the present conflict in Israel is likely to worsen supply chain issues, Iyer said: “It is still too early to say but in this global supply chain scenario, a geo-political situation anywhere might affect supplies.”

Stressing that the supply issue is a global phenomenon, Iyer said: “India is not the only market affected. The global supply network is affected.”

The company continues to witness a strong demand for its top-end vehicles, which grew 22 per cent. The segment contributed 25 per cent to sales.

The company is also going to celebrate a ‘Sustainability Festival’ in October to encourage EV adoption. It is offering a 50 per cent road tax support in states which do not have road tax waivers for EV users like Assam, Jharkhand, Noida, Haryana, Telengana, Kerala, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. It will also offer loyalty bonus for customers switching to EV.

Maruti Jimny

Maruti Suzuki India has started exports of the five-door Jimny. The vehicle will be shipped to Latin America, West Asia and Africa.

The five-door Jimny is manufactured exclusively in India. Earlier, in November 2020, Maruti started production of the 3-door Jimny for exports to Latin America and Africa. It launched the 5-door Jimny for domestic market in June 2023. The company now exports 17 vehicles across segments.