Mercedes Benz India will close this calendar year with the same sales figure as 2018. It sold 15,538 units in 2018.

“We will probably be able to touch 2018 figures. We were down 18 per cent in the first seven months this year. But in September we are witnessing increasing numbers and there has been a 25 per cent increase in enquiries in our showroom,” said Martin Schwenk, managing director of Mercedes Benz India.

When asked for his reaction to the government’s refusal to cut GST, Schwenk said: “Everyone has understood that this is the end of the conversation on GST. The hope that the government would probably cut GST was creating instability in the market. Added to that was the financial crunch and the BS VI transition along with EV introduction.

“The electric question is settled for some time now. The government has taken steps in cutting the corporate tax rate. It will help in additional investment and add to the bottomline,” he added.