Mercedez Benz India Ltd (MBIL) for the first time showcased its used car business — Mercedes Certified — at the recently concluded auto expo in Greater Noida. A space was devoted to the pre-owned cars along with new models such as the Mercedes Benz V Class Marco Polo, the EQC, the all new GLA and the G-63 AMG.

Mercedes-Benz Certified has sold 20,536 units of pre-owned cars over the last five years and witnessed a 20 per cent cumulative growth.

The total percentage of the used car business in overall sales is around 25 per cent in India. Mercedes has the biggest market share in the organised pre-owned car market.

On the thought behind showcasing the used car business among new models at the expo, MBIL managing director Martin Schwenk said: “We see a lot of potential in the used car business in India. About 75 per cent of the pre-owned car prospects are aged below 40 years and 60 per cent are first-time buyers. These aspirants want to opt for Mercedes certified cars to understand the benefits and features and have reservations about walking into the showrooms.”

“We used the auto expo also to guide the customers to our e-commerce platform www.shop.mercedes-benz.co.in where we provide a seamless purchasing experience. Purchasing a used car online from Mercedes has a big future — transparent and safe,” he added.

The used car segment is a strong entry point into the Mercedes family, feels Schwenk.

“By displaying our used cars with our other offerings, we want to show how attractive our pre-owned vehicles are, especially for first-time buyers. We want to provide them with the touch and feel and support them with all the necessary information they need to make the purchase,” Schwenk said.

According to Schwenk, the downturn did not affect the used car business as customers were getting cost conscious and considering buying pre-owned cars.