Wednesday, November 02, 2011
By Pranjal Gera
BMW, Mercedes, Audi witness growth in their premium luxury SUV segment
In luxury segment car of India the premium sedans rule the sector in terms of sales leaving behind the premium sports utility vehicles (SUVs), but the things will not the same forever. Because a promising development can be seen in this segment as well, this can be rated as a healthy omen for the global carmakers in the nation. The luxury SUV sales has gone up by 13 percent this year which is phenomenal as to keeping in mind the fact that SUV is never purchased by the first time car buyer it is always a second or the third vehicle in the owners parking slot.
The most famous German luxury brand in India, Mercedes Benz has registered an increase of 129 percent for its luxury SUVs in the last nine months duration from January to September this year. On the other hand its luxury sedan sales have scored an increase of only 20 percent in the same duration.
The brawny vehicles comprised of 35 percent of the total sales achieved in the nine month period, with the figures to grow till December as new BMX X3 has already been unveiled, informed Mr. Andreas Schaaf, President for BMW in India. For the company the emerging segment is not SUV but its SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle), he smartly added. According to him the BMW X series of SUVs are promising in near future in India and the 35 percent sales included BMW X1, X3, X5 and X6 vehicles.
A representative from Volkswagen Group’s premium luxury brand Audi said that around 40 percent of the total vehicles sold in the duration of nine months that is January to September this year were monstrous automobiles.
But these vehicles with a tough buildup are never put to test in real off road conditions by their owners; who are worried about the repair cost, even though they possess extraordinary abilities with their four-wheeled drive (FWD) system. They are majorly used for the status purpose as they are expensive with a heavy price tag of INR 45-50 Lakhs. The mind set is such that such high-priced car cannot be used for off road circumstances.
