With sales of 2,839 units, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class has emerged as India’s bestselling luxury car in FY22, according to our sales analysis with automotive data specialist firm JATO Dynamics India. That puts the E-Class ahead of all its rivals combined!
The BMW 5 Series recorded sales of 888 units, the Audi A6 768 units, the 6 Series GT was at 420 units, while the Volvo S90 and Jaguar XF sold 71 and 3 units respectively, taking their total sales to 2,150 units.
E-Class outsells luxury SUVs too
At 2,839 units, the E-Class also outsold the bestselling luxury SUV – the BMW X1 – by 598 units. Moreover, the E-Class also raced ahead of similarly priced SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz GLE, which sold 1,922 units, and BMW X5, which sold 672 units. At a time when SUVs are the rage across all segments, Mercedes-Benz has pulled a remarkable feat with the E-Class.
The company sells the E-Class in two variants – the long wheelbase which is made at the firm’s factory in Pune and short wheelbase AMG versions which are brought in as CBUs. While the breakup of sales is not available, it is the long wheelbase version that accounts for the bulk of the sedan’s sales.
Success of V213 LWB E-Class
Launched in India in 2017, the V213 E-Class arrived with the long wheelbase version (LWB) only, while rivals were all standard wheelbase models and the success of the E-Class really boils down to this strategy.
With nearly all customers in this segment being chauffer driven, the loads of extra room and goodies like reclining rear seats were a major draw. Mercedes-Benz priced the E-Class more than most of its rivals, but it did not prevent buyers from paying the premium for near S-Class levels of space and luxury.
The undiminishing popularity of the E-Class meant that when Mercedes-Benz came up with a mid-cycle facelift of the E-Class in 2020, the carmaker brought the model to our shores months before it was originally planned. The facelift brought with it new looks and more features, which only boosted its popularity.
The success of the E-Class LWB prompted BMW to try a similar formula with the 6 Series GT, which offers more space and comfort for rear seat passengers and it also added the LWB 3 Series to its fleet.
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