Mercedes Hopes to Claim No. 1 Spot in India in 2011

The battle for the number one car manufacturer in India has suddenly became much more attractive for the whole industry given the impressive growth the company has posted in the last couple of years. The interesting fact is that, up until now, the Indian auto sector is dominated by German companies, with Mercedes, BMW and Audi selling the biggest number of cars in the last years.

BMW is currently the leader in India, followed closely by Mercedes, the German luxury brand that was, until two years ago, India's number one car brand.

But, in the current market conditions, all companies predict significant sales, so Mercedes hopes to get back its leading position at the end of this year. And the first month of this year shows that Mercedes might after all be right when it comes to 2011 forecasts: it sold 640 units in January, more than 500 units for BMW and 480 units for Audi.

“Overall car sales went up over 30 per cent last year.I'm proud to say that our sales force in India performed even better (in 2010). We increased our sales here by as much as 80 per cent in 2010," Dieter Zetsche, Chairman & Head, Mercedes Benz, said in statement according to Rush Lane.

Not only the high quality of the Mercedes brand will attract more buyers in India, said the German official, but also the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix that will take place later this year.

“I'm confident. When the first Indian Formula One Race takes place this fall, our (Mercedes Benz Race car Silver Arrow) will help further increase the number," he said.