The Hindu Business Line : DaimlerChrysler bets on youth to maintain growth

SPORTING NEW LOOK: Dr Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director and CEO, DaimlerChrysler India Pvt Ltd, at the launch of the new M-class in Chennai on Saturday. — Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai , March 25

DaimlerChrysler India feels that the growing number of younger generation buyers of its cars, especially the C Class, will help it maintain its growth this year too.

The company believes that sales in the southern region — not just in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad, but also in the secondary cities — will grow faster given the dynamism in the region's economy.

In 2005, the company sold 2,019 cars in India, a compounded annual growth rate of 17 per cent since 1999. And, it is confident that this kind of growth is possible this year too. The North accounted for 35 per cent of sales, West 30 per cent, South 25 per cent and the balance came from the eastern region.

Last year, all models — those that are assembled at its plant in Pune and those imported as fully built units — had done exceedingly well, according to Dr Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director & CEO, DaimlerChrysler India Pvt Ltd.

Luxury car segment

Unveiling the new S-Class and the new M-Class vehicles at a Mercedes-Benz Brand Showcase — when other models like the SLK, the CLS and the Maybach were displayed — here on Saturday, Dr Aulbur felt that the luxury car segment in India too would grow.

This segment now lagged behind Thailand, where the size was between 4,000 and 6,000 units a year, and China, where it was almost 15,000 a year, mainly because India was slow in liberalising. However, he was confident that the Indian luxury car market too would catch up.

BMW's entry

On what the entry of BMW into the Indian car market meant for the company and the luxury car segment, Dr Aulbur expected the market to grow. DaimlerChrysler's market share, now 99 per cent, would be "slightly affected" but the numbers would continue.