Mercedes-Benz sells over 2,500 units in 9 days of Navratri, posts best-ever Q2

New Delhi: Mercedes-Benz India on Monday reported record retail sales in the July-September quarter, driven by the highest-ever monthly offtakes in September, including registration of over 2,500 units in the nine-day Navaratri period.

The luxury carmaker retailed 5,119 units in the second quarter as compared with 5,117 units in the second quarter of the last fiscal.

The company said it sold a record of over 2,500 units in the 9 days of the auspicious festive period, the highest ever for Mercedes-Benz in India.

The record retails during the Navaratri period helped the automaker post its highest-ever monthly retail sales in September, a growth of 36 per cent over the same month last year.

"The carmaker clocked its best-ever September sales owing to an overwhelming customer response following the GST 2.0 reforms, culminating the pent-up demand," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Santosh Iyer said.

The company expects this festive buying spirit to continue in October as well, with upcoming festivities, including Dhanteras and Diwali, which traditionally witness spirited buying from customers, he added.

"The reduction in the GST rates has certainly improved customer sentiment with its appropriate timing, as car prices are increasing owing to macro-economic challenges like adverse forex movement, rising operational cost, etc," Iyer said.

He further said: "We hope this buoyant spirit sustains for the remaining festive season, as we continue to observe market trends closely, remaining cautiously optimistic." He noted that the company is sitting on an order bank of around 2,000 cars.

While there was strong demand across the portfolio, Iyer said, the company recorded the highest ever monthly sales for key products like the Long Wheelbase E-Class, GLC, GLE, GLS and G63 AMG SUVs.

Elaborating on the Q2 sales, he noted that the best-ever sales performance during the period was buoyed by steady demand across core luxury and top-end luxury vehicles.

The sales momentum in Q2 FY25-26 was driven by growth in the top-end luxury BEV portfolio, which continued its penetration of 8 per cent in the overall sales volume of the carmaker, he said.

The company, however, saw a dip in the entry luxury segment, which is completely dominated by products available at a lower price point, he added.

Mercedes-Benz continued its battery electric vehicle acceleration in the country with a penetration of 8 per cent of overall sales.

The BEV portfolio grew by 10 per cent year-on-year with the highest ever sales for the EQS SUV, the company said.