KOCHI: The increasing number of women rising through the ranks in the state has resulted in luxury car makers like Mercedes reporting a surge in women owners, constituting about 12 per cent of its total sales in the first half of 2018. According to the German auto major, the average age of customers now stands at 37 for Mercedes Benz cars, while it is 30 for AMG models. With Kerala emerging as one of the largest markets for luxury cars in India, Mercedes India expressed its hope for a great run during the upcoming festive season. Mercedes, which emerged as the largest selling luxury car brand for the past three years running in the country, sold 8,061 units in the first half of 2018, a 12.4 per cent growth over the previous year.
“As an important market for the brand, Kerala has contributed significantly to the total sales volume over the years. The AMG performance cars and dream car segment have witnessed burgeoning demand in this region. In fact, post the launch of the new S-Class, the demand for the model has grown by 80 per cent in the region,” said S Sivakumar, Managing Director, Rajasree Motors.
The South India market’s contribution to national sales stood close to 30 per cent, with Kerala sales constituting a majority of it. The AMG performance division cars in the state recorded a 67 per cent growth over the previous year. The Mercedes car park in Kochi contributes over 55 per cent of the total sales in Kerala. Rising SUV-craze has resulted in its contribution rising to 37 per cent in Kerala.
“Kochi hosts one of the seven exclusive AMG experience centres present in the country, this shows how the demand for this segment is growing in the state,” said Sivakumar.