The 20,000th Indian Mercedes-Benz rolls-out of assembly line
Pune, India Wednesday April 9, 2008 (DriveInside.com)
- The first Indian Mercedes-Benz was the E-Class, produced in March 1995.
- The 20,000th Mercedes-Benz, again an E-Class, rolled of the production lines on April 9..
- Mercedes-Benz sold 10,000 units of the E-Class till date.
It was an Iridium Silver E-Class with Black leather interior that rolled out of the finish line at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Pune. To the untrained eye, the car looked like most other glittering Mercs- but there was something very distinctive about it. Look closer and you will see an additional badge “20000” on this Mercedes.
“This, ladies and gentlemen, is the 20000th Indian-Mercedes to roll out of our factory. And the badge that this car proudly bears is an announcement of this achievement.” commented Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India to the employees and media assembled for this select event, adding, “The car also has another unique distinction: it is the 10,000th E-Class to be sold in India.”
Mercedes-Benz entered the Indian market in 1995 and pioneered the luxury car segment in the country. Over the years, it has established a strong network of sales and service spread across 28 Indian cities. Mercedes-Benz is also the first auto manufacturer to have a fully ISO 9001:2000 certified dealer network. “Ours has been a story of guts and determination. It was a bold decision to step into the premium luxury car business in 1995. Along the way, we have been through turbulent times indeed. Yet, we pursued relentlessly and ensured that we thrive and prosper.” said Suhas Kadlaskar, Director of Corporate Affairs and one of the first employees of Mercedes-Benz in India.
The passion of the Indian customer for the three pointed star encouraged the company to introduce a wide variety of products to cater to specific requirements. Mercedes-Benz India locally manufactures the S-Class, E-Class and C-Class cars in India.. Other products are offered through the imported cars route as Completely Built Units. These include the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, M-Class, CL-Class and the especially popular models like the SLK-Class and the CLS-Class.
Mercedes-Benz has also made its foray into the Commercial Vehicles segment in India with the ‘Actros’ truck. Targeted at mining applications in India, the Actros has been assembled at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Pune since November 2007. Mercedes-Benz has also announced its interest in the luxury bus segment and has partnered with Sutlej Motors for the creation of the bus body. The launch of the luxury buses is scheduled in 2008.
In view of future requirements, Mercedes-Benz is creating a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Chakan in Pune. This facility spreads across 100 acres and will produce both Passenger Cars as well as the Commercial Vehicles range of Mercedes-Benz in India.