Mercedes-Benz announced its retail sales performance for the first quarter of 2022 recording a 26 percent growth year on year. Mercedes said it delivered 4,022 units in the three-month period as against 3,193 units the year before. The carmaker also said that it ended the first quarter with its highest-ever order bank of over 4,000 units. The company said that it was able to achieve these figures despite the backdrop of the global semiconductor shortage and rising input costs. The carmaker also reported a 35 percent growth in its AMG and Super Luxury Car portfolio in the first quarter of 2022.
Speaking on the company's sales performance Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India commented, “We are excited with our sales performance achieved in Q1 2022, laying a strong foundation for a long-term sales recovery. This achievement becomes important in context of continued intense headwinds like semi-conductor shortage, global supply chain disruptions and rising input costs. The Q1 performance firmly reiterates customers' clear preference for luxury experience offered by Mercedes-Benz and the brand's leadership position in the Indian luxury market.”
The Mercedes E-class remained Mercedes' most popular car in the country while the GLC outsold the new GLA and GLC to keep the number 1 spot in the company's SUV line-up. The carmaker also reported strong demand for the A-class Limousine and the new S-class.
The carmaker also revealed that customers currently could expect wait times of up to 11 months for their locally manufactured Mercedes. The GLC has the shortest wait time of between 1-2 months while the GLS could take anywhere between 8-11 months. The S-class and Maybach S 580 has waiting times between 3-4 and 4-5 months respectively while the A-class Limousine has a waiting period of up to 3 months. The GLA and GLE has average wait times between 4-5 months.
Mercedes GLS has a waiting period of up to 11 months, the longest in its locally-assembled line-up.
Schwenk was also optimistic of the brand's performance on the next quarter along with saying that the company would look to improve production to reduce wait times.
“With the highest order bank in our history, we are confident of continuing this growth momentum in the coming months. However, we sincerely regret the delays in the deliveries to our customers, due to the ongoing challenges in the global supply chain. Our top priority remains to deliver our customers their cherished Mercedes-Benz at the earliest and strive to reduce the waiting period significantly.” added Schwenk.
