New Delhi, June 20 (India Today) – The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has impacted every industry with sales nosediving and leading to large-scale losses by businesses. However, luxury car manufacturers said they are seeing green shoots of sales recovery in India despite the pandemic blues.
LUXURY CAR MAKER LAMBORGHINI WITNESSES 100% RISE IN SALES
Italian luxury car maker Lamborghini said the company witnessed a 100 per cent rise in sales compared to last year. The company sold 26 units in India in the last financial year (FY2021), which is a growth of 100 per cent when compared to 13 units sold in FY2020.
For the luxury brand, it was Urus that was the driving force behind the sales. The company also added new models to the Huracan range.
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Sharad Agarwal, Head, Lamborghini India said, “We are definitely doing far better than all the other players in the super-luxury segment. We are outperforming them.”
The surge in demand is such that Lamborghini India’s customer orders grew by 20 per cent year-on-year in the October 2020 to March 2021 period.
“The surge in demand has been high. We are monitoring the new order bank in the coming months. This may have an impact on the business and volumes for next year,” Agarwal added.
OTHER LUXURY CAR MAKERS FOLLOW TREND
Not only Lamborghini, but other luxury car makers like Mercedes have also witnessed a surge in sales across the country amid the pandemic uncertainty.
For instance, the German luxury car manufacturer said it is pinning its hope on new launches,and that is evident from the fact that it will add 15 new products to its stable in 2021. Eight new products were already launched in the January-June 2021 period.
The new launches include- A-Class Limousine, GLA SUV, E-Class Sedan, GLS Maybach SUV, New S-Class Limousine, AMG A 35 Sedan, AMG GLA 35 SUV and GLC SUV.
Customers made a beeline to purchase these cars. The response has been so great that the GLS Maybach SUV is already sold out for 2020 with 50 units already booked during the pre-launch.
Speaking to India Today, Martin Schwenk, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “We have seen a good demand for most of our portfolio, specifically those comprising the top-end of the luxury segment. Both the GLS Maybach and S-Class orders have been quite satisfying. We also see strong demand for our new E-Class sedan and GLA SUV.”
He added, “We have noticed a positive momentum building up and customer sentiments coming back to the market with economic activities resuming after easing of restrictions.”
With states opening up in phases, consumer sentiment made a return with Mercedes seeing a 50 per cent uptick in January-June 2021 sales. The company is confident that the positive momentum will continue in coming quarters and hopes to see good business in the second half of the year.
AUDI SET TO LAUNCH E-VEHICLE THIS YEAR
While some auto companies have witnessed a surge, others are gearing up to launch new vehicles in the market. Audi is set to launch its much awaited electric SUV in the first half of 2021. The firm has been working on introducing the e-tron electric SUV in the Indian market for quite a while now.
AUTO RETAILERS WITNESS 71% DROP YEAR-ON-YEAR
Even as luxury cars are being sold like hot cakes, the passenger vehicle segment has seen a dip in sales.
According to the latest data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA), the country saw 5,35,855 vehicles being retailed in May 2021, a drop of 71 per cent in comparison to May 2019.
Vinkesh Gulati, FADA president, said, “This time rural markets have been badly hit. Lockdown was imposed in most states in May and the auto retail for the month witnessed a ‘bloodbath’ as sales fell by 55 per cent on Month-on-Month basis.”
According to FADA, sales of private vehicles dropped by a whopping 59 per cent.
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