COST NO BAR

Luxury SUVs, too, are making a mark in India. Leading luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz’s initial lot of GLC models were fully booked even before they hit the market in June this year. Since the GLC engine is above 2,000 cc, the Supreme Court’s order put paid to its diesel varient in the Delhi-NCR region, but the petrol variant is selling very well indeed. “We are tempted to expand well beyond the six-model portfolio we had planned, given the pace at which the demand for SUVs is growing,” says Roland Folger, CEO and Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz India. “India is the fastest growing market across Mercedes Benz’s portfolio.”

Its rival Volkswagen’s luxury brand Audi initially thrived in India on its A4 and A6 sedans, but lately its Q range of SUVs — Q3, Q5 and Q7 — have overtaken all other models. “Our SUV portfolio contributes about 45 per cent to our total sales and, going by the trend, it could emerge as our single biggest category,” says Joe King, Head, Audi India. “We assemble these models in India.” Bentley has even brought its most expensive and fastest model, Bentayga to India, selling at an astronomical ` 3.85 crore per unit. “We were allocated a certain number of Bentaygas for India in 2016 by Bentley and we have exhausted that figure,” says Satya Bagla, its exclusive importer. “We are booking only for 2017.”

Lamborghini is set to bring its Urus Concept to India, while Maserati is planning to introduce its Levante SUV. Aston Martin intends to launch its DBX in India in 2019, earmarking an investment of $315 million for this country. Rolls-Royce has almost finalised the Indian entry of its Cullinan. Tata owned Jaguar Land Rover is bringing its F-PACE model in the home market, while Mercedes-Benz may induct its new Maybach SUV to rival Bentley’s Bentayga. India may still have some way to go to rival China in luxury SUVs, but it has made a beginning.