Remarkable 2015
The year 2015 and in fact even the few years before that, the economy hasn't been doing so well. However, despite the overall challenging market conditions, the year 2015 has been quite good for the Indian luxury auto segment in general and for Mercedes-Benz India in particular.

Mercedes-Benz India registered a historic 32 percent year-on-year growth by selling 13,502 units in the January-December 2015 period and became the No. 1 luxury car brand in terms of sales volumes, as well. In fact, for the third consecutive year, Mercedes-Benz India has witnessed a double digit growth. So what has worked for the organisation?

Folger says that it is the result of a well-thought out strategy. "Roughly about 3-4 years ago we started with a very clear strategy and we also put a clear motto for each year. What we tried to improve on were the issues that we were trying to conquer. And I believe the year 2015 describes it perfectly. It was the year when everything came together. There was slight upswing in the overall sentiments and we had fifteen new vehicles launched. And again, it's not 15 vehicles that we launched per se; it's the 15 individual contact points that we created with our customers to interact with our dealers. Plus, we added 15 new dealers and reached out to customers in areas where we were not properly represented so far."

Folger believes that all of this combined gave Mercedes-Benz India a very, encouraging 32 percent growth, which is much higher than most of its competitors. "It also put us back in the number one position in the Indian market in the luxury segment. That in itself was not the target but it's a nice result that we really enjoy because it means that customers cherish our product including services and everything more than they do from anybody else in the luxury segment.

"And I think, that is a strong feedback that we have enjoyed very much. But it also encourages us to go further in that direction and continue along that path." So what's next? "What we need to do next is to stay on the technological forefront of these developments and that's why we are so positive and supportive in moving the technology in India forward - whether that is about safety or about emissions. All of these things need to come together basically to bring India to where we think it is supposed to be. That's the potential that we see in the market basically."

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