It was way back in 2009 when Mercedes Benz, the luxury auto giant got dethroned by BMW, now it is Audi, another of its fellow German luxury car maker that overtook its position and made its place at the second place.

It is notable that Mercedes was the first out of the three German luxury auto majors to have its place in the Indian car market; however, there came up a tremendous competition from BMW and Audi as these companies started producing locally manufactured products.

As per the data from a surveying media, Mercedes could sell about 2,130 units in the January-March time period of the year 2012 compared to 2,269 units that Audi sold out in the same span of time. However, it was BMW that took the top position by selling out 2,369 in the first quarter of 2012.

Mercedes has had its presence in the market for a really long time compared to BMW and Audi, both of which entered India not before 2007. What worked as wonder for both of the later companies, is their strategy of introducing new products in the entry – level luxury segment, something which has been missing in Mercedes.

Both BMW and Audi came up with entry level luxury cars that are cheaper and missed out some of the features that are available in the mid and the top level variants. This move really worked as wonder in the Indian market.

Interestingly, to make its stand look powerful, the Sales & Marketing Director of Mercedes Benz India said, “Our customers do not compromise, and ‘strip down’ models are not for them.”

Audi is pretty confident about its success in the upcoming times on the basis of its products in entry level luxury segment. “We have the right building blocks in place and are confident of maintaining our momentum in the market”, said Michael Perschke, the Audi India head.

Along with expanding their portfolio, the company is also expanding their dealership. “Our plan is to open one new outlet every five-six weeks.  We will be entering cities like Coimbatore, Nagpur, Goa and Lucknow as we get deeper into India,” said Perschke.

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4. Mercedes Benz Triggers Itself to Regain the Position in India
5. BMW, Audi & Mercedes Eyeing Compact Car Segment