Daimler may export Mercedes-Benz cars

Global luxury automotive major Daimler has committed to make India an exclusive base for some key components as well as vehicle software. According to global Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius, the company is also looking at plans to commence car exports from India, depending on the financial viability. Daimler currently has two factories in India – one in Pune for cars and one in Chennai for the Bharat Benz range of trucks.

“I am kind of an India fan. They do a lot of things. In the meantime, some components have actually moved to India permanently for worldwide responsibility. So, this will remain an important part of our engineering effort
and where it takes us, I don’t know,” he said after unveiling the new S-Class limousine in Germany. He added that over the years, India is a “solid pillar” in the Daimler house.

Around two years ago, Daimler had exported the India-made GLC SUV to the US, but also asserted that the India plant is a “back-up solution” in a high global demand scenario.On the issue of low sales in the Indian luxury car industry, Kallenius admitted that the numbers do not do justice to size of the country, strength of the economy and India’s population, “We have a good position in the market, but it feels… that you are shaking a ketchup bottle but the ketchup has not come out yet.”