Smart to launch cars in India, is it a smart decision?

Mercedes-Benz is leaving no stone upturned to become the number one player in the Indian market. The company has already charted an aggressive strategy to roll more than 5 products in the next two year in India.

Mercedes Benz is planning to introduce the compact car brand ‘Smart’ in the Indian market. With booming economy and increasing number of millionaires Indian luxury car market is only going upward.

Currently the company is doing a feasibility study if the response is good we could certainly see a 2014 launch in the Indian market.

“India is one of the countries where there’s a very logical strategy to be made (on the Smart brand), with a good percentage of cars sold here are small cars.

It is a logical thought. I assume in the foreseeable future, we will come to that part of the world and discuss the possibility of rolling out Smart,” said Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman, Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes Benz.

When launched the cars will be priced in the range of Rs 12-15 lakh.

Smart cars are being developed jointly with Renault-Nissan, Mercedes Benz is not ruling out the possibility of sourcing components and engines in the future from the alliance partners’ plant in Chennai.

Mercedes Benz intends to launch 10 new models over the next five years, which may see 3-5 compact brands in India. The A and B class, along with a compact SUV, is more or less frozen for the Indian market over the next couple of years, while the next two could be from the Smart brand.