Speaking at the Auto Retail Conclave organised by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), Gadkari said the company’s global leadership is impressed with the quality of production in India. “The chairman of Mercedes was telling me (that) they are going to look at increasing the productivity of Mercedes in India… And they want to export Mercedes from here to (markets) all over the world,” Gadkari told TOI.
Currently, Mercedes-Benz assembles cars and SUVs at its factory outside Pune, which has an annual capacity of around 20,000 units. Over the past three decades, the German luxury carmaker has invested about ₹3,000 crore in India, with all production so far dedicated to meeting domestic demand.
On Tuesday, the company also reiterated its commitment to the Indian market while addressing reporters in Munich. Mathias Geisen, a member of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, described India as a “priority” market for the company. “We haven’t put any plans on hold compared to what we have originally,” Geisen told ET, adding that Mercedes-Benz will continue with its investment plans, including scaling up local manufacturing.
The move comes at a time when India and the European Union are in advanced negotiations for a free trade agreement, which could lead to reduced import duties for European cars.
Gadkari underlined that Mercedes-Benz is not the only major automaker to see India as an export hub. “Some of the top automotive companies of the world are manufacturing in India, not just to cater to the local demand but also for exports,” he said.
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With inputs from TOI
