Will Audi & BMW give a tough compitition to Merc?

[sridhar24]

The news that Audi & BMW entering india is great! and I think these two companies will give a serious threat to the dominance of the Mercs in the luxury cars segment as they are equally good and may be even better.

[GrimReaper]

I dont really know. Maybe, Maybe Not. Mercedes is extremely set-up now having a powerful base and spread through-out the country. I dont really see as many 7-Series and A8's as there are S-Classes on the road today but who knows.

[Aditya]

Mercedes Benz is the ultimate luxury brand for most Indians. There may be people who prefer BMWs or Audis, but Merc lovers outnumber them comprehensively.
Mercedes Benz is a household name in India. Moreover, people who have the money to afford these cars are generally Merc guys. Take the example of Nusli Wadia. He's got all the money it takes to buy an exotic. But look at his luxury saloon fleet - MB Series 140 S Class, Series 126 S Class & Series 124 E Class. The only other luxury saloon he has is a Cadillac Brougham. No Audi, no BMW, no Jaguar and no Lexus, even when he can easily afford to get himself any of these. Most of these cars were bought long before Mercedes Benz officially came into India.
I guess a BMW or Audi will be bought by someone who wants to be different.
This is coming from a person who dosen't really like new Mercs.

[vishnugnair]

hell ya..time for those mbil guys to realize that they better get their act together or else they r juts not gonna sell..

i think mercedes india will have a littel advantage as ther alread yhave their factories set up and the yhave logistics in place..but in a matter of years ..we will see pice wars betwee naudi , bmw and mercs..and also not to forget ....some latest technology...!

[Dippy]

Mercedes Benz has a strong base in the country. Today you see more Mercs on the road than you used to see years ago. The service network is fully in place and they keep getting the latest offerings from the Merc stable. Be it the C class, the ML class or the mighty SL500, we have it all here. The Mercedes Benz occupies a special place in the hearts of Indians the 'ultimate car' to have. BMW and Audi are entering the market now and will take time to establish a base in India but so does everybody including Mercedes Benz. BMW is well known and Audi is familiar with Indians as well more as the car Ravi Shastri won in the Champions Trophy.Once Audi and BMW establish themselves well which I'm sure they will, the actual battle will begin and I'm sure that both these manufacturers will take the fight to Mercedes Benz. Like Merc lovers there are many people as well who swear by BMW as "THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE".

Cheers

[ajmat]

Another thing is who can repair Audi alumininium bodies over here - even in the UK, there a very few people who can do this, even a small ding requires a different technique as the panels are prestressted. Similarly the electronics of the BMW are pretty complex - but reliable but after 9 years, they tend to get eratic.

[Sam]

Mercedes Benz is a brand of its own, it has built up its reputation on good product delivery. Not too long ago it was associated with being an old mans car. Good service, reliabilty second to none, until the AMG started putting in more than just limited models. Now MB is associated with supercar performance. But dont get me wrong I am totally a BMW fanatic. But having owned 2 I can say they are cars in their own leagues, competitors in the market, but as a car they are individuals. I enjoy driving both. The MB gives a sense of surety on the road. The BMW is a... You are not going to pass me... kind of feeling.
But honestly I feel both the cars are just too expensive these days. The driving has been left for the driver, so all it has now become is a statement of wealth rather than the appreciation of fine engineering.
Audi?? I have driven only the A4 and A6, and not a bad drive, but its no BMW or MB, although I do feel the A3 is as cute as hell. Especially the S3!

[v12]

Theres no way that BMW and Audi will give a tough competition to Mercedes until they establish a good setup in India. Mercedes enjoys a good dealership network in India. Thats wy it will have a monopoly in this segment. BMW is capable of giving a competition [not a tough one though] to Mercedes in Mumbai and Delhi. Thats because it has dealers in these metros. Navnit and Kashyap Motors. And this competiton only in the Hotel Industry. If you go to see the fleet of The Leela , they have a lot of 3 series. And also the new 7.
Audi ..... hmmm..........still is not very much recognised in India, even though they have ONLY one dealer here in Bombay. So only if Audi ties up with Skoda and BMW sets up a plant here there will be fierce competition.
Till then Mercedes RULES!!!!

[Dippy]

Mercedes Benz quality has gone down during recent times. GTO can vouch for this . He had some electrical gremlins and some other minor problems in his C which I guess he had posted on Formula India. Even in the UK it was said that Merc has quality issues. Though Mercedes has a fantasic dealer network here I'm sure BMW will definately get up there if not Audi .. so the competition should be worth watching.

Cheers

[ajmat]

Merc are recovering - New E-class is well engineered

[Rehaan]

Hey guys..

guess what i heard from a friend..... when BMW comes in guess who will be endorsing the brand ?
(hint - V12 and Dippy you are not gonna like the answer!!)

Sachin!... well atleast its in the planning for sure. Also, Sachin wants a fully built up 7 series thrown in as part of the deal!
760-S10 ?

anyway...just thot id let u guys know abt this as insignificant as it is.
cya
R

ps - i found it strange considering his tie up with fiat as well?

[ajmat]

Will he ask for duty exemption ? NO, perhaps he will start a hotel and quietly bring it in under EPCG

[v12]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Sachin!... well atleast its in the planning for sure. Also, Sachin wants a fully built up 7 series thrown in as part of the deal!
760-S10 ?

He wud even endorse for Lada or Zil or those Ching Chong cars if he gets a car free.

[Rehaan]

Ajmat,

no need since (if he is) he will be endorsing BMW which will be in the country!!! (the 7-60 part i made up... he just wants a loaded 7series)

cya
R

[adityapd]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (ajmat @ April 24 2004,10:20)]Will he ask for duty exemption ? NO, perhaps he will start a hotel and quietly bring it in under EPCG

ajmat,

he need not start yet another hotel as he already has a stake in " Tendulkar's" an upmarket restaurant in mumbai

I just don't understand why some of guys jump at the first opportunity to point fingers at him...always remember that its just the media and a few other advertising companies who are encashing on his celebrity status and making a living outta it..sachin himself doesn't go to any car company begging to be its brand ambassador

he might have had his own reasons behind asking for a duty waiver on his mondena but pls note that he has adopted 200 orphans and has taken up the complete responsibilty of bearing all their expenses from their pre-shooling right upto their graduation !!!

no, i'm neither his relative nor his friend...just wanted to share some facts which are lesser known to the outside world

peace

~A