Mercedes expects India to be among its top 10 markets by 2020: Ola Kallenius

Mercedes Benz has made a strong comeback in the Indian luxury car market. It has taken the second slot in 2013 and is growing faster than its peers and is threatening the leadership crown of Audi in India. Ola Kallenius has taken over as the marketing and sales head for Mercedes-Benz Cars in October 2013 and going by the increasing appetite of Indians for luxury cars, he expects India to be among the top 10 markets for the German marquee brand. He spoke to ET on the strategies to push the older luxury brand in the Indian market. Excerpts:

You have headed the Mercedes Benz AMG sports series in the past. What are your plans to take the lead in the market?

We have had the strongest year in the company's history with 32,200 AMG vehicles sold worldwide. We have made a successful entry into new segments with A 45 AMG, CLA 45 AMG and GLA 45 AMG. India is a key strategy market. We plan to open exclusive stores to cater to the demand and would be expanding the portfolio with the CLA 45 debuting in the Auto Expo, while the GL 63 AMG and ML 63 AMG will come to India.

In comparison to India, China is a more influencing market in terms of volumes and price proposition. Do you think India has the propensity to buy high-end sports cars with your AMG range?

AMG stands for ultimate performance. AMG is derived from motorsports. For India, it's a small market and it is growing. We are investing to build the brand here in India and growth will happen. We started a small, financially-viable business model as part of our strategy and the positive effect is a brand image that attracts customers.

Do you have a strategy by 2020 where you look for portfolio changes and get back to No. 1 position globally?

To achieve the No. 1 position globally is part of our Mercedes-Benz 2020 Strategy. The core foundation of this is the product portfolio backed by a strong aspirational brand. We will be launching 13 models without any predecessor globally by 2020. We are extremely bullish for the Indian market.

By 2020, the share of luxury segment should grow proportionally in this emerging market. If you put all these together in the next 5-7 years we are expecting a double-digit growth in India.