Date:08/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/08/stories/2006070803421600.htm

Business

DaimlerChrysler to import CKD version of S-Class

Special Correspondent

State-of-the-art service facility of Trans Car inaugurated

— Photo: M. Vedhan

EXUDING CONFIDENCE: Wilfried Aulbur (right), Managing Director and CEO of DaimlerChrysler India, addressing the media in Chennai on Friday. K. S. M. Musaddique, Managing Director, Trans Car India, looks on.

CHENNAI: DaimlerChrysler India is confident that it will scale a higher sales number in 2006 as compared to last year. Until June, it has sold over 1,050 vehicles. In 2005, it sold a little over 2,000 vehicles in India and the sub-continent.

Citing a study by a German Bank, Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director and CEO, said India's GDP (gross domestic product) was slated to grow at 5.5 per cent until 2020. This coupled with the emergence of new class of customers in young entrepreneurs, IT (information technology) professionals and fresh breed of successful businessmen had all bode well for DaimlerChrysler in the long run, he said.

In an informal chat with select presspersons, he hinted that DaimlerChrysler might bring the CKD (completely knocked down) version of the recently launched S-Class Mercedes Benz. These vehicles had been brought into India in CBU (completely built unit) format. The CKD import of S-Class vehicles could happen this month itself, he added.

Since its launch early this year, DaimlerChrysler had sold over 50 S-Class vehicles, 500 E-class vehicles and over 400 C-Class Mercedes Benz vehicles thus far this year.

The company, it may be recalled, had re-jigged its marketing game plan by organising Brand Showcase across important cities.

Mr. Aulbur was here to inaugurate a new state-of-the-art service facility of Trans Car India, an authorised dealer of Mercedes-Benz. According to K. S. M. Musaddique, Managing Director of Trans Car, the new 30,000 sq. ft. facility was in conformity with the latest global standards of DaimlerChrysler AG. "This is the first workshop in the country, which has implemented our latest global corporate identity guidelines,'' Mr. Aulbur said.