By 2025, when it expects to have a quarter of its total sales come from electric vehicles, Mercedes-Benz, a luxury automobile manufacturer with headquarters in Stuttgart, will have its India division domestically produce the majority of the electric car models it introduces to the nation.
Mercedes Benz, the top luxury automaker in India based on market share, started assembling its locally produced EQS 580 EV at its Chakan, Pune, factory more than a week ago. Priced at Rs 1.55 crore ex-showroom, the car takes advantage of localization benefits and government-provided GST exemptions for EVs to attain a cost that is less than that of its internal combustion-engine cousin, the S-Class.
The German automaker also plans to introduce the seven-seater SUV EQB to India next month in completely assembled form, similar to the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 that was introduced in August.
Mercedes-Benz expects to create domestic manufacturing capabilities for the majority of its electric vehicles over the course of the next three years, even though the EQS is the sole EV it intends to localise in India in the near future as sales volumes increase.
