[CEF_Beasts]

The Luxury Segment may have stagnated according to many of us (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...no-growth.html (Mercedes, BMW, Audi & other luxury brand sales in 2024 | Why is there no growth?)), considering the competent cars that are currently present in the 30-50 Lakh price bracket, the Luxury car segment still grew by 20.5% in FY23-24 compared to FY22-23. Over 45000 luxury cars were sold in FY23-24 in India.

Mercedes-Benz continued to rule the Indian Luxury Car Market in FY23-24.

1. Mercedes-Benz : 17,013 Units
2. BMW-Mini : 15,416 Units
3. Audi : 7,027 Units
4. Volvo : 3,061 Units
5. JLR : 2,794 Units

No surprise, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was the highest selling Luxury vehicle in FY23-24 ! Some things in favour of the E-Class:

• Acres of rear legroom for the chauffer-driven.
• Reclining rear seats, buttons to control the front passenger seat from the rear itself, electric sunblinds and sunroof controls all available at the touch of a button.
• With 17-inch tires, the ride quality is simply superb, it just glides over the worst of roads! The 18-inchers on the AMG Line variant now standard for all engines may just be slightly more stiffer.
• The LWB doesn't mean the car scrapes over speed-breakers either, a car that seems has been tailored just for the Indian Market (apart from China)
• The E-Class V213 LWB has been such a success story for Mercedes-Benz India, that BMW India is planning to launch the ICE G60 5-series only in LWB guise for the Indian Market.

The X1 was a shocker for me and will be for many others, even after the engines have been detuned for India, sales have only increased rather than decrease, as most of us would've thought !! The added features attracted customers and the dulled down performance didn't deter customers at the same time. The U11 X1 definitely deserves its own case-study.

A few more noteworthy mentions:

- The BMW X7 (1644 units) pips the Mercedes-Benz GLS (1529 units) marginally in FY23-24.

- The GLE, GLA and GLC continue to remain strong performers for Mercedes-Benz. The GLE posted some really healthy numbers for the price-segment it belongs in.

- The 6GT sold in high numbers posting a 170.4% growth compared to FY22-23, due to being available with some great discounts to clear remaining stock, considering it has been globally discontinued and will be replaced with the 5 series LWB soon.

- The Audi Q3 witnessed the highest growth of 301.8% amongst all ICE SUVs, thanks to some great discounts being offered on it and a Petrol engine that doesn't feel like a compromise compared to its rivals!

- JLR (posted double digits growth) should hail the Defender as their mighty warrior! The boxy design mingling old-school design language with modern age tech making it an instant hit, is well priced compared to something like the G-Class and has vast number of variants & bodystyle options making it their best-seller (1314 units) by far, the Velar being their 2nd best selling (556 units) SUV.

- The uber-expensive full-fat Range Rover (394 units) and G-Class (219 units) sold exceptionally well for the price and waiting periods they command once specced upto high standards.

- The BMW iX was the best selling EV in the luxury segment, the exterior design didn't seem to deter buyers it seems and accounts for 52% of BMW's EV sales in India.

- The Velar and F-Pace have great potential to take on the GLC, X3, Q5 and XC60, but the lack of intent by JLR just shows through! Feature deletions, lame 2L petrol and diesel engines at almost a crore and iffy after-sales pushes customers towards the Germans.

- No sales data has been released for the X5, which is surprising considering it was launched in July '23 and has always sold more than what the X3 has managed in previous FYs.

- An interesting fact in the Luxury SUV segment is that, buyers either prefer the entry-level premium SUVs (X1, GLA, Q3 and the likes) or go the full hog with the full-size premium SUVs (GLE, GLS, X5, X7, Q7 and the likes) and tend to skip the mid-size premium SUV segment (X3, Evoque, Discovery Sport, Velar, F-Pace, Q5 and the likes. The GLC being the only exception).

- The 3 series being only available in Gran Limousine guise now, meaning a much higher entry point into the 3 series brand compared to when the standard wheelbase model was available, did take a small toll on it sales. But like the E-Class, the 3 GL has carved a segment for itself.

- The Q7, once a Bollywood favourite, sells far less than what its usually compared with (the X7 and GLS) an far lesser than its true competitor the GLE.

Source: Autocar India / JATO Dynamics

PS: This was just a brief overview of the Luxury Car Sales for FY23-24. Waiting for BHPian pqr's greater in-depth Analysis of the Luxury Car Sales in FY23-24 .

[hajaar]

The GLB hasn't sold a single unit? I was considering it but the sales team directed me to a GLA.

[vattyboy]

It is observed that the BMW X1 has been quite popular in the Luxury compact SUV segment.

However, the engine specifications of the car might not be the best fit for those who have a budget of around 60 lakhs.

Audi Q3 petrol and GLA Diesel might be better options to consider and could potentially occupy the top two spots in this segment.

[Rohitthebest]

Why no mention of Jeep and their products?
Do they not qualify for luxury segment?

[Sahil]

The X7 outselling the GLS maybe due to the minor halt in sales the GLS had when the facelift was launched.

The SUV market either thrives on entry level models and then the higher level 1cr+ ones. There is an opportunity to fill the middle gap. JLR can do this well if they better position the Velar and F-pace in terms of pricing and kit.
I think JLR is in a great position to double their market share in the SUV segment over the next 3 years if they price their locally manufactured cars well. The RR vogue could steal sales from even sedans like the S and 7 easily if priced closer to them.

Surprisingly no sales figures of the higher end sedans like the S,Maybach,7,etc. Please share if available.

[fearswag16]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

- The 3 series being only available in Gran Limousine guise now, meaning a much higher entry point into the 3 series brand compared to when the standard wheelbase model was available,

How many units of the M340i did BMW sell? Is it clubbed under the sales of 3-series?

[dragracer567]

Funny that some Mercedes and BMW models actually sell more than most Citroen and Jeep models priced far less! If I'm not mistaken, they are even selling better than cheaper models like the Jimny!

Another interesting fact, while Mercedes has stayed at the top and grown, most of the growth has been from BMW and Audi which have almost doubled their sales in the last 4 years.

Seems like the Germans are finally gaining traction after playing second fiddle to overpriced eco-cars like the Fortuner.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by Rohitthebest

Why no mention of Jeep and their products?
Do they not qualify for luxury segment?

The Compass & Meridian of course do not qualify for the luxury segment.

The Wrangler nor the Grand Cherokee do any meaningful numbers to be included in the analysis I guess. Similarly, Rolls Royce & Bentley are absent from the list.

[Car_fanatic]

Slightly off tangent comment/query - I have always been intrigued by the (still relatively) small number of units sold by these Luxury brands. Per unit sales cost for each of these brands must be humongous. Even for a Mercedes selling a total of 17K vehicles, when you start looking at their number of dealerships, staff salary costs, advertising and marketing spends, cost for special events etc. etc. it may all add up to a significant number. The situation only gets worst for the other brands. Would anyone have any idea of sales cost per vehicle for each of these brands? That may be an interesting data point.

Another related question is how do these sales figure compare to some of the Western markets and China.

[Fuel Of Satan]

The X1 emerging as the winner in the entry-level segment just goes on to prove that luxury automakers can afford to treat India poorly and still get away with it. 140-150bhp for a car from a brand that was built on driving pleasure is comical. Also it is interesting to see that the mid-size luxury SUV sales aren't as prosperous as their neighboring segments. I believe this is a testament to the fact that mid-size luxury SUVs are priced way out of their competitive range. The GLC costing nearly 93L on-road feels like a fever dream, you could purchase an X5 for that kind of money half a decade ago

[ashivas89]

huh? Did MB sell no C-Classes? Surely the C would have sold more than an A6 or S90?

[RoadFiend]

Defender seems to be on a roll. Even the pre-worshipped ones in the market seem to command a very high price - is this the Indian luxe automotive equivalent of the Rolex effect?

[Pyrotek]

Originally Posted by ashivas89

huh? Did MB sell no C-Classes? Surely the C would have sold more than an A6 or S90?

This is indeed very strange. It's the most glaring omission in the data. A clarification from the OP would help.

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by ashivas89

huh? Did MB sell no C-Classes? Surely the C would have sold more than an A6 or S90?

Originally Posted by Pyrotek

This is indeed very strange. It's the most glaring omission in the data. A clarification from the OP would help.

I have taken the data from what was published by Autocar India, who in turn obtained it from JATO Dynamic India.

There are two cars that even I was surprised to not find in the data available; first being BMW's X5 , second being MB's C-Class and third being the A-Class.

Originally Posted by Sahil

Surprisingly no sales figures of the higher end sedans like the S,Maybach,7,etc. Please share if available.

Unfortunately there is no data available for the luxury barges, namely: Mercedes-Benz S-Class (Regular model + Maybach + EQS), BMW 7 Series (ICE + i7 EV) and the Audi A8.

[sh3lby]

This was very interesting to read, the market dynamics of this segment.

1. Merc will be Merc. The opulence of a Benz cannot be matched, and despite their questionable design choices, moving towards excessive touchscreens, etc., when it comes to luxury, MB will remain a market leader. Not even counting the ridiculously expensive G-wagons, sitting at 4-5 crores and still claiming waiting periods. They're a pop-icon now, and rolling up in a G-class means you've really made it and likely have links to places normal wealthy people don't.
Although point be noted, MBs are getting too expensive now, a GLC for 90+ lacs (albeit a fantastic product) and GLA for 70+? I'm aware that price is defined by what customers pay but it's getting out of hand to be honest.

2. BMW's share is also impressive, and I see X3s, X5s (even X7s) more often than X1s or entry-level models; but perhaps that's because Glof Course Road is home to the ultra-wealthy. Although the 3 series is no longer an entry-level spec I believe. When it comes to driving dynamics, BMW is the first place to turn to so quite understandable.

However, who is buying the awful vehicle that the current X1 is? And it's leading by some margin, at 3k units! Forgive me for this opinion of mine, but I think whoever is buying these 130-40 HP "BMWs" is absolutely moronic and just wants to flaunt the badge.
Same argument could be made for Q3vsTiguan but there are valid reasons apart from just the badge value.

If they're selling 3 cylinder X1s like hotcakes then the BMW marketing department is doing a good job regardless of their product and just goes to show that the Germans can disrespect the Indian car market and get away with virtually anything.

3. Audi's share remains at half that of Merc, but we do have to consider they only sell petrols, meaning the figures are actually more impressive than most would give them credit for. Audi TDIs, some of which had enough torque to spin a freakin' elephant, were a major selling point and I think their decision to remove diesels from their Indian lineup was idiotic. Absurd, absurd decision!
Yes, that's their own fault, they should've sold diesels to reel in their market share but we can only compare based on what they do sell here right?
This could explain the decline in Q7 sales a bit. Most people I know with older Q7s had the TDI.

Apart from that, for someone coming into the luxury segment for the 1st time, the Q3 and A4 are far better products than the X1 and C class (unless you're inclined towards diesel), and someone in the Audi marketing department needs to do a better job. Or perhaps, update your lineup more often? Sometimes I think "I could do better myself"...

4. JLR is enjoying its Defender and Range Rover sales, both of which are favorites among the ultra-rich at the moment. Although I agree, they could eat into the X3/GLC/Q5 space if they tried, with their F-pace, discovery, but then again the logistical reach of the Germans is difficult to match.

Ultimately, I shudder to think what prices will be like in say, 5 years. It'll be impossible to buy an actual, luxury car under 1 crore rupees!
"Yeah Indians, here's a worse car than what we sell internationally for the price of a crown jewel! Oh it's definitely because of taxes, nothing we can do about it, we assure you."