India To Be Only Country Other Than US To Manufacture Mercedes-Benz's SUV 'GLS Maybach'

German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz will start local production of its ultra luxury SUV 'GLS Maybach' in India, making it the only country outside of the US to roll out the model, according to the company's top official in the Indian market.

The step comes in the wake of India becoming a top-five global market for the company's ultra luxury range, Maybach, in 2025, Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and chief executive officer Santosh Iyer told PTI here in an interview.

Sharing plans for the company in 2026, he said a total of 12 new products have been lined up for introduction in India this year, where the luxury segment is expected to grow in single digits amid pricing pressure due to adverse currency fluctuation.

Mercedes-Benz India, which clocked a marginal decline in total sales at 19,007 units in 2025 as compared to 2024, is also stepping up to make it easier for its electric vehicle owners to locate fast chargers and pay for charging by bringing 'MB. Charge Public, which is available currently in 37 other countries as part of its electrification drive.

"We have climbed into the top five global markets for Maybach in the world for the first time in 2025...the largest-selling Maybach in India is the GLS Maybach. This model currently comes from the US, but we are localising the GLS Maybach in India," Iyer said.

As a result of the localisation, he said, the model will be priced at Rs 2.75 crore, down from the current price of Rs 3.17 crore, he added.

Among the top five global markets for the Maybach range are China, the US, South Korea, and Germany, besides India.

When asked about the possible impact of the current tariff issues between the US and India on the plans to locally assemble GLS Maybach, Iyer said, "We are a multinational company doing trade across boundaries and regions, and we have to adapt to whatever is happening..."

Mercedes-Benz produces the GLS Maybach at its Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama, US, for all global markets. Its plan to locally assemble the model in India comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has been pushing companies to manufacture in the country.

"We are not stopping production (of GLS Maybach) in the US, that is going to continue. This (assembling in India) is more for the local requirement," Iyer clarified.

On new product plans for this calendar year, Iyer said, "We have a clear focus to introduce 12 new cars in 2026."

The company kick-started the 2026 launch programme with its Mercedes-Maybach GLS 'Celebration Edition' priced at Rs 4.10 crore. It also launched the EQS SUV 'Celebration Edition' starting at Rs 1.34 crore (5-seater) and Rs 1.48 crore (7-seater).

Commenting on the company's sales performance in 2025, he said there was a marginal decline at 19,007 units, as the company decided to focus on growing its top-end and core segment and not participate in the pricing war in the entry luxury segment.

Sales of top-end vehicles (TEV), which are priced above Rs 1.5 crore, grew by 11% and comprised 25% of all Mercedes-Benz sold in India in 2025, he noted.

On EVs, he said, "Sales grew by 12%, and in terms of penetration of EVs in the portfolio, it will be around 8-9%, but more importantly, in the top-end segment, the EV penetration has gone up to 20%."

When asked about the sales outlook for 2026, Iyer said, "For the overall luxury segment, we are still looking at single-digit growth."

He said that due to the adverse impact of rupee depreciation against the euro, the input costs have risen, forcing the company to increase prices. The company has already announced that it plans to hike prices by 2% every quarter in 2026.

"There is still over 10% forex impact to be passed on even after hiking prices by 1% in Q1 and 2 per cent each in Q2 and Q3 of last year," he said, adding unlike the mass market, which has benefited from GST 2.0, in the luxury segment it has been negated to an extent by the forex situation.

On 'MB.Charge Public', Iyer said the service will be accessible at over 9,000 DC charging points to all existing Mercedes-Benz BEV customers at no extra cost. The service integrates multiple charging partners, offers real-time charger availability, seamless payment solutions and charging history tracking, the company said.