In a further boost to the Indian Government's Made in India initiative, Mercedes-Benz India is to start local production of its AMG model. The announcement highlights the growing importance of the Indian market to the luxury automaker. The AMG is the German Automaker’s sub-brand consisting of limousines, SUVs, SUV Coupés, and sports car in the domestic market. Thus Mercedes Benz AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé will be the first Made-in-India AMG model to roll out of its production plant in Chakan, Pune.
AMG performance cars will join the existing 10 CKD (Completely Knocked Down) models across different segments that are in production at the Pune plant. The current AMG portfolio retailed in India includes the 43, 53, 63, and GT series of high-performance cars. Till now, these came to the domestic market through the CBU (Completely Built Unit) route.
Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India on this annoucement said that “the AMG brand over the years has become synonymous with performance motoring in India and remains highly aspirational. The decision to locally produce AMG in India underlines Mercedes-Benz’s clear roadmap for the Indian market and our long-term commitment to our Indian customers. We want AMG to be more accessible to the potential customers and play a bigger role in our overall portfolio we offer in India. This decision is an important milestone towards strengthening our AMG ambitions in India further.”
Last month, the brand introduced the AMG 53 series in the Indian market with the GLE 53 Coupe launch. Priced at Rs 1.20 crore (ex-showroom), India the GLE 53 Coupe replaces the AMG GLE 43 Coupe in the domestic market. GLE 53 is powered by a powerful 3.0-litre AMG 6-cylinder petrol engine with twin-turbocharging and EQ boost. The engine churns out a massive 435 bhp of power output and 520 Nm of peak torque. The EQ boost belts out an additional 22 bhp power with 250 Nm torque. The power is transferred to all four wheels through a 9-speed automatic transmission.
Schwenk further said, “The AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé is an important model in our portfolio having the distinction of being one of the highest-selling AMG models in India. We are proud to introduce this dynamic SUV Coupé for our Indian customers now in its ‘made in India’ version. The addition of the stylish AMG GLC 43 Coupé will further cement our strong position in the performance SUV segment. We are confident, the launch of the locally produced AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé will drive in value and aspiration for our customers and help the dynamic SUV Coupé retain its top preference among the discerning AMG customers.”
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