Soon after the company received purchase order for 90 C Class Mercedes, the company may soon be foraying into leasing the luxury cars to individuals. So far, the cars were leased out only to companies.

SOON AFTER German automobile manufacturer Mercedes Benz India received order for a fleet of 90 of the luxury cars, the company, it has been reported, is giving a serious thought to leasing cars to individuals. With such a move, Mercedes will be the first company to lease out its cars directly to the customers. So far, Mercedes has been leasing cars only to companies.

The manager of the luxury car maker, Peter Honegg was quoted saying that the company is in serious discussions to begin leasing vehicles in India by the end of 2011. Indians, by nature, prefer owning cars than leasing vehicles, and the company would consider leasing vehicles to individuals at a later stage.

Mercedes being the single largest dealer of pre-owned vehicles has got 35,000 of its cars running on the Indian roads. Honegg was further quoted saying that the leasing business would also enable the company to get newer cars into its pre-owned venture. The company would have cars, which are between three to four years old with them for sale in the used car market. With such a move, the company would be able to invite more customers to be a part of its brand at a lower entry level through the sale of the pre owned cars.

In the war of the luxury car market, Mercedes has lost its lead to its arch rival BMW in the last two years. While BMW sold 6,246 units in 2010, the takers for Mercedes stood at 5,819. With the introduction of newer models, both the companies have been trying their best to expand their businesses in India.