Mercedes-Benz Maybach finds a sweet spot in India as wealthy buyers splurge on luxury

India’s luxury car buyers are trading up, with close to 50% of Mercedes-Benz India’s S-Class sales now coming from the Maybach version, signalling a sharp move towards ultra-luxury variants despite price hikes.

“Almost 50% of our S-Class sales are Maybach. The EQS SUV Maybach has shown a very strong growth last year to this year by growing 68% year-on-year during January to September 2026. For the SL Maybach, India exceeded the allocations,” Santosh Iyer, the managing director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, told BT during a virtual media roundtable ahead of the launch of Mercedes-Maybach S580e.

“All of this resulted in India becoming the top five markets in the world for Maybach,” said Iyer, adding that the Maybach brand is on a very significant growth path.

This is quite an achievement for the German carmaker as India is a relatively smaller luxury-car market compared with several developed markets.

Mercedes-Benz currently offers four Maybach cars in India: Maybach GLS, Maybach S-Class, Maybach SL 680 and the EQS SUV Maybach.

Mercedes-Benz is also seeing a strong appetite for personalisation among its wealthiest customers. Mercedes-Benz’s bespoke MANUFAKTUR programme, which offers personalisation through curated materials, distinctive design elements and craftsmanship, accounted for around 75% of all top-end luxury vehicle sales in India.

“75% of the cars that we sell in the top-end segment are customised and individualised,” said Iyer.

This comes even as Mercedes-Benz undertook three price hikes in 2026, with the latest one in October owing to currency fluctuations, rising input and shipping costs.

Despite the higher prices, demand at the top end remains strong, with customers continuing to opt for higher-specification models rather than trading down.

Mercedes-Benz recorded its highest-ever quarterly sales in Q3 2026 and best-ever January-September sales performance in India. The German automaker delivered 15,190 new vehicles to customers during January-September 2026, registering an 8% growth over 14,132 units sold in the corresponding period last year.

The company also achieved its best-ever quarterly sales performance, retailing 5,422 vehicles between July and September 2026, an increase of 6% compared to 5,119 units retailed in Q3 2025.

Demand for Mercedes-Benz’s top-end luxury portfolio remained strong, accounting for more than 25% of sales penetration and registering 13% year-on-year growth up to September 2026.

Mercedes-Benz India’s entry luxury segment grew 4% in January-September 2026, contributing around 15% of total sales, led by the GLA and CLA BEV.

Demand for Mercedes-Benz’s new electric CLA has significantly outstripped supply in India, with more than 1,000 customers currently waiting for their cars, according to Iyer.

“We have 1,000-plus customer orders which are still pending. We are unable to deliver until next year March,” Iyer said.

The strong demand for the CLA has also contributed to Mercedes-Benz India’s electric vehicle sales growing 16% year-on-year between January and September.

The core luxury segment remained the company’s biggest growth driver, accounting for around 60% of sales during the period.