Made-in-India Mercedes to drive into US

The US subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Germany's Daimler AG, is set to import its bestselling SUV GLC from India. Mercedes-Benz India has already begun shipments from the country and cars made in India should reach the US next month. A statement from the company said: “The vehicles are manufactured for the global demand, also for the US. We used a contract manufacturer to satisfy temporarily the high demand for specific models. “The Mercedes-Benz plant in Pune supplies small quantities of GLC to the US: This serves as a backup solution in case of high demand.” The move is seen as bolstering India's image of delivering high-quality manufactured products for the world. Mercedes-Benz will join the ranks of Ford and Mahindra & Mahindra that currently ship their products for the North American markets from local factories. Mercedes-Benz India has a capacity of 20,000 units at its Chakan plant and the company had invested close to Rs 160 crore ($22 million) in expanding the capacity in 2015 by adding a new manufacturing line. With the company selling over 15,000 units a year locally and fresh demand from the US, the company could look at the next phase of expansion in India.