Mercedes-Benz Group CEO Ola Kallenius says the company plans “many more” product launches in India in the coming years, presenting the country as both a key growth market and a technology hub for the automaker. He made the comments at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Annual Convention 2026, speaking virtually from Delhi on September 3.
Kallenius links Mercedes-Benz’s expanding focus on India to strengths that go beyond sales, including engineering talent, technology capabilities, and a growing manufacturing and supplier ecosystem. He highlights that Mercedes-Benz’s Bengaluru research and development centre is its largest outside Europe, employing more than 8,500 engineers and technologists. The centre supports global projects, including the company’s MB.OS software platform.
The outlets also cite Mercedes-Benz’s broader product strategy. The Economic Times says Mercedes-Benz India plans 12 model launches in 2026 across internal combustion and electric powertrains and that it has started local production of the Mercedes-Mayach GLS, citing it as the first market outside the US to assemble that model. Business Line largely focuses on the statement about additional launches and Kallenius’s comparison of India with Germany, without detailing the specific launch figures.
All sources indicate Mercedes-Benz is aligning its industrial and technology ambitions with India’s role in its next phase of development, including a shift toward software-defined vehicles and related technologies.
