Santosh Iyer appointed as first Indian MD of Mercedes-Benz India

Santosh Iyer has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz, a fitting culmination for the man who has turned the automaker’s fortunes in India and helped it become the best-selling luxury car brand in the country by some margin. He succeeds Martin Schwenk as Managing Director, to become the first Indian to hold the post in the country.

Under his helm as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz embarked on a huge campaign to dust off the “grandfather’s car” image that it used to have in India, and instead became one of the most aspirational brands for youth in the country. The AMG brand was also expanded, something that enthusiasts have appreciated throughout the country. We embarked on several huge adventures with AMG ourselves!

Iyer has been with Mercedes-Benz India for more than a decade. He has experience in multiple domains like sales, marketing, retail, customer service, and corporate affairs. Also, he is accredited with driving customer centricity for Mercedes-Benz and has played a key role in establishing the German marque as one of the top players in after-sales service. Moreover, he has a profound understanding of the market, which is quite crucial in the increasingly competitive luxury car segment.

Speaking about his appointment, a statement from Mercedes-Benz India said, “Subsequently, he also played a vital role in conceptualizing and implementing the now industry benchmark ‘Retail of the Future’ business model. During his current tenure, Santosh laid a strong foundation for Data analytics and pioneered online sales with its share now exceeding 15 per cent of total sales.”

Santosh Iyer is going to lead Mercedes-Benz India through a crucial time in the history of the company as the automotive world gears up for the electric revolution, and Mercedes-Benz introduces more and more electric vehicles in the Indian market.

We met up with Santosh Iyer quite a few times to understand the luxury car market as well as the reasons Mercedes-Benz is doing so well, even after the lean years during the COVID lockdown. Check out our chats with him here and here!