Mercedes Benz India MD has a suggestion for National Green Tribunal

Roland Folger, MD of Mercedes Benz India Limited has said that while it’s a good move on the part of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to order the de-registration of polluting vehicles, it should be done on the basis of emission tests rather than the age of vehicles.

Also read: NGT’s order to deregister decade-old diesel vehicles will hit 1.8 lakh vehicles

"An older, well-maintained vehicle may still be less polluting. The cut off should be on the basis of emissions. The government is also working on a vehicle scrappage policy so it's a good idea to wait and see. There are a lot of things which need to be clarified," Folger told ET.

The India sales of this luxury car maker from Germany have been badly affected by the ban that the Supreme Court has imposed on the sale of diesel vehicles with engines of 2000 cc and above in the National Capital Region (NCR). The ban has forced the company to plan petrol versions of all models that are sold in India.

"We will be complete with petrol engines in September. Then we will have basically a petrol variant in each of our carlines available," Folger added.

Also read: Mercedes looking to ride India's SUV craze with its new GLC

The sales in the second quarter of the current calendar year fell by 3.8% after the ban was imposed. Prior to the ban, was the largest market for Mercedes Benz, which is still optimistic about it once the diesel ban issue gets resolved.

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