Four brands are increasingly colliding for the same wealthy customer in India’s luxury-car market.
BMW’s refreshed 7 Series and all-electric i7 arrive on September 11. Porsche follows with the ₹1.77-crore Cayenne Electric on September 30. Range Rover already has its ₹1.90-crore V8 Sport Twenty Edition in showrooms and has opened bookings for the Range Rover Electric, extending the contest into the super-premium electric tier. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, is defending what its Managing Director and CEO Santosh Iyer calls the “top of an inverted diamond”.
What makes the collision unusual is that wealth increasingly removes the need to choose. The same customer can seek the sanctuary of a flagship limousine through the working week, the adrenaline of a Porsche when the road opens up and the presence and capability of a Range Rover for a weekend in the hills or off-road. Mercedes offers versions of all three.
“Individual and competing brands are eyeing an increased presence at the top-end, which is dominated by Mercedes,” said an executive at one of the luxury-car makers, requesting anonymity. “Customers at the top-end are highly discerning and driven by the luxury experience, which goes across multiple top-end products.”
One wealthy buyer, multiple brands to choose from
BMW has yet to announce prices for the refreshed 7 Series and i7, but the outgoing models, at roughly ₹1.85 crore and ₹2.10 crore, respectively, show where its flagships sit.
Porsche’s Cayenne Electric starts at ₹1.77 crore, putting an electric performance SUV within striking distance of BMW’s combustion-engine limousine and Range Rover’s V8 Sport.
The experiences could hardly be more different. BMW leans towards rear-seat sanctuary; Porsche puts performance and the owner-driver at the centre; Range Rover sells height, presence and capability.
Higher up, Porsche’s ₹2.28-crore Cayenne Turbo Electric produces more than 1,100 hp and reaches 100 kmph in 2.5 seconds. Range Rover’s ₹2.05-crore Sport SV produces 635 hp and does the sprint in 3.8 seconds.
“For two decades, Range Rover Sport has set the benchmark for sporting luxury, combining dynamic performance, unmistakable presence and uncompromising capability,” said Rajan Amba, Managing Director, JLR India.
Mercedes defends the top
Mercedes’ numbers explain why this customer matters. Top-end vehicles now account for almost 30 per cent of its India sales, according to Iyer, compared with roughly 12 per cent a few years ago. The company also pioneered local manufacturing of top-end products in India, including the S-Class, Maybach S-Class and EQS luxury sedan and SUV. It has announced localisation of the Maybach GLS and V-Class, extending that strategy deeper into its premium portfolio.
Its Manufaktur programme (where it allows cross-brand customisation) allows some buyers to add roughly ₹60 lakh to ₹1.5 crore in bespoke options — another way of capturing more spending from customers at the top.
Electric luxury, differently
Electrification is widening the choice rather than simply replacing combustion engines. BMW offers its flagship limousine with both powertrains; Porsche is using batteries to push performance; Mercedes spans electric luxury from EQS to Maybach and G-Class.
Range Rover Electric takes another route. Bookings opened on September 2 ahead of expected deliveries in early 2027. With the price expected around ₹3.30-3.50 crore, it sits above the immediate ₹2-crore contest but extends the fight for the same buyer, offering 542 bhp, up to 600 km of claimed range and 900 mm of wading ability.
Localisation is compressing the ladder, too. BMW assembles the combustion-engine 7 Series in Chennai, while JLR in 2024 made India the first country outside Britain to locally assemble the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The locally assembled Sport starts around ₹1.43 crore.
JLR has also cut the Range Rover Sport SV Edition Two by ₹40 lakh to ₹2.35 crore and Range Rover SV by ₹75 lakh to ₹3.50 crore ahead of the India-UK trade agreement, saying it was extending anticipated FTA benefits.
“Customers at the top-end are highly discerning and driven by the luxury experience, which goes across multiple top-end products,” the executive said, explaining why seemingly different luxury cars are increasingly colliding for the same wealthy buyer.