From correspondents in Delhi, India, 01:32 PM IST

Mercedes-Benz India Monday said it has crossed the 3,000-car sales figure so far this year, reflecting a growth of 56 percent.

"Our impressive performance this year continues - we are delighted to cross the 3,000 sales figure mark for the first time and have already set our sights on many more," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Wilfried Aulbur said.

By the end of September, the S Class, the leading luxury vehicle from the Mercedes-Benz stable, sold a total of 524 units.

This marks a growth of 64 percent over January-September 2007.

The new C class, which made its debut at the Auto Expo in January, sold more than 1,450 units in January-September 2008 - 135 percent more than the corresponding period in 2007.

The hugely popular E class continues to be the favourite of the Indian customer with a sales figure of 921 cars sold between till September-end.

Two new engine variants were also added to the E Class line in this period, the E 220 CDI and the E 230, making the E Class the most comprehensive product with the largest number of variants in the luxury car market in India, Aulbur said.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)