Mercedes-Benz Vietnam has announced that it will introduce a wide range of new cars in Vietnam, as well as expand its dealer system nationwide this year, aiming to keep its long-established leading position in the luxury segment in the local market.

The German auto maker said that this year it will launch eight new models on the path of meeting ever-diversifying demands of Vietnamese customers who are always interested in new car models as well as helping the company increase sales.

The introduction of new car models shows an aggressive approach of the famous automaker. The new models are comprised of both locally assembled and imported ones besides the 22 variants the company is offering in the Vietnamese market.

The company has stayed faithfully to its traditional clientele that consists of accomplished business people, leaders and influential figures. And now it is more being attached to young and dynamic customers, said Mercedes-Benz Vietnam CEO Michael Behrens.

In fact, in recent years, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam's achievement has come from not only the traditional clientele but also the young customers.

According to the company, the demand for luxury cars in the local market still has a great potential. There are more and more successful Vietnamese young people who prefer safe, luxury cars.

"We believe in the market and have seen some first recovery signals. We commit to supply Mercedes cars for Vietnamese customers in need in the future and to maintain the leading position in the premium segment," said Behrens.

According to a report of Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), 2012 was a challenging year for Vietnam's automobile industry. The market dropped by more than one-third. However, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam last year successfully kept its promise to beat the market and delivered almost 2,000 vehicles to customers, making up a half of the luxury segment in the local market. This result has contributed to increasing the total number of Mercedes owners to the local market to 30,000 units.

In the past 17 consecutive years since it came to Vietnam, Mercedes-Benz has always been the leader in the luxury segment, with a market share of 50%, one of its largest Mercedes-Benz market shares in the world, according to the German automaker.

Accordingly, for every 10 luxury cars on the street in Vietnam on average, half of them are cars carrying the three-pointed-star-logo.

Being the only premium automobile manufacturer in Vietnam is the big competitive advantage for Mercedes-Benz over other importers of German cars. "We are one of a few automakers who believe in Vietnam's auto market. Our production in Vietnam is part of Daimler's production strategy in ASEAN. We are a DNA of Vietnam's auto market," said Michael Behrens.

Behrens said that the firm would invest more in production lines in Vietnam to provide a wider range of car models for customers.

To serve customers nationwide better, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam is planning to expand its dealer network besides the operational 12 dealers and 10 service centers.

"We'll stay closer to our customers," said Behrens. "In the high-end segment, customers are more interested in style, new technology and service quality. They will decide what to choose based on prices only after scrutinizing these three factors."

The company research shows that Vietnamese customers are strongly in favor of agents that are in close proximity to their residences. This reality has prompted Mercedes-Benz Vietnam to further expand the network.

"We have maintained significantly-higher investment in production, the dealer network and customers services," said Behrens. "If you offer the best to your clients, you'll get satisfaction and affection in return."

On the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year, the German company launches a special Tet campaign that is exclusive for customers buying their cars from now until the end of February this year. Behrens did not elaborate on the sales campaign, but advised customers to visit dealers to understand clearly about the promotion and price support.