The Mercedes-Benz G63, popularly called the G-Wagen, is a boxy, military-inspired luxury SUV that costs upwards of Rs 4.3 crore on-road in India, and actor Emraan Hashmi just added one to his garage. The purchase, first spotted by paparazzi outside a Mumbai showroom, has already turned into a mini marketing case study in its own right.
Key Takeaways
- Emraan Hashmi has reportedly taken delivery of a Mercedes-Benz G63, priced around Rs 4.3 crore on-road depending on the state and customisation.
- The buy instantly generated free media coverage worth lakhs, without Mercedes-Benz spending a single rupee on a traditional ad.
- It is a textbook example of the Veblen effect, where a product becomes more desirable precisely because it is expensive and visible.
- Indian luxury carmakers increasingly rely on celebrity ownership, not celebrity endorsement contracts, to build brand prestige.
What did Emraan Hashmi actually buy?
The Mercedes-Benz G63 is the AMG performance version of the G-Class, built on a ladder-frame chassis that dates back to a military vehicle from the 1970s. It runs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 producing over 577 bhp, which is absurd power for something shaped like a steel cupboard.
In India, the Mercedes-Benz G63 is assembled and sold through Mercedes-Benz’s Pune facility, with ex-showroom prices starting around Rs 3.45 crore and on-road costs climbing past Rs 4.3 crore once you add registration, insurance and cess in metros like Mumbai. Emraan Hashmi’s unit reportedly falls in that upper band.
Why does a Bollywood actor’s car purchase become a marketing story?
This is the part that interests me more than the car itself. Nobody at Mercedes-Benz India called a press conference. There was no influencer brief, no hashtag, no paid partnership disclosure. Yet by evening, the purchase was trending across entertainment and auto news sites.
That is earned media doing the work paid media usually does. A paparazzi photo of a star stepping out of a G-Wagen carries more credibility than a glossy showroom ad, because viewers read it as “this is what people with real money actually choose,” not “this is what a brand wants you to think.”
The psychology behind it: why an expensive SUV becomes more desirable, not less
Economists call this the Veblen effect, named after Thorstein Veblen, who argued over a century ago that some goods defy normal demand curves. Usually, when prices rise, demand falls. With Veblen goods, demand can rise alongside price because the price itself is the message being bought.
A Mercedes-Benz G63 isn’t really sold on ride quality or fuel efficiency. Nobody buys a 4.3-crore SUV for the mileage. It is sold on what Veblen called conspicuous consumption, the visible, public signalling of wealth and status to one’s social circle.
When a recognisable face like Emraan Hashmi is photographed with one, it does two things psychologically. First, it provides social proof, the instinct where people look at others’ choices to decide what is worth wanting. Second, it triggers the halo effect, where one admired trait, in this case the actor’s success, gets transferred onto the object next to him.
Real campaigns that lean on the same principle
Mercedes-Benz itself has run its global positioning line, “The Best or Nothing,” for decades, deliberately avoiding comparison with rivals on price or features. The line isn’t selling specifications. It’s selling the idea that choosing anything less is a compromise, which is pure status signalling dressed up as a tagline.
Patek Philippe’s long-running print campaign, “You never actually own a Patek Philippe, you merely look after it for the next generation,” does something similar but takes it further. It reframes an expensive purchase as a legacy decision rather than spending, which softens the guilt that usually accompanies luxury buying. You can read more about how Patek Philippe built this positioning on the Patek Philippe brand history page, which traces the shift from watchmaking craft to generational storytelling.
Closer home, Royal Enfield has quietly built a similar effect at a completely different price point. It rarely signs big celebrity endorsement deals for its core Himalayan and Classic range. Instead, it lets owner communities and the odd spotted celebrity ride do the talking, because a Royal Enfield being chosen voluntarily reads as more authentic than one being paid for.
The India angle: G-Wagens are quietly becoming a Bollywood and cricket uniform
Emraan Hashmi is not the first Indian celebrity to be photographed with a G-Class. Reports over the past few years have linked several cricketers and actors to the SUV, turning it into something close to an unofficial status badge in certain circles.
| Approximate variant | Indicative on-road price (India) | Known for |
| Mercedes-Benz G 350d | Rs 2.6 – 3 crore | Diesel, relatively “entry” G-Class |
| Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG | Rs 4 – 4.5 crore | 577 bhp V8, the variant Emraan Hashmi reportedly owns |
| Mercedes-Maybach G 650 | Rs 7 crore and above | Limited-run, ultra-premium flagship |
This clustering matters for marketing analysts because it shows the Mercedes-Benz G63 has crossed from being a niche import to a recognisable local status symbol, the same journey the Rolex Submariner or the Hermès Birkin made in Western markets decades earlier.
Where this principle breaks down
The Veblen effect isn’t a guaranteed win, and brands that lean on it too hard eventually get burned. When too many people are seen with the same status object, exclusivity erodes fast, and the very thing that made it desirable, scarcity, disappears.
There is also a timing risk. Flaunting a 4.3-crore purchase during a stretch of visible economic strain or inflation headlines can read as tone-deaf rather than aspirational, inviting backlash instead of admiration. Celebrities and brands that misjudge the public mood around luxury often see the conversation turn from envy to resentment within days.
Mercedes-benz G63 FAQ
What is the on-road price of the Mercedes-Benz G63 in India?
Depending on the state, registration charges and customisation, the Mercedes-Benz G63 typically costs between Rs 4 crore and Rs 4.5 crore on-road, which lines up with the Rs 4.3 crore figure linked to Emraan Hashmi’s unit.
Why do Bollywood celebrities prefer the G-Wagen over other luxury SUVs?
Its boxy silhouette is instantly recognisable even in low-quality paparazzi photos, which makes it more effective as a status signal than sleeker luxury SUVs that look similar from a distance.
Is a G63 the same vehicle as a G-Wagon or G-Class?
Yes. G-Class and G-Wagen are informal names for the same Mercedes-Benz model line, and the G63 is simply its high-performance AMG variant.
What is the Veblen effect in simple terms?
It describes situations where demand for a product rises as its price rises, because the price itself signals status, rather than falling as normal economic theory would predict.
Does Mercedes-Benz pay celebrities to be seen with the G63?
Not necessarily. Many of these appearances, including personal purchases like Emraan Hashmi’s, are not paid endorsements, which is exactly why they carry more credibility with the public.
Conclusion
Emraan Hashmi’s Mercedes-Benz G63 will fade from headlines within days, but the pattern behind it won’t. Understanding why an expensive, impractical SUV becomes more desirable the pricier it looks tells you more about Indian consumer psychology than any ad brief could.