The Indian car market has been going through a rough patch for the past year with sales dropping significantly and demand slowing down continuously. Car makers, in their monthly, statistical reports have confirmed this fact and are trying several things to boost sales. On one hand, where the mass car segment is witnessing a decline, luxury vehicles seem to be performing reasonably well. In fact, the year 2013 has seen the launch of an incredibly high number of luxury cars in India from companies like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce. To be a little specific, the rivalry between German firms Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz has seen an unprecedented level of competition, wherein all are trying to outdo each other through various strategies.
Officials from Mercedes-Benz, in the recent past, have spoken about how critical the year is from the company's point of view, describing 2013 as the 'Year of Offensive'. Mercedes-Benz, evidently, has adopted an aggressive strategy for the Indian car market, which can be seen by the number of launches in 2013. In order to attract price sensitive buyers who would want to own a Mercedes-Benz, the firm introduced the A-Class and B-Class (diesel) models. This ploy seems to be working for the German company as the A-Class has done really well till now, receiving a positive response from both buyers and experts.
However, the limelight from these cars has been stolen by the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, which was introduced at the Buddh International Circuit, the Formula One racing track located in Greater Noida. Available at an ex-showroom price (New Delhi) of Rs. 1.29 crore. The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG is fitted with a V8 twin-turbo 5.5-litre engine, which is mated to a 7-speed automatic gearbox. Experts have praised the design of this car that features a rear spoiler lip, wind splitters and a silver chrome radiator grille. A technologically advanced vehicle, the E63 AMG boasts of biturbocharging, director petrol injection, Active Parking Assist and Collision Prevention Assist.
According to reports, BMW and Audi took the decision of launching low cost vehicles on seeing the success of Mercedes-Benz A-Class. In order to target the price sensitive buyers of the Indian car market, Audi and BMW launched the Q3 S and 1 Series models, respectively. The Audi Q3 S, introduced in August 2013, is a low cost variant of Q3 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV). Available at price of Rs. 24.9 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi), the Audi Q3 S has been brought to India via the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) route and assembled at the firm's Aurangabad facility. The Q3 S comes without a number of trademark Audi features, which includes Quattro drive system and daytime LED running lamps. Powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine, the Q3 S churns out peak power of around 140 bhp and highest torque of 320 Nm.
On the other hand, the BMW 1 Series was launched on the 3rd of September at a starting price of Rs. 20.9 lakh. Available in both diesel and petrol options, the 1 Series in India only comes with the 5-door variant. Industry experts have suggested that the aggressive pricing of the BMW 1 Series and its advanced features could boost its sales, thereby giving all rivals stiff competition.
The launch of Rolls-Royce Wraith, held in August, was one of the most awaited talked events of 2013 for the Indian auto industry. Claimed to be the most powerful car ever produced by the company, the Wraith comes at an incredible price of Rs. 4.6 crore. It is powered by a 6.6-litre turbocharged engine, which generates an output of 624 bhp and top torque of 800 Nm. Officials from Rolls-Royce have been pretty confident about the car doing well in India, given the kind of niche the brand has created for itself over the years.
Another car that made its way to the Indian car market in 2013 was the Jaguar F-Type, which was launched in two variants, namely F-Type S and F-Type V8S. While the S variant comes at a price of Rs. 1.37 crore, the V8S versions costs Rs. 1.61 crore, both rates being ex-showroom Mumbai. The V8S variant of the F-Type comes equipped with a 5-litre powertrain that generates peak output of around 493 bhp. Incredibly, the V8S can reach 100 kmph from 0 kmph in around 4.3 seconds. Industry experts feel that the launch of the F-Type has marked the comeback of Jaguar in the sports car segment.
