The Indian automobile market is gearing up for the launch of Mercedes-Benz B-Class Sports Tourer on September 18, 2012 and the latest product from the German auto maker will be its most economic offering in the country around Rs. 23 lacs.
The upcoming car comes in a hatchback guise and will have all the trimmings conforming with the Mercedes-Benz brand name. Despite the segment difference, the interesting price tag of B-Class Sports Tourer has set the media buzzing with its comparisons with the BMW X1 entry-level crossover. Indian car aficionados are notorious for comparing cars on the basis of their prices rather than their categories and the made-up rivalry between Mercedes-Benz B-Class and BMW X1 is not completely superfluous. In addition to the BMW X1, another car from the arsenal of Audi, the Q3 compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) can also be a potential rival of the B-Class Sports Tourer.
The pricing of BMW X1 premium SUV starts around Rs. 24 lacs in the country and a competition with the Mercedes-Benz B-Class is not completely out of the question. The Mercedes-Benz will surely score points on the interiors and luxury quotient, while the BMW swells in the engine performance and the power output. It will be interesting to see which way the Indian car aficionados go- 'luxury and comfort' or 'enticing raw power.'
Coming to the exterior appearance, both X1 and B-Class cars fall in different categories and the winner among them will be solely based on the discretion of buyers. The Mercedes-Benz carries forward the tradition of premium luxury products while the BMW has made its mark with the riveting style and suave quotient.
The B-Class will be marketed in the country via the Completely Built Unit route and the German auto maker's localisation plans will depend solely on the basis of the yet-to-be launched car's reception in the country. If the upcoming car records decent sales then its very likely that Mercedes-Benz brings its production to India just like way it did with the M-Class and GL-Class premium SUVs.
Currently, the most humbly priced offering in the Mercedes-Benz's Indian portfolio is the C-Class sedan that carries a price tag starting around Rs. 28 lacs. The B-Class Sports Tourer will be priced around Rs. 5 lacs cheaper and its launch can be termed as a wise move by the company, because the Indian market is famous for its devotion towards hatchbacks.
The Indian arm of Mercedes-Benz lost its traction in country with the arrivals of its home-grown players like BMW and Audi on the domestic turf. The rivalry has intensified since the sales of Mercedes-Benz were outpaced by its fellow German counterparts. A decent crowd pulling product was greatly missed by the Mercedes-Benz and hence, the company has pinned great hopes with the upcoming B-Class car.
The B-Class seems a bit off-tone of the usual Mercedes-Benz vehicles and the company seems to have shifted its approach towards attracting Indian young buyers by embarking on a 'Step-down' strategy. The upcoming car seems a bit shallow on design and appeal against its market rivals but given its price tag, the vehicle is expected to perform well in Indian market.
