The Indian arm of Mercedes Benz, multinational division of German automotive manufacturer Daimler, will officially launch its 2012 B-Class sports tourer in the Indian passenger car market on September 18, 2012. Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz India pulled the curtains off its soon-to-be launched B-Class compact in July 2012 at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida. The company also unveiled the upcoming car at the Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai.
The 2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class is termed as a compact sports tourer and is expected to arrive in the country via Completely Built Unit (CBU) route initially. The company is believed to begin the local assembly of the B-Class from 2013.
From the first images, the 2012 B-Class sports tourer appears like a big hatchback car, which boasts of capacious cabin space and decent ground clearance. Mercedes-Benz India is expected to launch the petrol variant of the car initially, while the diesel model of B-Class vehicle may be introduced in the Indian car market in a few months as well.
Mercedes-Benz sales in the country are currently bettered only by its German counterparts-BMW and Audi. The company is working hard in its quest to find a crowd puller in the Indian premium car market, which can be pitched against the likes of compact crossovers like Audi Q3 and BMW X1.
The yet-to-be launched 2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class sports tourer is not essentially a compact crossover and seems shallow against its German rivals in terms of styling and design features. Its reception by the Indian audience will be interesting thing to note, as with the upcoming B-Class vehicle, Mercedes-Benz has associated tremendous hopes for boosting its sales in the country.
The upcoming B-Class car is expected fetch a price tag around Rs. 25 lacs. The Indian car enthusiasts including the loyalists of the 'three pointed star' will be keeping their fingers crossed in anticipation of the B-Class sports tourer, which will carry the baton of re-establishing Mercedes-Benz's dominance on the Indian turf.
