The Indian arm of Mercedes-Benz, the globally renowned premium luxury car maker, is working towards the launch of its maiden hatchback offering, A Class range in domestic market somewhere in the middle of next year. The A Class premium hatchback is the German auto giant's smallest offering and will mark its debut in United Kingdom and other European markets in December 2012.
Reportedly, some 70,000 units of upcoming Mercedes-Benz A Class hatch have already been booked in Europe alone, making it one of the most successful 'three pointed star' models pre booked in history. Evidently, Mercedes-Benz's most adverse contemporary and fellow auto major, BMW has also revealed intentions to introduce its 1 Series hatchback range in 2013. Hence, some fireworks are expected for segment domination between the two German rivals, when they launch their respective hatchbacks next year in the country.
The German auto maker is anticipated to launch its A Class range in both petrol and diesel guises, thereby reaching out to a pretty vast customer reach on Indian turf. The petrol variant of A Class is expected to incorporate a 1.6 litre engine, capable of churning out a peak power close to 85 bhp and a maximum torque around 180 Nm. Further, diesel variant of A Class will come equipped with a 1.8 litre power-mill, which rolls out an impressive power and torque equation around 110 bhp and 250 Nm, respectively.
Expressing his opinion on the yet-to-be launched A Class prospects, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Head of Mercedes-Benz and Chairman of the Board of Management, Daimler AG, said, “Mercedes-Benz is becoming the most dynamic premium brand in the world. As part of this development, the A-Class represents an important milestone. The A-Class is completely new, down to the last detail. In automotive development, it’s not often you get the chance to start with a clean sheet of paper. Our engineers have made the very most of that opportunity.”
At present, BMW holds the title of market leader in Indian premium luxury car market. The Bavarian auto giant displaced Mercedes-Benz from the top spot couple of years back in the country. Accordingly, in a desperate bid to reclaim its market position, Mercedes-Benz has planned to introduce several low cost models targeting Indian customers. The company has already introduced its B Class Sports Tourer in September 2012 and has pinned great expectations with its yet-to-be launched A Class range. It is going to be interesting to see if Mercedes-Benz achieves its projected sales estimates of A Class, besides the competition it could pose to BMW 1 Series. The A Class is expected to be launched with an introductory price tag close to Rs. 15 to 18 lakhs in the country.
