A newer and cheaper Mercedes model may be India bound, reports Autocar. Mercedes has been delaying the launch of its A-class model in India owing to its high import cost making it infeasible for the Indian market. Now the company is developing completely new front wheel drive architecture aka Mercedes Front wheel Architecture or MFA. The new model is a step forward to develop cheaper and more fuel efficient models. The MFA will be able to support a wide range of wheelbases and configurations and will be available across larger number of models, says Autocar.
“MFA will usher in a new era of affordable Mercs,” said Dr Bharat Balasubramanian, vice-president, Group & Advanced Engineering, Daimler AG. This technology will enable the company to introduce cheaper models than its present A-class model. Mercedes is already planning to bring a small SUV model in the Indian market by 2013. An SUV developed on MFA will pose a direct competition to BMW X1 that is coming to the Indian market later this year. The new technology also means that Mercedes will be able to launch fully-features cars in the Indian market at a competitive price rather than launching stripped down “corporate editions” to combat price structure.
