Mercedes A Class coming here?

RakishRam · 27th March 2010, 12:11

Moderator Note: Our Official Review of the Mercedes A-Class is now online : link

According to ET, Merc is planning to bring A class to India. There are other threads here about Mini and Audi A1/A3 coming as well. Looks like it will be interesting times for the luxury hatch segment, but all depends on pricing again which the German trios are not the best guys doing it in Indian Market.

Quote:

Luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz is planning to launch its small car, the A Class, in India in a couple of years. Peter Trettin, president and CEO of Daimler, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, said the company would position the A Class as its entry- level car in the country. “This will be lower priced in line with competition,” Mr Trettin said.

However, auto experts feel that even the entry level Mercedes will be priced in the range of Rs 16-20 lakh.

Not sure what he meant by competition here - Fiat 500 and Beetle? Please don't follow their CBU pricing.

hanmust · 27th March 2010, 12:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by RakishRam

According to ET, Merc is planning to bring A class to India. There are other threads here about Mini and Audi A1/A3 coming as well. Looks like it will be interesting times for the luxury hatch segment, but all depends on pricing again which the German trios are not the best guys doing it in Indian Market.

Not sure what he meant by competition here - Fiat 500 and Beetle? Please don't follow their CBU pricing.

Quite interesting news! May be the boosted sale of Beetle & Fiat 500 inspires the German giants to come up with theri smaller models.

avishar · 27th March 2010, 19:08

I remember way back in Auto expo 98 mercedes has showcased the A-class.They had said that they "might" launch the car soon,but nothing came of it.BMW has already saod that they have no plans of launching the 1-series,not sure if Merc will get into this segment.

vinaydas · 27th March 2010, 19:33

i cant believe im saying this but even our in house Vista looks better than the A class.
well on the other Hand the Audi A1 is simply brilliant.
1 series is not as good looking as the audi but definitely better than the merc.

S350L-E240 · 27th March 2010, 21:57

While the previous and current gen A class has not exactly been a looker, they have been brilliantly practical cars, and the current gen also has far superior quality which still needs to be improved.

All those issues will be addressed with the next gen car and it should finally be in a better position to compete with 1 series etc. Also do remember the A1 is meant to compete with cars like Mini, Fiat 500 etc. more of a fashion statement rather then compete with the 1, A etc.

If Mercedes-Benz want to bring a compact car into India, I think at this point the B class makes a lot more sense, and then they can wait until the next gen where rumors suggest A and B will be merged into various variants including but not limited to Coupe, Roadster, Compact SUV etc. In fact AMG is also reportedly working on one of those platforms.

I do hope this time they are serious and we do have premium small cars in India from Mercedes and BMW.

AyAn! · 28th March 2010, 00:27

There is absolutely no market for a car like A Class in India.Yet. Merc can sell it more as a pose mobile to compete with the likes of 500 and Beetle,but that's it.

They can give the R-Class a shot though! Has quite a possibility of doing decent numbers.

ph03n!x · 28th March 2010, 01:23

Interesting - I can count this in for my next pre-worshipped car

On a side note, isn't the BMW 1 series headed here too?

acidkill · 28th March 2010, 01:40

Interesting, but unless they are locally assembled from CKD's - i dont expect them to be competitively priced. If there are priced anywhere close to the A4 or C class then i further doubt that these models will garner enough sale

tanwaramit · 28th March 2010, 11:33

Not sure if Merc wants to sell anything which will lack exclusivity. They might consider competing with Fiat 500 and beetle , however that's it. I remember an interview of Merc India head, stating that Mercedes is known for richness and exclusivity in India. This is an image they don't want to lose. They will bring more products on the higher end to compete with BMW and now Audi, but going down the price range, No, what will their elite customers feel when an S class is parked to a cheaper one. That's their thinking for Indian market.

S350L-E240 · 28th March 2010, 11:44

Well an A class is still going to be as exclusive or even more then probably a S-Class, reason being at a price close to about 18-20L INR, it is only a small hatchback which mostly would be bought for city use or a car for the ladies / kids in the house.

A class will be a brilliant choice for us, my dad I know would pop for a A200 CDI / BMW 120d in a heartbeat as he loves small cars but would love the premium factor.

vb-saan · 28th March 2010, 21:01

Not sure if an A-class is going to make sense in India. Being a Merc., it'll surely priced premium. And it lies in a level below the BMW 1-series or the Audi A3. Unlike the BMW stable (1-series and 3-series) Merc got a B-class sitting in between the A and C. And the A is not a lifestyle segment player like the Mini or Fiat 500. It is for those who really want a 3-point star, and is on a budget.

designersf · 29th March 2010, 16:01

Well, the main reason why 500 and Beetle sell is merely on their looks and their cult status. I'm sure that the A fits neither of them. Even if BMW bring in their 1, they can justify it as the only sporty RWD hatchback but the A is FWD and absolutely makes no sense whatsoever

jkdas · 29th March 2010, 17:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by designersf

Well, the main reason why 500 and Beetle sell is merely on their looks and their cult status. I'm sure that the A fits neither of them. Even if BMW bring in their 1, they can justify it as the only sporty RWD hatchback but the A is FWD and absolutely makes no sense whatsoever

Bettle and Mini commands cult status while A class doesn't. It might sell in very low number coz of their brand value.

RakishRam · 29th March 2010, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by vb-san

And the A is not a lifestyle segment player like the Mini or Fiat 500. It is for those who really want a 3-point star, and is on a budget.

I am sure those blokes will put a bit more money and go for 320D corp edition or a C class itself, since A class is not going to give much of a snob value.

hanmust · 29th March 2010, 18:41

When I contacted MB India, they told till now there is no confirmation on the new A-class launch in India.

27th March 2010, 19:08	#3
avishar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: kolkata/bangalore,india Posts: 2,904 Thanked: 4,205 Times	I remember way back in Auto expo 98 mercedes has showcased the A-class.They had said that they "might" launch the car soon,but nothing came of it.BMW has already saod that they have no plans of launching the 1-series,not sure if Merc will get into this segment.
	() Thanks

27th March 2010, 19:33	#4
vinaydas BANNED Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,399 Thanked: 148 Times	i cant believe im saying this but even our in house Vista looks better than the A class. well on the other Hand the Audi A1 is simply brilliant. 1 series is not as good looking as the audi but definitely better than the merc.
	() Thanks

27th March 2010, 21:57	#5
S350L-E240 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: India Posts: 1,416 Thanked: 394 Times	While the previous and current gen A class has not exactly been a looker, they have been brilliantly practical cars, and the current gen also has far superior quality which still needs to be improved. All those issues will be addressed with the next gen car and it should finally be in a better position to compete with 1 series etc. Also do remember the A1 is meant to compete with cars like Mini, Fiat 500 etc. more of a fashion statement rather then compete with the 1, A etc. If Mercedes-Benz want to bring a compact car into India, I think at this point the B class makes a lot more sense, and then they can wait until the next gen where rumors suggest A and B will be merged into various variants including but not limited to Coupe, Roadster, Compact SUV etc. In fact AMG is also reportedly working on one of those platforms. I do hope this time they are serious and we do have premium small cars in India from Mercedes and BMW.
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 00:27	#6
AyAn! Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Durgapur/Calcutta/Pune Posts: 2,169 Thanked: 869 Times	There is absolutely no market for a car like A Class in India.Yet. Merc can sell it more as a pose mobile to compete with the likes of 500 and Beetle,but that's it. They can give the R-Class a shot though! Has quite a possibility of doing decent numbers.
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 01:23	#7
ph03n!x Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 2,594 Thanked: 6,097 Times	Interesting - I can count this in for my next pre-worshipped car On a side note, isn't the BMW 1 series headed here too?
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 01:40	#8
acidkill BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 420 Thanked: 137 Times	Interesting, but unless they are locally assembled from CKD's - i dont expect them to be competitively priced. If there are priced anywhere close to the A4 or C class then i further doubt that these models will garner enough sale
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 11:33	#9
tanwaramit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Dilwalon ki Dilli Posts: 1,937 Thanked: 501 Times	Not sure if Merc wants to sell anything which will lack exclusivity. They might consider competing with Fiat 500 and beetle , however that's it. I remember an interview of Merc India head, stating that Mercedes is known for richness and exclusivity in India. This is an image they don't want to lose. They will bring more products on the higher end to compete with BMW and now Audi, but going down the price range, No, what will their elite customers feel when an S class is parked to a cheaper one. That's their thinking for Indian market.
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 11:44	#10
S350L-E240 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: India Posts: 1,416 Thanked: 394 Times	Well an A class is still going to be as exclusive or even more then probably a S-Class, reason being at a price close to about 18-20L INR, it is only a small hatchback which mostly would be bought for city use or a car for the ladies / kids in the house. A class will be a brilliant choice for us, my dad I know would pop for a A200 CDI / BMW 120d in a heartbeat as he loves small cars but would love the premium factor.
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 21:01	#11
vb-saan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: S'pore/Thrissur Posts: 7,350 Thanked: 12,701 Times	Not sure if an A-class is going to make sense in India. Being a Merc., it'll surely priced premium. And it lies in a level below the BMW 1-series or the Audi A3. Unlike the BMW stable (1-series and 3-series) Merc got a B-class sitting in between the A and C. And the A is not a lifestyle segment player like the Mini or Fiat 500. It is for those who really want a 3-point star, and is on a budget.
	() Thanks

29th March 2010, 16:01	#12
designersf BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Ann Arbor Posts: 603 Thanked: 80 Times	Well, the main reason why 500 and Beetle sell is merely on their looks and their cult status. I'm sure that the A fits neither of them. Even if BMW bring in their 1, they can justify it as the only sporty RWD hatchback but the A is FWD and absolutely makes no sense whatsoever
	() Thanks

29th March 2010, 18:41	#15
hanmust Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Calicut Posts: 2,481 Thanked: 265 Times View My Garage	When I contacted MB India, they told till now there is no confirmation on the new A-class launch in India.
	() Thanks