Mercedes-Benz's lack of an entry-level luxury car in the Indian market will soon be a thing of the past. Right now, it only has the C-Class in its arsenal to take on the fight with its competitors - BMW, MINI and Audi. Boosting the choice within its portfolio, but at lower price points, will be new models starting first with the B-Class, which will be launched in September / October this year.
Later, by early 2014, the new A-Class will join the team here and the new compact sedan (supposedly called the CLA) will also be part of the portfolio months later. These cars are expected to help Mercedes bridge the gap and attract a new class of customers who are currently not being catered to, due to the price barrier.
The first to join Mercedes-Benz India's new line-up will, of course, be the B-Class. With this ‘Sports Tourer’, which can also be viewed as a compact luxury MPV, the company will expect to create a new segment. Whichever way you look at it, the B-Class is likely to attract a lot of attention due to its unique body style. Mercedes officials say that the new B is likely to be priced in the region of Rs 25 lakh and that the company is very clear that though imported, the car will be priced in the same range as it would be if assembled locally.
That is good news and it is timely too, and it could enable Mercedes to take on competition from the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and the MINIs.
The B-Class has held a unique position in Mercedes-Benz's line-up globally. Like the CLS, it is one more of those body styles that Mercedes designers and engineers managed to mould to be special, to create a strong new sub-segment and eventually to be emulated. But, inside, the 'B' is based on the A-Class and even shares some of the smaller sibling's parts and features.
The B-Class has the classic Mercedes design lines all around it. Very MPV-like and hatchback-like traits are there, too, like the sharply rising A-pillar, the almost straight roofline and near vertical tailgate. This is possibly also the reason why these features make the B-Class look more like a large conventional hatchback when viewed up close. It is also not a midget in comparison to the next car in the Merc line-up. In fact, the B-Class' width and wheelbase are marginally higher than the C-Class'.
Short overhangs at the front and the rear, and the compact bonnet section are the characteristics that catch your eye first. As a result, the B-Class' front is strikingly Tourer like. Wrap-around headlamps with the classic Merc combination of lenses and LEDs, and the familiar bonnet grille design would have led you into thinking that it has more in common with the C-Class sedan. That is until you see the sharply rising bonnet slab that goes on to meet an equally sharply rising A-pillar. The wide bonnet creases and the two slatted grille in chrome with the three-pointed star in the middle visually enhances the B-Class' width and stance. The curvy, flared wheel-arches also add to this perception of width.
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