Banks on model to combat growing threat from BMW.
When demand and production for BMW cars went through the roof a little over two years ago, its compatriot Daimler (owner of Mercedes) looked unperturbed.
Gradually, BMW scaled up its production to nearly 3,000 units from 1,700 units per year in less than two years, dethroning Mercedes-Benz as the top luxury car manufacturer in India.
| THE ALL-NEW E-CLASS |
| * Most advanced E-class ever built |
| * Has an improved suspension system in which the shock absorbers automatically adjust to the driving situation |
| * Is 23% more fuel efficient than the outgoing model |
| * Adaptive main beam assist (optional) uses a camera on the windscreen to recognise oncoming traffic and control the headlamps' glare |
Now, Mercedes is busy clearing the decks for the launch of the all-new E-class — the model which has outperformed all its other models in India before it was overtaken by the new C-class launched last year.
The new E-class, which Mercedes is heavily banking upon to take up the battle with BMW, will be seen in showrooms on September 23, even as company executives decline to reveal its pricing details. The current E-class is sold in the range of Rs 38-43.5 lakh, the production of which has been stopped by the company.
The new car, as the company explains, will be the most advanced E-class ever built, complete with features like the improved suspension system whose shock absorbers automatically adjust to the driving situation, even as it delivers 23 per cent more fuel efficiency than the outgoing model.
In addition, the adaptive main beam assist (optional) uses a camera on the windscreen to recognise oncoming traffic and vehicles moving ahead and controls the headlamps so that their glare doesn’t impede other vehicles.
Further, the E-class also packs in a lane safety package, including a blind spot assist feature and lane departure warning systems that causes the steering wheel to vibrate gently if it detects the car is leaving its lane.
“The new features on the E-class have helped it become successful in almost all major markets across the globe. This model will bring healthy volumes to us (in India) and help us achieve the numero uno position once again,” a senior executive of Mercedes-Benz said.
The new E-class will compete against the 5-series of BMW in terms of power, performance, styling and price, as is the case in most developed markets internationally.
Tough competition saw sales of Mercedes slide by 28 per cent to 1,606 units (as against 2,057 units) during the January-July period, while BMW sales stood at 2,008 units — a growth of 14 per cent over the 1,763 units reported in the same period last year, according to data available with industry body Siam.
This is for the first time ever that Mercedes has been pipped from the top slot in India ever since it began local manufacturing operations.
Meanwhile, after launching a barrage of models in the local market recently, BMW is working towards nearly doubling its dealership outlets in the country by the end of next year.
“We launched the 3-series, the 7-series, the X3 diesel and the X6 this year. We will be launching the Z4 (convertible) next month. We are currently present in 12 cities and will add 10 more by the end of 2010,” a spokesperson said.
“We aren’t looking at the discount model to sell our cars, but we offer other minor finance-related packages like insurance covering even the car’s tyres, which no other insurance companies offers. Furthermore, we will be launching the BMW India financial services by the middle of next year, which will be a non-banking finance company and a 100 per cent subsidiary of BMW,” the spokesperson added.
