After successfully launching 10 products in 2014, Mercedes-Benz Indias new strategy is 15 in 2015, where they will be launching 15 new models in India. Audi will be getting 10 new products this year, while the Stuttgart-based manufacturer has become a lot more aggressive and shall be introducing 15 models. We at MotorOctane, have done some homework and make a list of the vehicles that should make it to India this year.
Mercedes-Benz CLA:
CLA will be Mercedes-Benzs first launch of 2015. This will be the companys new entry-level sedan. The CLA is based on the MFA-platform, which is shared with the A-Class, B-Class and GLA. Hence, there is a similarly in styling be it the exterior or the interior. The CLA will be launched on the 22nd of January and this will be a CKD, hence it will be priced at about Rs 23-29 lakhs (ex-showroom). The CLA will be made available in CLA 200 (petrol with the same C-Class petrol engine) and the diesel will be CLA 200 CDI. This will be a 2.2-litre diesel engine that will produce 143bhp of power. It will directly compete with the Audi A3.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Diesel:
The C-Class launched last year was petrol and is a CBU, but now the C220 CDI will be made available in the coming months. The C220 CDI should be launched in the first quarter of 2015 and it will be assembled in the Chakan plant. This will help to reduce the price of the C-Class, which at the moment is exorbitant as it is CBU. Even the petrol shall be assembled in India.
More powerful A-Class:
The A-Class available at the moment are A180 and A180 CDI. Soon, a more powerful A-Class will be launched in the form of A200 CDI. As most of the competing cars with the A-Class offer more power, Mercedes-Benz wont want to have any kind of kink in its armour. So, the A-Class will be made available with two diesel options. But another good news is that the assembly of the A-Class should commence soon, as the Chakan plant production capacity will soon double from 10,000 to 20. Expect the A-Class to be launched in the first quarter of 2015. Once the assembly commences, we could expect the A-Class pricing to reduce by a couple of lakhs at least.
B-Class facelift:
The B-Class facelift has been pending for a while and this is another new product from the Mercedes-Benz line-up. The new B-Class will be made available with B180 and B200 CDI. There might not be a B180 CDI. The B-Class will get some cosmetic upgrades too and once the production of B-Class commences, it will see a dip in its pricing. This will be made available in the first half of 2015. The pricing of the B-Class will be reduced by Rs 3 lakhs.
S-Class hybrid:
The S-Class has been made available in India in the S350 and S500 avatar, but now the Stuttgart-based manufacturer will be introducing the S400 hybrid. This will be the same S-Class with all the luxury frills, however with a lesser carbon footprint. For all the tree-huggers, the S-hybrid will be another reason to buy the S-Class. The S-Class hybrid will cost somewhere around Rs 1.5 crores (ex-showroom).
E 400 Cabriolet:
The new E Cabriolet will be the E400 instead of the E350 like the previous version. The E 400 will be made available only in petrol and it will a complete body unit import. The E Cabriolet should be launched in the first half of 2014 and it will be priced at about Rs 65 lakhs (ex-showroom). We can also expect the cabriolet to come in the form of E250 CDI Cabriolet from what we understand.
AMG GT: The second product from Mercedes-AMG after the successful SLS AMG. The AMG GT is a sports car than a supercar, which can be used for daily driving. The AMG GT will be powered by a 4.0-litre V8 engine and it will produce about 560bhp of power. The AMG GT will priced at about Rs 2.5 crores (on-road) and will be made available in India by mid-2015.
2015 CLS-Class:
Mercedes-Benzs most stunning and gorgeous looking CLS will make its way into India in its latest avatar. The 2015 CLS does look stylish and with the new LED headlamps and design, the facelift gets that additional touch of glam. The CLS will be made available in CLS 350 and CLS 250 CDI. The CLS should be made available in the first half of 2015. It will be priced at about Rs 85-95 lakhs (ex-showroom).
GLE:
The facelift version of the ML-Class will be called as the GLE. This will be due to Mercedes-Benzs nomenclature. The facelift version of the ML will get the new design language that we are seeing on the new-generation cars. The pricing of the GLE will be about Rs 45-55 lakhs (ex-showroom). This will be made available in the second half of 2015 and it will be available with GLE 250 CDI and GLE 350 CDI engine options.
CLS 63 AMG:
The most gorgeous-looking car with an extremely powerful engine will be Mercedes-Benzs answer to the Audi RS 7. The CLS 63 AMG is powered by a 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 engine that produces in excess of 550bhp of power and 700Nm of torque. The CLS 63 AMG will be made available in India by mid-2015. The pricing of the CLS 63 AMG will be about Rs 1.5 crore (ex-showroom) and this will also be a CBU.
C63 AMG:
After the new C-Class, the C 63 AMG will be based on the same W205 platform. The C 63 AMG isnt just a new car but even the engine has been downsized. IT now has a 4.0-litre V8 bi-turbo engine that will produce about 550bhp of power. This is a part of the new-generation of AMG engines. The C 63 AMG will cost about Rs 1.3 crores (ex-showroom)
GLE-Coupe:
The newly showcased Mercedes-Benz will be launched globally in June 2015 and we can expect it to be launched in India by the end of this year. The GLE Coupe will be powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine and it will be sold under the moniker of GLE 350 CDI. This will be a CBU in the initial stage and it will be priced at about Rs 95 lakhs and later on we see a reduction in price once the assembly commences.
GLC:
The GLC will be the next-generation of GLK. This will be another major launch from Mercedes-Benz after the CLA this year. It will be placed between the GLA and the GLE and shall be made available with the same C-Class engine options. It will be the GLC 200 and GLC 220 CDI. It will be priced at about Rs 35-45 lakhs closing the gap between the other two SUVs.
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class:
The Maybach S-Class will be launched in other markets by this March. It should arrive in India by the end of this year or in the second half of 2015. The pricing of this Maybach will be about Rs 3-5 crores.
S-Coupe:
The coupe version of the S-Class should see the daylight in India sometime by the end of this year. It is another gorgeous looking coupe from the Mercedes-Benz stable. Though pricing of this will be on the higher side (Rs 1.6-2 crores)
Source : MotorOctane
