Mercedes-Benz A-Class Limousine launched, highlights: Price, specs & more
Mercedes-Benz India has driven in the A-Class Limousine in the Indian car market today with an eye out on first-time luxury car buyers as well as a younger demographic looking to make a statement through their vehicle. The A-Class Limousine packs in a whole lot of features inside its well-appointed cabin and while its looks may be a tad understated, it could sit well at the entry-level luxury sedan segment.
Mercedes saw its CLA faring reasonably well in the Indian market but it is the A-Class Limousine which now seeks to build on the success. It is a new car with new set of promises and much of its success would also depend on how well it is priced.
Here are the highlights from the launch of Mercedes A-Class Limousine:
1250 hrs: Mercedes A-Class Limousine has been launched. Click here to read our full launch report of the sedan. That's all we have from the launch event.
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1246 hrs: Prices revealed - The Mercedes A-Class Limousine has been price at ₹39.90 lakh for A 200, ₹40.90 lakh for A 200d and ₹56.24 lakh for the AMG A 35 (ex showroom prices).
1245 hrs: Warranty on the A-Class - Mercedes-Benz is offering 8 years warranty on engine and transmission with the A-Class Limousine, an industry first.
1242 hrs: Making performance more accessible - The A 35 AMG will be the second locally-assembled AMG in India from Mercedes-Benz. The focus is on making performance more accessible.
1240 hrs: Mercedes says it expects 40% of customers of A-Class Limousine to be those already with luxury cars but 60% would be first-time buyers.
1235 hrs: Launch event begins - Prices for the Mercedes A-Class Limousine will be announced shortly as the digital live launch event begins.
1220 hrs: What is the price expectation for the A-Class Limo from Mercedes?
The pricing of the sedan could be crucial as Mercedes aims to take on a new set of audience. It is expected that the price could start at under ₹40 lakh.
1200 hrs: How much boot space?
There's between 390 litres and 405 litres of boot space on offer on the Mercedes A-Class, depending on the powertrain one chooses.
1140 hrs: Opening up a new segment - With the A-Class Limousine, Mercedes-Benz is aiming straight at opening a new segment in the luxury space - of an entry-level luxury car - while promising to load up the product with all that one would expect from a Mercedes.
1120 hrs: Sprinting ability - The A-Class sedan can fire to 100 kmph in 4.8 seconds and has a top speed of 225 kmph.
1100 hrs: Have you checked out our drive review of the A-Class yet?
The sedan seeks to woo and wow its target audience with the promise of stylish looks on the outside, premium cabin within and decent drive dynamics. But does its promises hold weight? Read here
1040 hrs: Who are the target customers?
The A-Class Limo is looking at the first-time buyers looking at entering the luxury car space.
Second are buyers who may already have at least one other luxury car at home and are looking at buying another, possibly for younger members in the family.
1025 hrs: Body colour options - The Mercedes A-Class will be offered in five colour options - Mohave Silver, Grey, Black, Blue and Indium Silver.
1010 hrs: Spectacular cabin - The A-Class Limo sports a 10.25-inch infotainment screen which merges with another 10.25-inch driver display unit. Turbine-like air vents, latest MBUX system, ambient lights, walnut open pore trim and more highlight the cabin of the sedan.
0955 hrs: What makes the A-Class Limousine look stylish and youthful?
The sedan bears slight resemblance to the CLA it seeks to replace in the Indian car market. A singular chrome line on the front grille converges from either side into the iconic Merc tri-star and the sleek LED headlights with integrated DRLs sit on either side.
LED tail lights and a large rear window completes the back visual profile of the car. The The roof-line flows smooth on the side where the windows are outlined by a chrome border.
0935 hrs: Transmission options on the Mercedes A-Class -
The petrol version of the A-Class Limousine will get a seven-speed DCT box while the diesel one will get an eight-speed DCT unit.
0915 hrs: Engine options on the A-Class Limousine -
The sedan will get two engine options - a 1.3-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre diesel engine.
The former produces 161 bhp and has 250 Nm of torque on offer. The diesel engine produces 147 bhp and has 320 Nm of peak torque.
There is also a range-topping Mercedes-AMG A 35 which packs a 2.-litre turbo petrol which churns 302 bhp of power and has 400 Nm of max torque.
0910 hrs: Did you know? 53% of all Mercedes sold in India are sedans.
While there is a growing preference for SUVs here and in many parts of the world, Mercedes doesn't see the body style of sedans fading any time soon in India.
0905 hrs: Speaking to HT Auto at the test drive event organized for A-Class Limousine in Goa last month, Santosh Iyer, Vice President for Sales and Marketing, had explained just what A-Class Limo means to Mercedes. "The A-Class will create a different segment. Considering the customer perspective, we see two types of customer segment," he had said. "One chunk is the current luxury car owners looking at an additional car for their son, daughter or spouse. They want it to be a practical one. Then comes the second type of buyers who are first-time buyers in the luxury segment. (Full report here)
0900hrs: The A-Class Limousine will sit as the youngest member of the Mercedes sedan family but does share some of the genes with its elder siblings - C, E and even the S Class.
