[Urban_Nomad]

Great Scoop. As many have mentioned, pricing has to be sitting a couple or so lacs below the 20 lac mark for it to garner decent numbers. And (its a big and), a diesel mill please.

Originally Posted by S350L-E240

Yes now every Mercedes is Korean, a huge step back, I don't know why will anyone anymore buy a Mercedes? Maybe thats why they are planning to get the A-Class and B-Class to compete with i10 and i20?

Jokes and sarcasm apart, could it not be that it's an original theme? Could it not be that perhaps a few wonderful Korean designers worked on it? Or is it that Korean and their designers lack any skills? Can Korea not have it's own unique culture? Can Germans not think out of a box? If anyone thinks out of a Box does it automatically skip a few nations and go onto Korea? Why not Russian? Thai? Malay? or anything else?

Dont care about any of that. Like many here, I dont think it is doing much for me in the looks department. Thats the only opinion that matters to me.

And yes, it definitely looks "fluidic".

[PSOPS]

Its intresting to see how people are opting for the bigger Small Cars like the i20, Fabia and Figo and I know some who have shifted from Sedans to these luxurious cars

And now I can see its gonna clearly happen even in the luxury segment where people would like to prefer cars like the B Class which will still have the basic ethos of a Mercedes but in a new form. So we have the best of Safety , Comfort , Quality and Space... Would be worth the amount being spent.

[Vid6639]

If they price it sensibly, increase the clearance a bit (as it looks really low right now) it could be a better option than the X1. It has more space inside, can definitely take 5 unlike the 4 seaters C class, 3 series and X1 and is a little more practical.

Engine options might be a problem since all engine options are rather small.

[GunMo]

Originally Posted by GTO

Can a (relatively) utilitarian looking Mercedes command a 15 - 20 lakh price? Indians don't like paying top looking money for MPV-ish vehicles (just ask the Aria).

Originally Posted by suhaas307

A country where people spend 20-30 lakhs and expect a long spacious sedan or a rugged big butch SUV. Not a hatchback.

Why do you think so GTO, Suhaas? I think MB will package this as a crossover / mini-SUV. If done correctly, it surely will have takers.

Right here in T-BHP itself we have a worship group for Yeti (me inclusive )! I'm sure this MB-B will take a slice out of that if packaged & priced well.

I hope it comes with diesel engine either from starting or soon after initial intro with petrol - i.e., if they want to see volumes.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by GunMo

Why do you think so GTO, Suhaas? I think MB will package this as a crossover / mini-SUV. If done correctly, it surely will have takers.

Right here in T-BHP itself we have a worship group for Yeti (me inclusive )! I'm sure this MB-B will take a slice out of that if packaged & priced well.

I hope it comes with diesel engine either from starting or soon after initial intro with petrol - i.e., if they want to see volumes.

This is a much smaller car than the Yeti.

The Yeti is a mini cross-over of sorts. I like it too. I think it makes a lot of sense for a family of 4 that do long journeys once in a while.

The B-Class though, doesn't look like a Yeti sized car. I don't think it'll be much bigger than the Ertiga to be honest.

Agreed, it will have the gizmos and gadgetry, not to mention the Merc badge, but it will cost a lot more than 20 lakhs on the road. You could probably get a Yeti and another small car like the Micra or Brio, for the price you pay for the Merc.

They'd also argue that for 25-30 lakhs, they could get a Passat that would serve their needs much better. Heck, even the Superb gets plenty attention. Just look at that long wheel-base, reminiscent of Limousines.

At least, that's how most Indians would look at it. Maxing your value for your buck.

Sure, there will be that crowd who genuinely see practicality in a B. It's all about priorities at the end of the day.

But in our Indian market, large hatchbacks haven't gained popularity and therefore, companies seldom tread into that segment. We've had a few hatchbacks that have tested the waters, but most of them are just 'halo' models that are supposed to get the brand recognized on an International level, like the VW Beetle or the Fiat 500 for example.

Getting back to the topic, if Mercedes introduces the B here, they're probably not looking at volumes at the moment, so they won't expect it to set the sales charts on fire. But once the segment grows, they are certainly going to look at volumes. After all, it is a business.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

This is a much smaller car than the Yeti.

The Yeti is a mini cross-over of sorts. I like it too. I think it makes a lot of sense for a family of 4 that do long journeys once in a while.

The B-Class though, doesn't look like a Yeti sized car. I don't think it'll be much bigger than the Ertiga to be honest.

Yeti length - 4223mm
Ertiga length - 4265mm
B class length - 4379mm

The Yeti is the smallest of the lot. The Ertiga is more spacious inside and out than the Yeti and this is even bigger.

I thing it will easily more spacious than the X1 since it has a MPV cab forward stance.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Yeti length - 4223mm
Ertiga length - 4265mm
B class length - 4379mm

The Yeti is the smallest of the lot. The Ertiga is more spacious inside and out than the Yeti and this is even bigger.

Shouldn't have jumped guns there.

I stand corrected!

Originally Posted by Vid6639

thing it will easily more spacious than the X1 since it has a MPV cab forward stance.

So it isn't a bad proposition then. But for 25-30 lakhs?

It seems like a more practical alternative to a A4/3/C. And how many people are going to head that direction, only time will tell I suppose.

But image will still play a huge factor right? Among those who have 30 lakhs ONLY to spend on a car, and arguably the main car in the household?

[mohandasnikhil]

I think I'm pretty sold on the B Class. I remember riding in them (as taxis) in Sweden. They were the older models, but were extremely spacious, comfortable seats and decent Interiors. Given a choice between the B and C I'd pick the B Class. The C is just too cramped in the rear!

[sgiitk]

I am waiting for the B-Klasse and even more so the A-Klasse. Only hope the maintenance costs are also reasonable, not the 20k+ for a routine service for the C-class.

[SiddVish]

I dont think this car would be aimed at the person who wants to spend their 20 lakhs on a luxury ride that complements their daily drive. They want this to be more of a daily drive that compliments your luxury ride. You got the comfort of your executive saloon while the compact dimensions needed for our cities. If I remember right there was a study by some German auto company that found that nearly all their customers also owned i20s and such for everyday use ( surprise surprise ). I believe that market of everyday drives is what they are trying to break into.

[PSOPS]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Yeti length - 4223mm
Ertiga length - 4265mm
B class length - 4379mm

The Yeti is the smallest of the lot. The Ertiga is more spacious inside and out than the Yeti and this is even bigger.

I thing it will easily more spacious than the X1 since it has a MPV cab forward stance.

Hey Vid6639 , that comparison was a nice comparison. I did a quick check on the dimentions and here are the details.




I got the dimentions from each of brochures and realized this is bigger on width too and Height too. So its Longer and Wider than a given SUV and MUV


It is bigger than a SUV and a MUV so it would be a Big Class and not just the B-Class that we know of .

[karpusv]

The Interior packaging and positioning of this product are very important.
If positioned as a premium lifestyle hatch/small mpv, I see no reason why Daddy's who gift a C Class to their Daughters shouldn't buy this!

The space inside is likely to be much better than an Ertiga. Also, if Merc can pull of the premium feel, it is likely to do some decent numbers here.

They need to get their comminication and target right at first go. And yes, add price to that. Ex Showroom ~18 and it could work magic for them.

Regarding the effect on the MB image, well masses were never so happy to get their hands on premium stuff. What with rising disposable income!

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by karpusv

The Interior packaging and positioning of this product are very important.

They need to get their comminication and target right at first go. And yes, add price to that. Ex Showroom ~18 and it could work magic for them.

I absolutely agree with your first statement that Mercedes-Benz should get the positioning and marketing of the B-Class spot on in India. Otherwise, it stands a risk of losing its identity as a mini van. Being taller, longer and wider than Skoda Yeti and Maruti-Suzuki Ertiga and comparable in size to the BMW X1, I think the B-Class would have oodles of space for 5 inside. For those who needs practicality and comfort along with brand image and luxury, the B-Class would be a perfect fit. I can't wait to see how the Indian market responds to this effort from Mercedes-Benz.

Having said that, launching this at an ex-showroom price of 18 Lacs is next to impossible. Remember that the MFA-architecture based A-Class is coming next year to fill that space. B-Class would definitely be above 20 Lacs. In fact, the initial lot being CBUs, expect the prices to be much higher.

[S350L-E240]

This entire discussion about B-Class at 18 Lacs need to stop, it's not happening and will cause a lot of people who read in between lines to think it's coming.

The B may do well or may not, but at 22 it's a pretty large car and has a much better and pleasing interior and to keep comparing it to the X1 is unfair as even the base X1 is about 25.xx Ex-Showroom and we all know how bad it feels when you sit in it. B will feel a lot more premium. Nor are these cars going to change the perception of the Brand, anyone who wants to buy an SLS will go ahead and buy it and not be bothered about the A140 parked in the lane.

And as CBU MB India will absorb the cost of duty until CKD kits start so like I said multiple times price will not change.

Regards,

[avishar]

Its going to be the very interesting as to how the customer perceives this car.At first scoffed at the idea of a Mercedes hatchback at 20+ lakhs(although i think the B-class,refreshingly good!),but Indians being Indians,we want bang for our buck.The VW Bug,and Mini still has that tag of "cool" attached them,which goes someway in justifying their exorbitant price tags.

But i have been thinking that they can corner a large part of the late twenties,early thirties,DINK market,who not only want the all the perks of owning a Merc(read build quality,solidity,safety,status) but till now have refrained from doing so,because they have been put off by the high entry prices,the attention that comes from owning a C-Class,along with the "older owner" image of a merc.If the can convince that group,this car is going to sell very well!