[Scorcher]

Moderator Note: Our Official Review of the Mercedes A-Class is now online : link


Found these pics of the all-new Merc A-Class undergoing tests in India.

Looks promising!
Source

Unlike the Mercedes B Class, which is only launched with a petrol engine, Mercedes India will launch the A Class with a 1.8-litre turbo-diesel motor that has 134 ponies roaming the crankshaft, mated to a 7 speed dual clutch transmission.

[INNOVATOR]

Any idea what the pricing would be?
Anything under 15 Lakhs for the oil burner and I would be the first in line on launch date ... but that is too much to expect from Benz...

[amitg79]

What an absolute beaut!
Its got that classic roadster poise. Long hood, squat stance....

If Merc prices it around the 16 - 18 lakh mark, yum!

[YashD]

This car looks super hot! If the price is around 18-20 lakhs. I am surely gonna buy it. Just hope the specifications are good. Just hope it gets A200 CDI Blue EFFICIENCY engine producing 136 PS of power.

[el lobo 6061]

Good to see Merc being serious about Indian market with a slew of launches. Merc is trying to to target mass market with A & B Class. But with A & B class they did be selling more Merc than ever before, with everyone thinking "Why not a Merc for less than 20 lac". Hope they have the infrastructure to handle the extra load and shouldn't become like VW which is having a back log at their workshops of 15-21 days given their mass market model Polo & Vento.

Just my 2p.

[MHG]

I hope Merc sticks to being a Merc in India. Holding the image of a "Luxury" car maker, they're expected to ensure that all their cars come with all the basic safety and comfort features which are sadly a "Luxury" in India. Even for the base variant, they shouldn't skimp on things like a good ICE, ABS+EBD+TC+ESP, 7 airbags, etc. Instead for variant differentiation, they could launch versions with and without a DSG gearbox and variants with and without sun roof.

And yeah, along with higher sales volume (if all goes well, we can expect sales of Mercedes-Benz India to rival that of smaller players in the Indian auto market like Skoda atleast - hope GTO includes them in his monthly sales charts next time) they need to ensure that their infrastructure supports it.

I don't think handling A-Class and B-Class would be THAT big an issue but any cheaper cars and they're digging their own grave. Instead they should bring anything cheaper through their Indian partner, Force Motors.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by MHG

I hope Merc sticks to being a Merc in India. Holding the image of a "Luxury" car maker, they're expected to ensure that all their cars come with all the basic safety and comfort features which are sadly a "Luxury" in India. Even for the base variant, they shouldn't skimp on things like a good ICE, ABS+EBD+TC+ESP, 7 airbags, etc. Instead for variant differentiation, they could launch versions with and without a DSG gearbox and variants with and without sun roof.

Even though a small car, I guess the A-Class will still have all the bells and whistles associated with a Merc. The car looks great (from the international drive reports), and I don’t expect it to be cheap. It should be in the 15-20 lakhs bracket to start with. Good to see Merc getting younger

[vij]

Originally Posted by MHG

I don't think handling A-Class and B-Class would be THAT big an issue but any cheaper cars and they're digging their own grave. Instead they should bring anything cheaper through their Indian partner, Force Motors.

I really dont care what they are digging, if it gets me a decent compact merc <20L otr

Guys, when is this expected - any real reports. I can wait if its <6-8 months - I probably will wait even if its longer, but hopefully it wont get pushed to 2014. Also all this based on the expectation that OTR in hyd is not more than 20-21L (taxes are similar to Mumbai here).

[Omtoatom]

What a glorious looking automobile from the company that dubs itself as 'the future of the automobile'! Fitting, ain't it?!

Great scoop scorcher, thanks. Now MB India; just don't skimp on the goodies, price her competitively and you could have a potential winner!

[supremeBaleno]

Damn. I saw this car today morning on Sterling Road (bang opposite Loyola college) going in the opposite direction. And was wondering what model it is, since I could not see the rear in traffic. BTW, it looked good. Was a silver color car.

[Shreyas Aterkar]

Thanks Scorcher! Very good looking car indeed! Alloys are even better. GReat scoop. Lets see where do they price it, if priced competitively, it will be an instant hit.

[vij]

The base petrol B Class and the base Diesel A class are both priced at 21.2k pounds OTR in UK. So if they are only going to be bringing the diesel model here it could touch 20L ex showroom or maybe match the petrol B class price here too like it is in UK

But the B class that is priced ~21.5L in India is not the basic variant is it ?

[GTO]

Mod Note : New scoop pics & discussion moved out to a fresh thread. Older A-Class thread closed.

[rajeev k]

Me too came across a small white Merc last Saturday night at around 2130 hrs on the Ernakulam bypass road near Oberon Mall and though traffic was spartan I couldn't make out the exact model. It had temporary plates.

[Scorcher]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Me too came across a small white Merc last Saturday night at around 2130 hrs on the Ernakulam bypass road and though traffic was spartan I couldn't make out. It had temp plates.

You most probably saw this, the new B-Class.