New Merc C class on its way!

a4_attitude · 30th August 2007, 15:34

Good news for Merc lovers, DaimlerChrysler India to launch new Mercedes C-class in 2008
21 August 2007

Shot at 2007-08-30

Pune: DaimlerChrysler India (DCI) proposes to launch the new C-class Mercedes in the country sometime early next year. The car was launched in Europe earlier this year.

The company says it aims to bring in its latest international product offering into the country, in the least possible time. In line with this plan, DCI is looking at an early introduction of the recently launched new C-class, and expects to offer it in India by the first quarter of 2008.

The car has been given a complete makeover, along with some additional features. It will also witness a mark-up in price as compared to the existing C-class price of Rs24-26.4 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai). It will be the third C-class, to be manufactured at Pune, after the C 200 Kompressor and the C-220 CDI.

DCI also manufactures three versions of the E-class and two models in the S series in India in addition to marketing several completely built up units.

What is noteworthy is that amongst all of the company's luxury car offerings, the top-end model, the S-class, is the one that has been witnessing maximum growth in the first seven months of the current year. According to company numbers, while 248 units of the S-class were sold through all of last year, January to July 2007 saw its sales surge to 235. The corresponding sales for the C-class were 883 (against 484 sold this year), while the E-class sold 914 units last year (671 in 2007 so far).

Source
domain-B : Indian business : companies : DaimlerChrysler India Ltd : DaimlerChrysler India to launch new Mercedes C-class in 2008

Cheers
Wadhwa Ajay

Sahil · 30th August 2007, 15:40

This news has been around for a while, some claim the new C will debut by this year end itself.

Whats striking in this article is the sales figures of the S-class 235 units in 6 months is pretty impressive for a car with such a hefty price tag.
I wonder why MBIL does not start manufacturing the S here to bring down price and boost sales even more!

a4_attitude · 30th August 2007, 15:45

Just thinking if they launch S at lower price may be people who have bought the S class may not buy... heheh

a4_attitude · 30th August 2007, 16:11

Just found another interesting link on C class
Mercedes-Benz UK - Passenger Cars - New cars - New C-Class Saloon

GTO · 30th August 2007, 17:24

Thats more than one 80 lakh S-Class sold per day! Nice reception to a brilliant machine.

speedy · 30th August 2007, 18:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Thats more than one 80 lakh S-Class sold per day! Nice reception to a brilliant machine.

thats around 95 lacs for the S CLASS GTO.
my brother was told to expect the new C class by november or december max and was asked to wait for it. this is when he went to take dilivery of the E 280cdi around two weeks ago.

a4_attitude · 30th August 2007, 18:40

but new c class is expected in between 24-25,, its worth it

Mpower · 30th August 2007, 21:00

Is the current C still availabe in India or has production stopped. Any model closeout discounts?

speedy · 30th August 2007, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by a4_attitude

but new c class is expected in between 24-25,, its worth it

it is definately worth every penny but i would still like to see the normal c class as most of the pictures are of the sports.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

Is the current C still availabe in India or has production stopped. Any model closeout discounts?

they are still selling the current c class and would fase it out when the new c class arrives in december. no discount has been announced as yet (thats the first thing my brother asked).

Nattusbs · 30th August 2007, 22:42

Based on my experience I am now skeptical whenever a new model is introduced in a market. Let me explain.

Back in September 2000, MBenz USA introduced the new C320. I was in the market for an E-class, but, one of my friends told me to look up the latest Auto magazine that had the picture of the new C-320 - gosh the front lights looked like the S-class. And it was $12K cheaper than the E-320, same engine,but slightly smaller in size. No worries. I called up the dealer here in the Bay area and found out that they were taking bookings for the first shipment from Germany into California (comes by ship). I looked at the options, and found that most of the orders for the first shipment were already spoken for. Luckily I found one that had the exact color I wanted (called Desert Silver in the MB lingo - I shall post a pic later) and most of the options too. Now, there was not even a model in the showroom to look at, forget about test driving one. Due to the reputation of Benz, I put my name and in 2 weeks they called to say the car was ready for pickup.

I enjoyed the car and slowly found all kinds of problems, a lot to do with the electronics. I have had so many problems including the serpentine belt snapping while driving on the freeway at 80 mph - I was lucky.

Anyway, my thesis is that let any new model hit the road and let the bugs comes out. It does not matter how long a new model (in say US or India) has been available in the country of manufacture (say Germany in this case) - the road conditions, climate and adherence to local specification, regulations are all different. The manufacturer will take 6 months to find out all this (say recalls, complaints, warranty issues)and solutions will be found and upgrades made. Then it is time to buy it. Plus you get to test drive it before buying it (very important IMO for say possibility of blind spots that I am picky about - this will vary from car to car).

Cheers

Nattusbs

Sahil · 30th August 2007, 23:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

Is the current C still availabe in India or has production stopped. Any model closeout discounts?

I am sure there are some serious discounts for the closeout. MB is famous for outrageous discounts before a new model is expected. Morevoer the 3 series is eating up their market share.
Just call a few dealers and bargain hard you are sure to get a handsome amount off. I remember the closeout for the prevous generation S-class was 9 lakhs discount!

Mayavi · 31st August 2007, 00:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nattusbs

Based on my experience I am now skeptical whenever a new model is introduced in a market. Let me explain.

What you said is true, but I am afraid it only applies to design and not quality. No new offerings of Honda, Toyota or BMW ever had quality issues but the merc of 2000 - 2006 is different. It had quality issues with its C and S classes which only showed up after a year or so into production. But now you can safely put your deposit on the New C. Quality issues with the C class are a thing of past.

iraghava · 31st August 2007, 00:51

And don't forget that the initial ML & A-classes were also of horrid quality with problems galore. It wasn't really much to do with a particular model but more to do with the whole company & their quality standards.

speedzak · 31st August 2007, 00:55

The quality issue was a prime reason of sacking of it's then CEO. Now it is a thing of past.

doctorkats · 31st August 2007, 02:46

whats with all these luxury car makers doing away with the hood ornaments?
IMO they looked so classy.
the jag looked superb with it and merc looks smooth with its three pointed star jetting out.

30th August 2007, 15:34	#1
a4_attitude BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 508 Thanked: 101 Times View My Garage	New Merc C class on its way! Good news for Merc lovers, DaimlerChrysler India to launch new Mercedes C-class in 2008 21 August 2007 Shot at 2007-08-30 Pune: DaimlerChrysler India (DCI) proposes to launch the new C-class Mercedes in the country sometime early next year. The car was launched in Europe earlier this year. The company says it aims to bring in its latest international product offering into the country, in the least possible time. In line with this plan, DCI is looking at an early introduction of the recently launched new C-class, and expects to offer it in India by the first quarter of 2008. The car has been given a complete makeover, along with some additional features. It will also witness a mark-up in price as compared to the existing C-class price of Rs24-26.4 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai). It will be the third C-class, to be manufactured at Pune, after the C 200 Kompressor and the C-220 CDI. DCI also manufactures three versions of the E-class and two models in the S series in India in addition to marketing several completely built up units. What is noteworthy is that amongst all of the company's luxury car offerings, the top-end model, the S-class, is the one that has been witnessing maximum growth in the first seven months of the current year. According to company numbers, while 248 units of the S-class were sold through all of last year, January to July 2007 saw its sales surge to 235. The corresponding sales for the C-class were 883 (against 484 sold this year), while the E-class sold 914 units last year (671 in 2007 so far). Source domain-B : Indian business : companies : DaimlerChrysler India Ltd : DaimlerChrysler India to launch new Mercedes C-class in 2008 Cheers Wadhwa Ajay
	() Thanks

30th August 2007, 15:40	#2
Sahil Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 6,292 Thanked: 7,605 Times	This news has been around for a while, some claim the new C will debut by this year end itself. Whats striking in this article is the sales figures of the S-class 235 units in 6 months is pretty impressive for a car with such a hefty price tag. I wonder why MBIL does not start manufacturing the S here to bring down price and boost sales even more!
	() Thanks

30th August 2007, 15:45	#3
a4_attitude BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 508 Thanked: 101 Times View My Garage	Just thinking if they launch S at lower price may be people who have bought the S class may not buy... heheh
	() Thanks

30th August 2007, 16:11	#4
a4_attitude BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 508 Thanked: 101 Times View My Garage	Just found another interesting link on C class Mercedes-Benz UK - Passenger Cars - New cars - New C-Class Saloon
	() Thanks

30th August 2007, 17:24	#5
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,480 Thanked: 300,240 Times View My Garage	Thats more than one 80 lakh S-Class sold per day! Nice reception to a brilliant machine.
	() Thanks

30th August 2007, 18:40	#7
a4_attitude BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 508 Thanked: 101 Times View My Garage	but new c class is expected in between 24-25,, its worth it
	() Thanks

30th August 2007, 21:00	#8
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,409 Thanked: 1,729 Times View My Garage	Is the current C still availabe in India or has production stopped. Any model closeout discounts?
	() Thanks

30th August 2007, 22:42	#10
Nattusbs BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Costa Mesa Posts: 55 Thanked: 0 Times	Based on my experience I am now skeptical whenever a new model is introduced in a market. Let me explain. Back in September 2000, MBenz USA introduced the new C320. I was in the market for an E-class, but, one of my friends told me to look up the latest Auto magazine that had the picture of the new C-320 - gosh the front lights looked like the S-class. And it was $12K cheaper than the E-320, same engine,but slightly smaller in size. No worries. I called up the dealer here in the Bay area and found out that they were taking bookings for the first shipment from Germany into California (comes by ship). I looked at the options, and found that most of the orders for the first shipment were already spoken for. Luckily I found one that had the exact color I wanted (called Desert Silver in the MB lingo - I shall post a pic later) and most of the options too. Now, there was not even a model in the showroom to look at, forget about test driving one. Due to the reputation of Benz, I put my name and in 2 weeks they called to say the car was ready for pickup. I enjoyed the car and slowly found all kinds of problems, a lot to do with the electronics. I have had so many problems including the serpentine belt snapping while driving on the freeway at 80 mph - I was lucky. Anyway, my thesis is that let any new model hit the road and let the bugs comes out. It does not matter how long a new model (in say US or India) has been available in the country of manufacture (say Germany in this case) - the road conditions, climate and adherence to local specification, regulations are all different. The manufacturer will take 6 months to find out all this (say recalls, complaints, warranty issues)and solutions will be found and upgrades made. Then it is time to buy it. Plus you get to test drive it before buying it (very important IMO for say possibility of blind spots that I am picky about - this will vary from car to car). Cheers Nattusbs
	() Thanks

31st August 2007, 00:51	#13
iraghava Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bhaiyyaland Posts: 8,033 Thanked: 265 Times View My Garage	And don't forget that the initial ML & A-classes were also of horrid quality with problems galore. It wasn't really much to do with a particular model but more to do with the whole company & their quality standards.
	() Thanks

31st August 2007, 00:55	#14
speedzak BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: India Posts: 4,347 Thanked: 27 Times	The quality issue was a prime reason of sacking of it's then CEO. Now it is a thing of past.
	() Thanks

31st August 2007, 02:46	#15
doctorkats BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 315 Thanked: 2 Times	whats with all these luxury car makers doing away with the hood ornaments? IMO they looked so classy. the jag looked superb with it and merc looks smooth with its three pointed star jetting out.
	() Thanks

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