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I seriously doubt if merc will bring in the A class. They are more concerned in gaining a foothold in the luxury sedan market where they have been losing to their compatriots (BMW and Audi). So they may prefer to divert funds in beefing up their existing line up in the C, E and S class . The A class would be a lifestyle car and it will not sell.

I do agree but the Beetle and 500 are better choices. Better still, the 320D CE is not too far away either

The current Mercedes Benz A-Class was not conceptualized for a market like India, but the one that’s coming up the next few years could have been/could be designed for countries like India where the chance for premium hatchbacks to blossom is burgeoning.

Rumor has it the new Front and Four Wheel drive MFA (Modular Front antrieb) platform that underpin the next generation A-Class, will also form the basis for on an entry-level Infinity if the Renault-Daimler deal comes through.

The A-Class is a sub 4-meter hatchback with engine displacements of 1.5-liters and above. Autobild reports the next generation A-Class will be longer and lower (read as more leg room) to help lower the centre of gravity which in turn will aid handling. If this bit of news is true, we’ve lost hopes of the A-Class qualifying as a small car in India and availing excise benefits.

What we are happy about though, is the A-Class being more driver-centric. It also looks like a proper hatchback (and unlike a plump Smart Fortwo). The car, according to the Autobild report will be launched in October 2012.

Source – Benz Insider

That was my initial thought BUT if BMW can bring their small car, if VW can bring their beetle, Fiat 500 etc - Merc can bring this car without a second thought.

They have established themselves years before others made it here. More over, a Merc is like a status symbol in India. I am sure they will have heaps of customers waiting for this car. Now, why do you think they wouldn't introduce this car in India?

From the pics, the design have close resemblence with the current BMW 1-series :)

I am not sure if you are referring to Mini Cooper as BMW's small car. Mini is essentially a different brand, owned by the BMW group. So unlike a beetle or 500 (for VW and Fiat respectively), it does not qualify as a BMW small car. And the Merc A-class is not a cult model like the Beetle, F500 or the Mini.

Naah, I don't buy that the A-Class is coming to India anytime soon. I'm seeing a lot of references to the Beetle & the 500 here. See, there's a subtle yet significant difference between these two iconic cars and the A-Class.

a) The Beetle & 500 were "halo" cars....whose only purpose was to build a certain image around the VW / Fiat brand. An image which will, hopefully, rub off on their cheaper cars. Take the case of the A-Class and it will be the cheapest Merc in India! Fact is, all of their other cars are priced ABOVE the A-Class (unlike the Beetle / 500).

b) The A-Class is hardly an icon.

More suitable halo cars for Mercedes are the S Class, AMGs, SLR etc.

I don't buy it either. The only thin that is really Merc about the A-class is the badge on the front. Apart from that there is no great sense of being in a luxury car.

(Err... I speak of the original A-class; things might have changed)

Some years back, in UK, Easy RentACar launched with a fleet, exclusively, of leased A-classes. Possibly they accounted for the great majority of A-classes on British roads. They set up the business kind-of like a bare-bones airline: you booked online, picked up the car from one of their depots, a tiny office with a queue and very basic service levels. There was a sliding scale rental basis, too, and if one booked far enough in advance it could be absurdly cheap. Seriously cheaper than owning a car!

I was a fairly regular customer for a while, and booked a car for a period of several weeks over one christmas. Although it was strictly you-get-the-next-car, whatever, with an expression of unguaranteed preference, only, available for manual or auto --- I said to the guy, it's a long hire, give me a nice one! He looked it his computer, and told me... it's the oldest car on the the fleet, but you can have a 190 auto, if you want it... Made my day! Made my weeks, in fact! Small car, close to 2 litres of engine, auto box, cruise control... I loved it!

Early A-classes, though, were not up to usual Merc standards and had a few problems with rattles and suspension noises. One of my rentals was returned for exchange after just driving round the blonk, clunking loudly over every bump.

The point of this ramble is... I'd love one, as a good, solid small car is my ideal, but I never could afford one then, and I certainly won't be able to when and if it hits India.

By the way: you could configure the interior for passengers and goods in dozens of ways. You could actually remove every seat but the driver's seat! It was remarkably high, too: a mini-SUV!

Supporting to my statement CarTradersIndia announced that MBIL has no plan to bring A-Class to India. Here is the link: Mercedes Turns Down A-Class Model Proposal for Indian Market | CarTradeIndia.com

Exactly, If I remember it correctly, mercedes has been saying so since 1999 or 2000(or was it 1997)!!!

Let me also add that with the floorpan architecture. The ancilliaaries like power steering pump, alternator etc are located well under the engine. It will not last our monsoons. And changing a clutch? The engine needs to come out

It's to be expected. This car would have no appeal to the Indian Merc buyer, and would be fantastically overpriced to the Indian hatchback buyer.

Interesting points, ajmat. Perhaps I'm not so sorry that, back in UK, I couldn't even afford a second-hand one.

There is no market for utterly expensive hatches in India, people wont buy the Jazz because it is a lakh or more expensive than its competitors, why would anyone buy a hatch for 20L ? And Merc's reputation ? It is already killed by Audi and BMW. The only people buying Beetles/Bravias and 500s are rich teenage daughters of high profile businessmen since they want a 'cute' car, I am sure no one amongst us would like to be seen driving around in such a thing.

An Audi spokesperson said recently about the A3 that India is not ready for such cars yet, the day Indian people will accept luxury hatches, we will launch the A3.

Very well agree, our market will need some more time to warm up to expensive hatchbacks

Just read a first drive report of the new Merc A Class by Adil Darukhanawala on the Economic Times website. The car looks a real cracker IMO - a truly big hatch. Some great pics. He talks of a mid 2013 launch in India.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class: First Drive - The Economic Times

(Mods - please merge if there exists a similar thread. I couldn't find any)

Even if it does launch, I doubt it'll be much lesser than 20lakh. I wonder if our market is ready for it yet. Look at the X1, even that does not sell too much, as far as I know.