[.Albatross.]

Originally Posted by RakishRam

Great news...waiting for Audi, preferably a stripped down version in manual transmission mode



You kidding? Have a look at this thread..

Compare Civic'c last three months sales (644,538,738) v/s Atlis (924,863,983). Story of CRV is better not said v/s Fortuner
Honda's (76,129,66) v/s Toyota's (903,972,1095)

With due respect , I beg to differ with the figures. Fortuners sold in last 3 months as per you are 9,03,97,21,095. Isnt this the figure of all the cars ever built on Earth or maybe more than that.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

It's confirmed.

The new Mercedes C-Class has come in a stripped down trim called the "Executive".
No sunroof.
No beige interiors.
Orangish wood inserts.
Regular power steering.(the new C class has some different type of steering - forgot the name - but is supposed to be even smoother)
No parking sensors.
17 inch alloys with a regular disc as spare.
No chromes on the outside.
No projector headlamps/xenons.

on road price after insurance and RTO (totals to around 10%) comes to 26.40 Lacs (in indore)

Fantastic news indeed, thanks for confirming. I don't suppose anyone would miss those bells & whistles, as the 320D Corporate Ed has amply demonstrated.

Originally Posted by jkdas

Wow ! thanks BMW !

Thanks to BMW indeed (God bless competition). The entry level German luxury marques are finally getting back to where they really belong. I mean, 33 lakhs for a C Class, when they used to cost only 22 lakhs like 6 years back? Merc, BMW & Audi have artificially inflated prices over the years...good thing that BMW is so damn hungry for market-share & to maintain its position as the no.1 luxury car marque in India. As BMW did with trim levels & 5 year maintenance packages, it continues to lead the way.

Originally Posted by AlokSriva

Reason - these are stripped down versions of current models and do not carry the same level of bells and whistles as a normal version would.

Soon enough, one German will add equipment to their so-called Corporate / Executive editions. And the rest will have no choice but to follow. Any prizes for guessing who that will be?

[athul_S]

Originally Posted by .Albatross.

With due respect , I beg to differ with the figures. Fortuners sold in last 3 months as per you are 9,03,97,21,095. Isnt this the figure of all the cars ever built on Earth or maybe more than that.

Isnt it obvious that he meant Fortuner registered 903 in the first month, 972 in the second and 1095 in the third??

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by GTO

Soon enough, one German will add equipment to their so-called Corporate / Executive editions. And the rest will have no choice but to follow. Any prizes for guessing who that will be?

Wow!! that's too good a news! Seems I need to put any purchase decision in near future on hold and see how market shapes up

[RakishRam]

Originally Posted by .Albatross.

With due respect , I beg to differ with the figures. Fortuners sold in last 3 months as per you are 9,03,97,21,095. Isnt this the figure of all the cars ever built on Earth or maybe more than that.

Sorry, read it as Jan,Feb,Mar figures and yes, thanks for the sarcasm

[AyAn!]

So where does it leave cars like the Accord V6,Superb V6,Teana and Passat now? They hardly rack up numbers anyway! I'd say that the Honda,the Skoda and the Nissan still make more sense if the brand value is out of the equation.The Accord and the Superb for the power hungry,while the Teana simply for its stupendous interiors and anonymous exclusivity!

[aviral2122]

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

It's confirmed.

The new Mercedes C-Class has come in a stripped down trim called the "Executive".
No sunroof.
No beige interiors.
Orangish wood inserts.
Regular power steering.(the new C class has some different type of steering - forgot the name - but is supposed to be even smoother)
No parking sensors.
17 inch alloys with a regular disc as spare.
No chromes on the outside.
No projector headlamps/xenons.

on road price after insurance and RTO (totals to around 10%) comes to 26.40 Lacs (in indore)

17inchers are standard on the Avantgarde model only, they dont come as a part of the Classic & Elegance models so I don't think they will offer 17 inch alloys on this Trim, if and when it comes.

[jehangir]

Hey,

Here's an e-mail Metro-Motors sent me upon request. Its pretty much covered by you guys.
*note the replaced features*

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Karan Rajani" <karan.rajani@metromotors-autohangar.com>
To: <mehernosh.jamooji@metromotors-autohangar.com>
Date:
Subject: Re: FW: Confidential
Dear All,

Kindly note following are the changes made to the Mercedes-Benz W204 C-220 CDI "Executive Edition".

Features that have been removed are as follows:
1. Sunroof
2. Anti-theft Package ( includes internal motion sensor & tow away protection )
3. Paramatric Steering Wheel
4. Multifunctional Steering Wheel
5. Gear Selector not in leather
6. Xenon Headlamps
7. Parktronics
8. LED turn indicators
9. Mobile Pre-installation

Features that have been replaced are as follows:
1. Single CD Changer
2. 7 spoke 16" Alloy wheels
3. Artico Man Made Leather

Features that have been added are as follows:
1. Blue Efficiency ( low emission norms, Better fuel efficiency, 170 Bhp with 400 Nm Torque).

Thanking You.
Karan Rajani

Test drove both BMW (CE) and Mercedes (EE)
For me personally the BMW CE feels significantly better, in my opinion more VFM, also as you press down the pedal it gives you that dirty smile on the face (priceless).
The Benz is good in its own wright but the thought of owning a stripped down Mercedes inside & out -just doesn't cut the mustard.

Its great news both BMW & Mercedes are offering scaled down versions for some of us who just cant reach that 31+L prices level.

Perhaps a slight comparison?
(Included the BMW-CE Specification sheet below)

My apologies if this has gone of the original topic.

Cheers
`JK

[Mpower]

Nice ! now how do the 2 CEs compare against each other. Does one offer better value for money?

[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by artofzen

But they should not have done away with parking sensors. Doesnt BMW CE come with sensors?. Is it easy to retrofit it?

Yup, mine has them. I wouldn't advise fiddling with aftermarket stuff while under warranty.

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

I don't think so. You still a lot of more Civics and CRV's than Altis and Fortuners

You gotta be kidding me.

Originally Posted by GTO

Fantastic news indeed, thanks for confirming. I don't suppose anyone would miss those bells & whistles, as the 320D Corporate Ed has amply demonstrated.

Forget everything when you floor it

I mean, 33 lakhs for a C Class...

Again, it's blown past that figure a long time back.

Soon enough, one German will add equipment to their so-called Corporate / Executive editions. And the rest will have no choice but to follow. Any prizes for guessing who that will be?

BMW has already started. A week after I got mine, they added semi-electric seats (only forward-backward motion is manual now).

Originally Posted by jehangir

[i]My apologies if this has gone of the original topic.

Eh? It's probably the most useful post.

[Sahil]

Nice ! Just like our stock market needs a price correction when it gets booming, so does our luxury car market. The car makers had gotten too bullish, especially Mercedes.

Now that these Executive/Corporate editions are out, it will make it extremly hard for them to sell the fully loaded models at such a high premium. Eventually the prices of the fully loaded models will have to be corrected, thereby correcting the prices across this segment.

Next up, we need a correction on the E/5/A6 prices, there again the 4cyl diesel models are well priced but the 6cyls are still too high. The entry level models now seem well priced because they are pretty close to the fully loaded 3/C-class models. Hence once the 3/c prices are corrected even these would not feel as VFM.

Its a domino effect and the customer wins!!

[sarmarishi]

This is brilliant news indeed and I totally agree that these corrections had to happen as India is the one of the few markets (if not only) where all these cars are over-priced. Biggest dent I can see is to the Accord V6. Honda watch out! Better buckle up or u are going down.

+1 to BMW: Floor it and the smile on the drivers face is priceless. Doesnt matter which bells and whistles are missing

[shankar.balan]

long live the consumer - great sentiment
considering that luxury is always available at a price and is almost always negotiable, it is logical that mercedes follows the BMW example in terms of re-pricing/ better value opportunity offer.
good initiative.
and surely, the highly overpriced D segment Hondas and Toyota Camrys and VW's of the world had better watch out.

[designersf]

+1 to the floor it bit. BMWs are driver's machines.

Really interesting to see the big two take the lead rather than Honda or Toyota. While they were resting on their laurels, the Germans have flown past them to show who the boss is. So am i looking at a stripped down Accord for Rs 15 lakhs next?

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by designersf

So am i looking at a stripped down Accord for Rs 15 lakhs next?

You seriously don't mean it mate? Is there anything that can really be stripped off from Hondas here?
As it is they come with mere basics, if you strip anything further, you would be able to use it only on tracks (oh, and for doing that, you would need to get an anti-roll bar etc. fitted out of your own pocket)
However, good thing is, we won't need to ask dealers for complimentary mud flaps, for which they anyway don't oblige!