The fortunes of major car makers in India have been hit by the negative consumer sentiment, which is prevalent in the Indian car market since past eight months. The declining demand of cars in India has also laid a negative impression on the luxury car makers, which are now launching entry level models in order to boost their sales. Luxury car makers like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are turning towards the launch of their economical models to counter the slow demand. This fact becomes more evident on accessing the sales records of the recently launched models by companies like Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
As of now, the battle for supremacy as the leading luxury car maker in India has begun with the launch of Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Audi Q3 S and Volvo V40 Cross Country. These three entry level models of their receptive companies are going to offer a tough competition to each other in the coming months. Apart from it, German manufacturer BMW is also raising the stake in this segment with the planned launch of 1Series by the end of 2013.
In India, Mercedes-Benz enjoyed a first mover advantage in the entry level premium car segment with the launch of A-Class. After that, Volvo soon followed with V40 hitting the market. Recently the segment got all more competitive with Audi introducing the Q3 S. So as things currently stand, the race for increasing source of profits has begun with the models of Audi and Mercedes-Benz registering an overwhelming response. According to Mercedes-Benz, the demand for A-Class has been ever increasing since making inroads in the Indian car market while recently Audi Q3 S received 125 bookings in a single day after its launch. On the other hand, Volvo V40 Cross Country got lukewarm response in the Indian car market considering the fact that it is competing with the stalwarts of luxury car segment.
On comparing the three models, Mercedes-Benz A-Class has been offered in petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol variant of the car is provided with 1595 cc 5-speed automatic transmission engine, which can produce 122 bhp of peak power and 200 Nm of maximum torque. The diesel variant comes equipped with 2143 cc engine delivering 109 bhp of maximum power and 250 Nm of maximum torque. It must be noted that Mercedes-Benz A-Class has been drawing a lot of attention owing to its stylish design inspired from the Modular Front Architecture (MFA) platform of the company. The car has been offered under a price range of Rs. 21.44 lakh to Rs. 22.22 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).
Volvo also recently launched the V40 Cross Country, which is powered with a 5-cylinder diesel engine that is mated to 6-speed automatic transmission. Further giving power to its wheels, the 2.0-litre engine boasts of 150 bhp of peak output and torque of up to 350 Nm. The design of Volvo V40 Cross Country has generated a lot of interest but the premium pricing of car has marred its potential to become the segment leader. Interestingly, the latest offering of Volvo is priced at ex-showroom Mumbai price of Rs. 29.9 lakh.
With the recent launch of Q3 S, the brand with four rings has upped the ante in the entry level premium car segment. Reportedly, the car has received an overwhelming response from Indian buyers. Q3 S is basically an economical version of the best selling Q3 model of the company. It is provided with a 2.0-litre four cylinder TDI engine, which churns a maximum torque of 320 Nm while generating a maximum power of 140 bhp. In this crossover model, the company has compromised on a lot of features in order to aggressively price its new model. Audi Q3 S comes along at a price tag of Rs. 24.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). With the addition of these three models of the different companies, the entry level premium car market is all set to witness a tougher competition. Going by the current status of A-Class, the model is fast emerging as the front runner, ignoring the fact that Audi Q3 S recently made its debut in the Indian auto market.
