It seems that luxury auto makers in India too have been wooed by compact vehicles. The German triad, Audi, Mercedes and BMW seem to have chalked out a new plan for the domestic market. Following the success of their compact vehicles, the auto makers are contemplating to bring in more compact cars in India.
Under the ‘Year of Excellence’ Mercedes Benz India so far has launched diesel and petrol variants of S-Class along with two AMG versions-GL63 AMG and ML63 AMG. Of late the company rolled out Edition 1 special editions of A and B Class hatchbacks. Later this year Mercedes will launch GLA-Class compact crossover and CLA 45 AMG.
At a time when the Stuttgart based auto maker was undergoing a low phase in India, launch of its compact hatchbacks, A and B Class lent it a life. Both the vehicles were inducted in India around a year back and since then Mercedes Benz India has witnessed surge in demand. Sales data shows that within a year Merc has sold close to 2500 units of the hatchbacks that accounts for 20 per cent of the company’s overall sales. Experts opine that most of the first time luxury car buyers opt for aggressively priced compact vehicles.
Yet another luxury German auto major, Audi is readying to bring forth its compact sedan, A3. August is when Audi will roll out A3 sedan in India that is expected to be priced between Rs 23 lakh and Rs 25 lakh. BMW too could launch 2 Series Acrive Tourer in domestic market that is currently available for sale in international markets. Though, the company has not confirmed or hinted at the launch but it is being believed that success of BMW X1 could make the company ponder about 2 Series Active Tourer launch in India.
