Mercedes-Benz lost its top position to BMW and Audi, quite a while ago and has been trying to regain the market share in the Indian automotive market. The German car maker is quite buoyed by the scheduled launch of its A-Class in the country on May 30, 2013 given the rising popularity for luxury hatchbacks. Launched in the European markets during May, 2012, the A-Class is enjoying a great demand at present. The Rastatt plant of the car maker has to operate in three shifts in order to meet the sheer volume of demand for the hatchback. In the Indian automotive market the new car will face tough competition from the Mini Cooper in the luxury hatchback segment.
The A-Class will be offered in India in both petrol and diesel variant, while the Mini Cooper is available in petrol avatar only. Mercedes-Benz A-Class in its petrol variant is capable of belting out 122 bhp of maximum power and peak torque of 200 Nm owing to the powerful 1.6 litre turbocharged powertrain. On the other hand, the diesel-run A-class will come with 1.5 litre unit that produces 260 Nm of peak torque and 109 bhp of maximum power output. At the same time, the Mini Cooper incorporates a 1.6 litre petrol unit that offers 122 bhp of maximum power and 160 Nm of torque.
Mercedes-Benz will be pricing its A-Class in the range of Rs. 22 to 25 lakh, that will make it the least priced 'Three Pointed Star' model in the country. The Mini Cooper will lose out in terms of price competitiveness as it is priced tad higher in the bracket of Rs. 25 to 28 lakh. It will be interesting to watch if the Mercedes-Benz reclaims it top spot with the new A-Class or the Mini Cooper remains the favourite among luxury hatchback enthusiasts.
