Mercedes-Benz India has a target of launching 15 new cars in 2015. The very first car it launches could be the most vital in its battle for marketshare, says KUSHAN MITRA
Mercedes-Benz sold over 10,000 cars in India last year, the maximum amount of cars the German carmaker has sold in its 20 year history as a company operating in this country. While the increased sales did not take them to the top of the luxury market in India, losing out to their German rivals Audi, 2014 was a declaration of intent by the Stuttgart based carmaker. And 2015 is the year where they plan to go to the top of the sales chart.
In order to do this, Mercedes has come up with a “15 in 15” plan for the year. This involves 15 new car launches and 15 new dealerships across the country. The Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director Eberhard Kern is determined to make the three-pointed star the dominant luxury brand in the country, even though luxury cars account for a miniscule portion of the Indian car industry thanks to extremely high excise duties on imported cars.
One of the ways Mercedes is going to counter the high duties in India is by assembling more of their cars in India as duties on Completely Knocked-Down (CKD) cars is lower than cars that are brought in completely built-up (CBU). With Mercedes giving its plant at Chakan on the outskirts of Pune a complete make-over this past year which also doubled assembly capacity to 20,000 units a year, the company expects to be assembling the standard C, E and S class sedans but also the two new price warriors of the company the GlA-Class small Sports Utility Vehicle and the ClA-Class sedan.
We have written about the GlA-Class in the past and we have also written about the incredible ClA 45 AMG performance car; but the car we drove recently was the standard ClA sedan minus the aerodynamic frills and the mad two-litre 355 horsepower engine. This car was far more sedate, no high-pitched whine from the engine, replaced with the far more easy on the ear rumble of the same petrol engine just tuned down to far more manageable 180-odd horsepower. The ClA 200 CDI which will likely be the better seller also has a two-litre engine with a 130-odd horsepower.
But as the saying goes, “power corrupts” and top-line power figures frankly count for very little in cars that will spend a majority of their lives on city roads. So while power matters in say the ClA 45 AMG, on the standard sedan, you have more than enough power for most roads in India. For the narrow, twisty roads on interior Goa what really matters isn’t power but handling. And despite being the first mass-produced front-wheel drive sedan from Mercedes, the ClA is a joy to drive. The steering is responsive, sudden emergency inputs (narrow roads + two wheeler drivers with a few drinks down at ten in the morning = the occasional sudden turn).
Indeed, power, handling and comfort in the ClA 200 and ClA 200 CDI are as good as one would expect in a Mercedes. As for passenger comfort, the best thing one can say about the ClA is that this is a car designed to slot in to the role previously occupied by Mercedes’ old entry-level sedan the C-Class, the ClA is almost as big as the previous generation C-Class, but this is a car designed for the front driver and passenger. At the rear, leg room is not bad, but one can imagine that during a long highway cruise, the back of the ClA may not be the best place to spend time, if packed to the limit. However, the ClA will also be a chauffeur-driven daily commuter, and in that role, the does perfectly well.
The biggest plus about the ClA though are its looks. This car looks stunning, while the nose of the car is borrowed from the new A-Class with its ‘diamond-cut’ grille, the Mercedes corporate look comes through from the headlights. However, the side-profile and rear-profile of the car are fantastic, the ClA is clearly inspired from the shape of the large ClS-sedan, and in the right colour (red in this case) the ClA stands out in a crowd. Even among German luxury cars.
But what is most impressive about the ClA is the interior trim fitment, Mercedes India has gone down a route quite different than that followed by its rivals Audi and BMW; they have not reduced the price of the ClA by cutting down on some features. So the ClA will have the full-fat infotainment system as standard including navigation as well as sun-roof. There is no compromise on the leather seats and door trim as well. As a result, the ClA is eight lakhs more expensive at Rs32 lakh than the entry-level variant of its only rival the Audi A3. These are completely different strategies by both companies, one providing a badge at an affordable price, another a badge with all the trimmings. How this strategy will play out in the long run remains to be seen, and it will be consumers who will decide which strategy is the better one.
However, what is certain is that there is significant market demand for cars like this. India’s young, rich professionals want a fancy badge on their cars, but they also want a level of practicality and comfort. The Mercedes-Benz ClA (and the Audi A3) tick these boxes and could be best-sellers for years to come. Maybe in a few years, Mercedes India could sell 10,000 of the ClA alone. Who knowsIJ