The Mercedes A-Class Limousine launch in India was scheduled to take place this month. However, because of the situation created by the COVID-19 outbreak, its launch has been postponed by a few months.
The Mercedes A-Class Limousine is one of the most anticipated luxury car launches of the year. Santosh Iyer, Vice President - Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz (India), has indicated that the launch could take place in the fourth quarter of this year (October-December 2020) now. “We are expecting the demand to go up in Q4 and that's by when other new cars will also come in. So as of now we don't have the A-Class or the GLA and all these cars are expected to arrive in q4 of this year,” Iyer said today.
The Mercedes A-Class Limousine, or the Mercedes A-Class Sedan as known in most markets, debuted in India at Auto Expo 2020 in February. Bookings for the upcoming luxury car have been officially open since that very day.
In the past, Mercedes-Benz used to restrict the best-of-best features it offered to its higher-end models. For instance, the company had launched the current generation E-Class without the 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster in our market even though it used to offer it internationally. Now, at least in the case of the A-Class Limousine, it’s going to offer all the key features in our market right from launch.
Mercedes-Benz will sell the A-Class Limousine in India in Cosmos Black, Denim Blue, Mojave Silver, Mountain Grey and Polar White colours.
The Mercedes A-Class Limousine will be available with features like LED headlamps, 17-inch alloy wheels, 10.25-inch virtual instrument cluster, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and touchpad, satellite navigation, panoramic sunroof and electrically adjustable seats with memory function. The list of features in our market will include two-zone automatic climate control, wireless charger, rear centre armrest, leather sports steering wheel and cruise control as well.
Mercedes-Benz will launch the A-Class Limousine in India with ARTICO artificial leather upholstery in black and macchiato beige colour options and Brown open-pore walnut trim.
Mercedes-Benz sells the A-Class Limousine in a wide range of model variants globally. The likely contenders for India are the A 200 and the A 180 d. The A 200 uses a 1.3-litre petrol engine (163 PS/250 Nm), while the A 180 d employs a 1.5-litre diesel engine (116 PS/260 Nm). Both are available with a 6-speed manual and 7-speed automatic transmissions internationally but don’t expect the former in our market.
At a later stage, Mercedes-Benz may launch the A 35 4MATIC model variant of the A-Class Limousine in India. The company had showcased it at Auto Expo 2020 and could launch it as the first locally assembled Mercedes-AMG car.
The A 35 4MATIC Limousine sports a 2.0-litre petrol engine that produces 306 PS and 400 Nm of torque. A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and an AWD system, both performance-tuned, are standard. A 0-100 km/h sprint takes 4.8 seconds and the top speed is 250 km/h (electronically limited).
The prices of the Mercedes A-Class Limousine will likely start in the INR 30-35 lakh (ex-showroom) range. At launch, this model will compete with the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe. The 2021 Audi A3 Sedan that debuted in April will join the segment sometime next year. As for the all-new Mercedes CLA, it has been ruled out for our market.
Also Read: India-bound 2020 Mercedes GLA officially unveiled
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Mercedes-Benz updates and other four-wheeler news.
[Source: carandbike.com]
