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Mercedes Benz India Prepares Special C-Klasse and E-Klasse Variants

Mercedes Benz India plans to launch C-Klasse and E-Klasse diesel variants in the next two years onto the Indian luxury car market. The manufacturer plans to develop a smaller unit than the current 2,5-liter engine for the C-Klasse and E-Klasse. The “stunt” targets a boost in sales and will ensure the manufacturer can compe with BMW and Audi that use 2-liter engines.

“We have to think about basic versions with smaller diesel engines for the Indian market. They will help us get the prices down with lesser gadgets on offer. However, at the end of the day, customers are going to only move up the ladder.We expect the size of the luxury car market to grow ten-fold to 200,000 cars in the next ten years.” Peter Honegg Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes Benz India was quoted as saying by rushlane.com.

BMW also adapted to the Indian automarket by selling “corporate edition” diesel variants fitted with 2-liter diesel engines. This includes the 320d and the 520d, which contribute towards almost half the sales raked in by their 3-Series and 5-Series that are fitted with less equipment, offer fewer features and are stripped down versions of the standard BMW 3er and 5er models. Mercedes India sold 5,189 units in 2010 and hopes to grow sale figures by 30-50% by the year 2011.

Mercedes-Benz India will launch the GLK-Klasse, a direct competitor for BMW X3 and Audi Q3 in the next 18 months.The BMW X1 will go uncontested, as Mercedes Benz doesn’t have a smaller SUV platform which can be developed into a direct competitor for the Bavarians.
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