Wednesday, July 23, 2014
By Jitendra Singh
Mercedes Benz CLA 45 AMG enters in Indian car market
German luxury car maker Mercedes Benz on Tuesday launched its compact performance sedan, the CLA 45 AMG, at an ex-showroom price of Rs 68.5 lakh in Delhi, its first sub-crore sporty car. Sensing the growing fascination for sports cars among Indian customers and the changing demographics of luxury cars buyers — younger customers hitting its stable — Mercedes Benz has expanded its sporty DNA of AMG cars, with the new CLA being the seventh such offering.
"The CLA is the most affordable and fully loaded sports sedan in India, making it an attractive buy in the luxury space," he added. The latest Merc offering would compete with other popular sports cars like the BMW Z4 and Audi S4 and RS5. The demand for these performance machines have been constantly growing with around 1,000 units sold annually in the luxury space. Analysts tracking the automotive market say that an increasing consumer base of passionate drivers who want an adrenaline-gushing experience from their machines is prompting manufacturers to debut such models in the Indian market.
"The rivalry in performance in the sports car segment is becoming more intense these days with new launches and a price war to grab a larger pie. Perhaps, the aggressive pricing strategy coupled with the tag 'Most affordable AMG' gives CLA-45 an edge over its rivals in this segment," said Amit Kaushik, Principal Analyst (Autos), IHS Automotive. Mercedes Benz is banking on its smallest sports car and would launch its regular motoring variant in the next 180 days, that is expected to debut at half the price.
Courtesy: Economic Times
