The Mercedes A- Class: In the three-pointed star - Indian Express

Roudra Bhattacharya : Sat Jul 06 2013, 10:18 hrs A few years ago, most auto industry gurus would have scoffed at the idea of a small or mid-size car selling at R20 lakh plus in India. Many still do. That territory was considered exclusive to full-size premium sedans and big butch SUVs, as buyers at the top-end believed that the length of the car was directly proportional to their relative success and underlined their upward movement in society. But winds of change are flowing now as a new era of compact luxury takes over, spearheaded by upwardly mobile professionals in the cities. They want premium, but they don't want it take a whole lot of space. And the examples are all around—swanky studio apartments are in demand, computers are getting faster and smaller, and so are our mobile phones. So, why should cars be left too far behind? This is probably what Mercedes-Benz, the first luxury car maker to enter India way back in 1994, thought when it decided to be a pioneer in this new emerging segment. This year, it launched the smallest member of its family—the A-Class—to rave reviews. The five-door A-Class hatch has already sold over 400 units, but early bookings is one thing. Can the A-Class reach its target and do what its platform sibling, the B-Class, struggled to achieve last year? (Both A and B are based on Mercedes-Benz's new front-wheeler drive MFA platform.) The A-Class's target is to create a new segment of luxury hatchbacks where consumers would be ready to pay the equivalent of a large premium sedan. It better do its job fast, as rival BMW will bring the 1-Series hatch later this year, while Audi also plans to follow suit with the new A3 next year. Overview The first verdict just by the looks spells success for Mercedes. I had been keenly following the new A-Class in the global press and had been excited like a young child when I finally got my hands on it. It's simply beautiful to look at, yet the lines are sharp enough to remind you it's German and not Italian. I would go so far as to say that this is the most beautiful Mercedes-Benz I've ever seen—yes, better than even the swanky CLS. If the phrase 'premium hatch' reminds you of Hyundai i20 or Maruti Suzuki Swift, you're probably on a different planet than me. The A-Class may be compact, but it is luxury in abundance and has all the bells and whistles you get in the C-Class and even the E-Class. The A-Class debuts Mercedes's new sporty face—the grill now has 302 diamond-resembling pins with the three-pointed star plonked right in the middle giving it a three-dimensional futuristic effect. I spent about 15 minutes just staring at the car from a distance trying to figure out what I liked the most—the sharp new face with bi-Xenon headlights and LED daytime running lights, the low slung appearance, or the LED-adorned tail lights. Mercedes has definitely taken a big leap in the design department. ... contd. ALSO READ Nissan India to launch refurbished Evalia soon Nissan Micra, Active launched in Chandigarh Auto war: Bajaj Auto may launch passenger vehicle quadricycle RE60 soon Automaker Piaggio launches Vespa VX at Rs 71,380 Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s). via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGrhZ38Ikt6w8iRxn5UcoKYEF2KGg&url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-mercedes-a-class-in-the-threepointed-star/1138163/

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