Is year India mein Mercedes Benz ka biggest launch CLA electric sedan hone wala hai. But big news ye hai ki new CLA, A-Class ke saath-saath EQA or EQB electric SUVs ko bhi replace kar dega as entry level models. Mercedes Benz India ka plan hai ki wo apna focus thoda or high end luxury segment par kare, because wahin se unko mostly revenue or profit aata hai.
The upcoming CLA will be Mercedes latest entry sedan
Last week company ke annual sales event mein, Mercedes Benz India ke MD or CEO Santosh Iyer ne bataya ki entry level segment mein unhe around 23% ka drop dekhne ko mila hai. Wahi BMW ne apni 2 Series or kaafi popular iX1 ke saath kaafi ground gain kar liya hai. But BMW se direct price war mein aane ke instead, Mercedes deliberately entry level luxury cars ke price game se door reh rahi hai, because is segment mein already margins ka kaafi pressure hai.
"Entry level segment mein kaafi zyada discounts or price wars chal rahe hai, or hum usse away rehna chahte hai. Issue sirf profitability ka nahi hai, rather cars ki resale (residual) value ka bhi hai. Is process mein brand image ko bhi loss hota hai," Santosh Iyer ne explain kiya.
But Mercedes Benz lower end luxury market ko completely leave nahi kar rahi. Wo bas apna entry level lineup upcoming CLA ke around consolidate karegi.
New CLA Mercedes line-up mein A-Class, EQA or EQB ko replace karegi. This is the only logical step to take, because new CLA ek next generation platform par based hai," Santosh Iyer ne kaha.
CLA ke saath-saath, ICE engine wala GLA bhi as it is same continue karne expected hai.
Mercedes Benz CLA's future positioning in India
Mercedes ka current entry level lineup A-Class sedan se start hota hai, jo roughly Rs 44.46 lakh se Rs 45.92 lakh ke between priced hoti hai.
Meanwhile, EQA ki price around Rs 67.20 lakh hai, or EQB ki pricing Rs 72.80 lakh se leke Rs 78.90 lakh tak jaati hai.
New CLA, jiska expected price around Rs 60 lakh ke approx. ho sakta hai, brand ka entry point kaafi above le jaayega. But phir bhi, ye fully imported EQA or EQB ke comparison mein competitively priced ho sakta hai. Iyer ko full confidence hai ki A-Class se expensive hone ke in spite, CLA us price point par good value for money offer karega.
Latest generation MB.OS, AI assistance or Nvidia chip ke saath CLA ek next gen car hogi. Jab un se question hua ki Kya Mercedes rivals ko match kar paayenge jo lower price pe sell kar rahe hai? Toh unka answer tha "maybe nahi. Par hum apni strengths pe focus karna chahte hai, or quantity se zyada value ko priority denge,".