Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class to be assembled and sold in India

Mercedes-Benz India is on a roll. With the S-Class launched a few weeks ago and yet another special edition of the C-Class launched to commemorate the 50,000^th car built in India they have already launched two cars in under a month. With over 10 new cars or variants planned this year, expect Mercedes-Benz to bring a yearlong salvo to the cutthroat luxury car market.

Mercedes-Benz India is also going through a large-scale expansion at their 100-acre Chakan facility to add a new production line to make the cars based on the MFA platform. The new assembly line is slated to be operational in a few months and will first produce the A-Class and B-Class hatchbacks. Mercedes-Benz India will launch the CLA45 AMG at the Auto Expo as a completely built unit import but the standard non-AMG CLA-Class will be built on the same assembly line as the A-Class and B-Class and sold in India by the end of the year.

Although the first few 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class cars will be sold as CBUs just like the A-Class and B-Class, production will soon start considering the kind of response that the CLA-Class garners. The CLA-Class could be priced between Rs 25-35 Lakh and should garner a lot of interest due to its coupe-esque looks and overall styling. Engine options will be similar to what is available on the A-Class and B-Class currently with a CLA180 petrol and diesel. We also expect more powerful versions of the petrol and diesel CLA-Class to be launched in India subsequently to accompany the basic models.

Mercedes-Benz will also unveil its Concept GLA-Class in India at the Auto Expo. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, based on the same platform, as the A-Class, B-Class and GLA-Class will also be subsequently built on the same new assembly line mentioned above. The GLA-Class too will be available with the same engine options as the A-Class, B-Class and CLA-Class and will go up against the likes of the Audi Q3 and the BMW X1.