[YS Exclusive] Mercedes says no to GLB for India, A-Class Limousine to replace CLA

Mercedes India has taken out the CLA, A-Class hatchback, and MPV B-Class from its India portfolio, reducing the complexity in the entry-level luxury car segment, and will now offer a new fully-loaded premium sedan with more space and features.

Thursday February 27, 2020 , 2 min Read

Mercedes India will not be launching the GLB crossover in India. It is attempting to plug the entry-level luxury car demand with the fully loaded A-Class sedan, known as the A-Class Limousine in the country. Further, the German carmaker will not be launching the new CLA in the Indian market.

The GLB was unveiled to the public at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2019 and is positioned between the GLA and GLC. While the GLC is available in India, an updated version of the GLA will be launched in October 2020.

Speaking to AutoStory, Santosh Iyer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Mercedes-Benz India, said, “The GLB is made in Mexico and there are no CKD options for it.”

A seven-seater GLB would have been a perfect plugin for a demand for a luxury, full-sized SUV.

ALSO READ

Why Mercedes-Benz India wants to be a notch above the rest in the luxury car segment

For Indian consumers, Mercedes offers a seven-seater SUV – the GLS – which is priced more than a crore. This SUV is positioned just below the G-Wagon, the high-end SUV favoured by Sheikhs and the Dubai police.

Mercedes has an optional third-row seat for the relatively more accessible GLE, but this variant is not offered in India.

It also wants to feed the entry-level luxury segment with the A-Class Limousine. As per a survey conducted by Mercedes India, consumers wanted a luxury, full-bodied, three-box sedan.

Santosh added, “That’s where the limousine came up. Instead of going for a hatchback or a coupe, we decided to bring in the A-Class Limousine to India. Our strategy is to offer only top-end variants and we don’t want to get into entry-level.”

Mercedes has been operational in India since 1994 and believes that Indian consumers are ready to pay if they see the value and are offered the best products. Hence, it believes that customers in India value space a lot. A full-size, three-box sedan like the A-Class Limousine offers more space than the A-Class hatchback or the CLA.

(Edited by Suman Singh)