Merc mini may drive into India soon
Luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz is planning to launch its small car, the A Class, in India in a couple of years. Peter Trettin, president and CEO of Daimler, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, said the company would position the A Class as its entry- level car in the country. “This will be lower priced in line with competition,” Mr Trettin said. However, auto experts feel that even the entry level Mercedes will be priced in the range of Rs 16-20 lakh. Mercedes Benz officials have been talking about introducing this car in India for over a decade, but they kept delaying the launch. Experts say this may be due to doubts over whether a high-priced entry-level car would find enough takers here. BMW too has deferred introducing the MINI in India. However, Mr Trettin sounds positive. “In the region I look after, India is a growth market and demand is growing because the economy is growing,” he said. Mercedes Benz India managing director and CEO, Wilfried Aulbur, said sales have picke