Mercedes-Benz B-Class in India, caught testing

The years 2010 and 2011 may not have been the best for the German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz. The company lost the top spot to its rival BMW and by a big margin. But soon the scenario is going to change as Mercedes-Benz plans to launch its all new Sports Tourer, Mercedes-Benz B-Class.

Mercedes-Benz has commenced the testing of the B-Class in India and plans to launch it in the Indian market by Diwali. The company is targeting a price bracket of Rs. 20-25 lakhs which will be the lowest price offering in the Indian market from Mercedes-Benz. The car was caught testing in where the company has set-up shop. The B-class will initially launched as a CBU and CKD operations will commence in a couple of months.

Mercedes-Benz launched latest B-Class at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. The new hatchback will be the temporary answer to BMW X1 and will help the company to increase its volumes. The new B-Class measures: length/width/height: 4359/1786/1557 millimetres. The new B-Class features new petrol and diesel engines as well as new manual and automatic transmissions.

The new four-cylinder petrol engines (internal designation M270) mark the launch of a completely new engine series. The new four-cylinder engines have been designed for both transverse and longitudinal installation.

The new B-Class will be available with a displacement of 1.6 litres, as the B 180 rated at 90 kW (122 hp) and the B 200 with an output of 115 kW (156 hp). The maximum torque of 200 and 250 Nm respectively is available from an engine speed of 1250 rpm.

In 2013-14 the Mercedes-Benz GLA will join the fleet to take on the BMW X1 and Audi Q3.

Video Source: IAB