The Union Budget 2012-13 has impacted the decision of the major auto brands in a lot of ways. Some of the auto giants are expanding their diesel investment as the government has spared diesel from an additional tax and some of the auto giants are reconsidering or delaying the launch of new models as the excise duty has been hiked up by 2 percent. According to close sources, as a result of the hike in excise duty the luxury car brand Mercedes Benz India has recently deferred the launch of Mercedes Benz M class SUV to late May.
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By the last week of May, Mercedes Benz India would begin the launch of M class with the ML350 CDI which is powered with a 3-liter V6 diesel engine mated to a 7-speed transmission and drives a peak power of 230 BHP and a peak torque of 540 Nm. Based on the demand the company would subsequently launch new variants. Mercedes Benz could also equip the car with a smaller 2.2 liter diesel engine which is considered to be one of the most efficient engines in its class.
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Even as the customs duty has increased from 60 percent to 75 percent post the union budget 2012-13, Mercedes Benz India is planning on shipping cars from Germany instead of assembling them at the company’s plant at Chakan, Maharashtra. The assembling is expected to begin from September and not at time of the launch.
