BMW, Mercedes-Benz set to unveil luxury hatchbacks at Auto Expo

Hatchbacks are the most successful cars in the country. What other proof do we need, when the leading luxury car manufacturers like Mercedes- Benz India and BMW India are all set to try their hand in this segment. We have known for quite sometime now that BMW will bring their British marque Mini to the country at the upcoming Indian Auto expo. But, what we haven’t imagined is the surprise Mercedes-Benz has in store for the 2012 Auto Expo. So, the rivalry between the top two luxury car manufacturers in India has taken a new turn with a different segment to cross their swords. Mercedes Benz India has decided to strike right back this time with a small family car Mercedes-Benz B-Class.

All we know at the moment is the BMW Mini price, which will be placed at around Rs 25 lakh. So, quite naturally, we might as well assume that the Mercedes-Benz B –Class price also to be around in the same range. The German luxury car manufacturer likes to affectionately call its small five door hatchback as a ‘Compact Sports Tourer’, which has seen its share of success in the other parts of the world. So, what has urged the car manufacturer to introduce the new hatchback in India now? One, hatchback segment literally dominates the car industry, second, it obviously doesn’t want to give a slightest chance to BMW to gain an upperhand. Mercedes-Benz has played the cards pretty close to itself and did not divulge any piece of information on the engine specifications and other details on the B-Class in India.

On the other hand, BMW Mini hatchback is bound to take the Indian car industry by a storm. The BMW Mini will carry a diesel powertrain under the hood apart from a petrol engine and the brand value that speaks volumes. Combined with an automatic gearbox, the 1.6 L petrol engine is capable to churn out a peak power of 122 PS and a maximum torque of 160 Nm. A diesel engine with a similar capacity of 1.6 L powers the diesel variant of the Mini hatchback. Coming to the competitors, the two new entities are enough to bring some fireworks in the premium hatchback segment. Apart from new Volkswagen Beetle, which is also being revamped for the upcoming competition, leaves just Fiat 500 in the sparsely populated premium hatchback category in the country.

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