Auto majors plan big-ticket launches

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New Delhi, Sep 4: Betting big on the 30-40% growth in the luxury car segment in India, Mercedes-Benz is evaluating the possibility of launching the company’s sub compact A-Class car in India. The first generation (W168) of the vehicle was introduced in 1997 and a redesign (W169) appeared in 2004. A-Class is available in global markets as a three or a five-door hatchback.

A day after Tata Motors unveiled the prototype of the electric version of Indica, Daimler Chrysler said it is planning to come up with fuel call and battery powered vehicle, which will be a global car, in 2010. The company will introduce the new S-Class hybrid car in the global market in 2009 followed by a series of more such vehicles in 2010 and 2011.

As oil prices continue to be high and there are no signs of prices softening to the levels of last year, General Motors India is planning to launch the CNG and LPG variants of its mini car Spark, the hatchback Aveo U-VA and the mid-size sedan Aveo in the domestic market in next few months.

What could be a first of its kind in the country, Ford India is evaluating the feasibility of brining in the five-door Fiesta in India. The car, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, will be shortly launched in China and Europe. The vehicle is designed taking cue from the Verve Concept and is powered by a 1.6 liter Ti-VCT engine.

Czech automaker Skoda is planning to launch a sporty version of its hatchback Fabia, which could be priced around Rs 10 lakh, a new Superb sedan next year and a complete new model that will replace the existing Octavia in upper-end of the C segment, in the next two-three years.

The i20 sub-compact, the second car from the stable of Hyundai Motor India for the global market, will make its debut at the Paris Auto Show and will be launched in Europe towards the end of 2008. The vehicle, which is designed at Hyundai’s European Design Centre in Russelsheim, Germany, will be manufactured at Hyundai’s plant in Chennai.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest passenger car manufacturer, will shortly launch A-Star in the domestic market followed by its launch in Europe.