Mercedes B-Class – India’s first sports tourer

German auto manufacturer Mercedes Benz is releasing a B-Class compact sports tourer in India with a sub-Rs 25 lakh price. The model would be Mercedes’ cheapest Indian auto to date, with an entry level version expected in early 2013.

“The B-Class marks the start of a new innings for Mercedes-Benz India. This is the first of Mercedes-Benz’s compact cars and will be followed up by the A-Class next year. We have other models also in pipeline over the next few years,” says Peter Honegg, managing director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.

With the launch, Mercedes is attempting to tackle low price launches from BMW and Audi in the region, which will be aimed at a younger, more affluent demographic.

Mercedes says they are expecting almost half of their Indian sales to come from this entry-level market going forward, while luxury models crawl along with single-digit growth levels.

The B-Class will be India’s first ‘sports tourer’ model.