Mercedes-Benz is going to launch the CLA45 AMG, GLA45 AMG and GLA in India later this year (the regular CLA will be launched next year, rubbing shoulders with the Audi A3). The GLA, which is a compact SUV, arrived in the country few weeks back for its homologation process. We have already reported that the GLA will be offered in two variants – GLA 200 CDI and GLA 200 Sport. Mercedes is expected to price the GLA between Rs. 28-31 lakhs (ex-showroom). The GLA will be launched during the festive season later this year while its performance-oriented version GLA45 AMG will be made available to the public first.
Mercedes imported the ML63 AMG and GL63 AMG together but launched them one month apart from each other and this strategy will be followed again. The CLA45 AMG will be launched in July while the GLA45 AMG is expected by mid-August even though both of them will be imported together (the reason is the CLA45 AMG was sent for homologation much earlier). Mercedes-Benz India is betting big on AMG cars and the German carmaker also introduced its AMG Performance Centres in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Even though AMG cars don’t bring in volumes like the regular sedans and SUVs, the company is still focussing on creating a brand value for these vehicles.
The CLA45 AMG will be priced at approximately Rs. 85 lakhs while the GLA45 AMG will cost Rs. 80 lakhs (ex-showroom). ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) has certain regulations regarding CBUs with lower engine capacities. These CBUs need to undergo homologation processes which are quite expensive and hence the prices of the these particular vehicles will be high. The other cars in the AMG stable like the C63, E63, ML63, GL63, SLK55 and SLS come with higher capacity engines and hence these do not require homologation.
The Mercedes GLA45 AMG is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine. This powerplant churns out 360 HP of power and 450 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT dual-clutch transmission. The GLA45 AMG also comes with a 4MATIC system that transfers engine power to all four wheels. This engine is the most powerful 4-cylinder engine in series production currently.
The GLA45 AMG will be the last of the AMG cars to be launched in India (in the near future), as the S63 AMG and S65 AMG are not planned for launch in the country, since they are equipped with Magic Body Control (MBC) suspension technology which uses radars to access road conditions, therbey altering the suspension for a more pliant ride. Using of radar sensors in the public is prohibited by the Indian government, thereby hampering the launch of the high-powered AMG S-Class. AMG doesn’t produce the S-Class without MBC currently.
