An A-Class owner shares his class-A experience with his phenomenal Star.

Thank you for bringing the A-180 D model to India. I have invested all my savings in this dream purchase. I love to drive and I’ve travelled extensively from November to July of this year. My road trips saw me cover (Pune / Lonawala / Solapur / Kolhapur / Digi / Roha / Ratnagiri / Alibaug / Hyderabad / Secunderabad / Nasik / Kanpur / Lucknow / Agra / Fatehpur Sikri/ Jaipur / Jodhpur / Jaisalmer (Close to the Pakistan border) / Udaipur / Mount Abu / Ahmedabad / Baroda / Ankleshwar and onwards.

My car has become a part of my family. It was an integral part of my wedding and my sis-in-law’s wedding as well.

The best thing is the unmatched beauty of the car with equally stunning performance, its outstanding mileage of up to 24.39 km/ltr on highways. It’s feels very safe and stable to drive and the driving comfort is top notch. Plus there are tons of features to keep the driver at ease.

What really surprised me was when we easily scaled uphill to a bauxite mine with almost 7 kms of off-roading. A lot of the other cars in the group got stuck and weren’t able to cover even 1/5th of the distance. The only other vehicles that could get up there would be trucks / 4x4 Jeeps / SUVs with a good ground clearance. I enjoyed driving my car and even felt a little smug of navigating the journey effortlessly.

The A-Class is backed by impeccable service. And the Relationship Manager & his team really pampered me and my car. However, what I really miss in the car is a sun-roof and twin exhausts which was only available in the petrol variant. A little more ground clearance and harder tires would make the car more suitable for Indian Roads.

I have attached the picture from our expedition. And I know there will be many such unforgettable road trips with my A-Class.

Thank you so much Mercedes-Benz.

A-Class Owner, Mr. Vijay Pandian

Mercedes-Benz Performance Drive Contest

Mastering the art of speed on a legendary race track has always been a distant dream for most of us. Up until now!

Mercedes-Benz is offering you a chance to fulfil that dream.  Through a unique twitter contest, we now provide our racing enthusiasts an opportunity to win slots at the AMG Driving Academy. All you have to do is answer our trivia questions that relate to the Mercedes-Benz and Performance Drive.

The winners of the contest will get to hone their driving skills on the Buddh International Circuit, where they will be taught to drive by professionals on Mercedes-Benz AMG marvels.

To participate in the contest, all you have to do is:

1.      Follow the Mercedes-Benz India Twitter profile (@MercedesBenzInd).

2.      Answer the questions asked with the hashtag #mercperfdrive

Contest Starts 8^th April, Monday and ends 10^th April, Wednesday.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience the thrill & exhilaration that comes with being a part of the AMG Driving Academy. Logon to your twitter account to participate now!

Terms & Conditions - This contest is only open to resident citizens of India 18 years & above in age. The winner will be chosen at the sole discretion of Mercedes-Benz India and will be final and binding.

Interview with Mr. Eberhard Kern - MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India

Interview with MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India





Eberhard H Kern, who took over as managing director and chief executive of Mercedes-Benz India a few months ago, has an uphill task ahead of him. The luxury car major is looking to regain lost ground in India, where it has been present for decades. Kern terms 2013 the "year of the offensive" for the company in India. In an interview with Sohini Das, Kern says in the Indian luxury car market, Mercedes Benz plans to tap first-time buyers. Edited excerpts:

How do you see 2013 shaping up for Mercedes in India?
In 2013, we expect double-digit growth over 2012, in terms of sales. We are bringing new offerings into the market---the new GL, a crossover SUV (sports utility vehicle), the compact B-Class diesel and the A-Class in both petrol and diesel variants. We are also working on increasing fascination with the brand by creating programmes around brand experience. However, we do not expect too much from the overall economic situation. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers says the car market would remain flat. The growth has to come from expanding market share. Currently, Mercedes enjoys a 30 per cent share in the country's luxury car segment.

We were negatively surprised by the Union Budget, which imposed higher taxes on SUVs and completely-built units (CBUs). We have to pass that on to customers - there would be a rise from April 1 (prices would rise one to four per cent for locally-built models and up to 20 per cent for select CBUs). Exorbitant taxation is in nobody's interest.

Through the next two to three years, Mercedes plans to launch 15 new models globally. How many of these would find their way into India?
We are looking at every single product and evaluating its market chances. The new GL SUV would be the first to come. For India, our strategy is to have products across the entire range---from entry-level to high-end luxury. The roots of our brand lie in pure luxury; we don't wish to lose focus on the luxury car business. There, you can expect a lot of innovation and a lot of new products.

Last year, luxury cars accounted for 1.2 per cent of the overall passenger car market in India. By 2020, while the passenger car market in the country is expected to grow from the current 2.5 million units to seven million units, the share of luxury cars is estimated to rise to four per cent. By 2020, India would be the third-largest car market in the world, after China and the US. Much of this growth would be accounted for by tier-II and tier-III cities. Currently, our sales mix between metros and tier II and III cities is 50:50.

Earlier, you were based in Taiwan and Russia. How is your assignment in India different?
My first task is to develop a profitable and sustainable business in India. We haven't really lost any market share in India. What happened was quite normal---we have all the three German luxury car brands fighting it out with each other. Our competitors went into the compact SUV segment and they have been successful. As we don't have one on offer right now, they recorded some numbers there. It is difficult to compare, as the portfolios are different. We are quite okay with the segments we are in. But we realise the premium SUV market is growing, and we have taken consideration of the fact that we need to have some Mercedes offerings there as well.

Taiwan is a very developed market; it cannot be compared to India. We have a very good position in the Taiwanese market. There, our market share is four per cent of the total passenger car market. The Russian market is a better comparison. In 2005, when I was head of sales and marketing in Russia, the situation there was similar to the environment in India today. In 2005, we sold about 4,000 cars in Russia, lower than what we sold in India in 2012 (about 7,000 cars). The Russian market has developed very well over the past few years.

Last year, we sold about 40,000 cars there; we are the market leader in that country. The situation in India today reminds me of the situation in Russia in 2005. There is a lot of energy and willingness to develop. A similar story can happen in India.

In the coming years, which customer segment would you target in India?
While the real estate segment accounts for about 35 per cent of our net sales, the share of female customers has already been increasing through the last few years. Today, while our sedans are very often driven by chauffeurs, more and more people, including women, are choosing to drive on their own. Our new cars would have more attractive offerings for women and we see the share of women rising. Women don't want 'women cars' per se; they would opt for cars that suit them better. Also, with the A-Class and B-Class, now, Mercedes has more affordable cars on offer---a number of our products are priced below Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom). So, we will see a lot of first-time buyers in our portfolio.

How much do you plan to invest in your India operations? Do you have any plans for a sub-Rs 20 lakh car in India?
About Rs 850 crore has been lined up for expanding the Chakan plant. Recently, we expanded the paint shop there (from 10,000 units a year to 20,000 units). We are also expanding production capacity to 20,000 units a year. This would be completed by the end of this year. Last year, we recorded 70 per cent capacity utilisation. The new GL would be made here. In October 2012, we started making the M-Class here as well. India is the first site outside Tuscaloosa in the US where the M-Class and the GL would be manufactured. To expand the network, an additional Rs 550 crore has been lined up by our dealer partners.

As of now, we don't have any plan for a sub-Rs 20 lakh car in India.

In the coming years, which customer segment would you target in India?
While the real estate segment accounts for about 35 per cent of our net sales, the share of female customers has already been increasing through the last few years. Our new cars would have more attractive offerings for women and we see the share of women rising. Women don’t want ‘women cars’ per se; they would opt for cars that suit them better. Also, with the A-Class and B-Class, now, Mercedes has more affordable cars on offer---a number of our products are priced below Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom). So, we will see a lot of first-time buyers in our portfolio.

 

2013 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX - RACE

Lewis Hamilton finished his first race for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS in fifth place on Sunday whilst team-mate Nico Rosberg had to retire his car following an electrical problem midway through the race.

- Starting from third on the grid, Lewis finished in fifth position after converting to a three-stop strategy mid-race

- He stopped on laps 13, 31 and 42, using supersoft tyres for the first stint and the medium compound thereafter

- Nico was forced to retire from third position on lap 27 following an electrical problem

Lewis Hamilton
I’m happy with our result and it’s much better than we expected for the first race of the season. The car felt really good out there; I had a strong first stint and was able to make the supersofts last longer than most of the others. We’d planned for two stops but converted to a three-stop strategy during the race. I don’t quite know where we lost the ground to the cars ahead so we’ll have a look at the race again now and figure it out. The important thing is that we have a car that we can really work with and the team have done a fantastic job to get us to this position. Thanks to everyone here and back at base for their support over my first race weekend with Mercedes. Now we’ll look forward to Malaysia next weekend and hopefully build on this positive start with an improved performance.

Nico Rosberg
An electric problem finished my race which was a shame as I was on a two-stop strategy and in a good position to score a decent result. There are lots of positives that we can take from the weekend however. The team have developed a solid car over the winter, I had a good qualifying pace and the car also ran well in the wet. It looks like we have started to close the gap to the front runners and we can build on that.

Ross Brawn
We had a very good opening stint of the race, making the supersoft tyre last until lap 13 for Lewis and lap 14 for Nico. That convinced us that a two-stop strategy was feasible this afternoon. However, the balance on the medium tyre was not what we needed. Having committed to two stops, and adjusted our pace accordingly to preserve the tyres, the decision to convert to a three-stop strategy compromised Lewis relative to those cars who had gone for three from the start. The behaviour of the tyres is something we will have to think about and understand over the next days. Nico was running strongly when he was forced to retire. We saw a drop in voltage from the battery and that stopped the car. Overall, we have made a good step with the car and learned a lot this afternoon. If we can put the pieces of the puzzle together, we have the ingredients to race well.

Toto Wolff
We learned a lot Sunday afternoon. We had to switch our strategy from two to three stops, which of course compromised Lewis in terms of his pace and also the final result. As for Nico, we need to work hard to ensure that technical failures do not cost us the chance of strong finishes. We can see that we have a solid basis to work from, now we need to keep our heads down and work hard to improve further.

Mercedes-Benz Performance Drive

Speed remains to be the ultimate automotive fascination. While few can truly push the red line and quench their thirst for speed in the real world, the Mercedes-Benz Performance Drive provides mere mortals the opportunity to tame speed, the right way. The Mercedes-Benz Performance Drive is an exclusive program which consolidates all Mercedes-Benz events under one umbrella. Be it the chance to see the ‘Stars’ in action, train to perfect yourself on asphalt in AMG tuned cars or take Mercedes-Benz SUV’s across challenging terrains, the Mercedes-Benz Performance Drive has it all.

Watch the ‘Stars’ at their best at the ‘Star Drive’, a one of a kind program to get you closer to the Mercedes-Benz automobiles in action. Experience the performance of the renowned AMG’s. When their 6.3 litre V8 revs, its spits out insane amount of power and the sporty exhaust note is enough to make you skip a heartbeat.  The Mercedes-Benz SUV range showcases its prowess to conquer any terrain with superior technology and off-road capability.

 

If SUV’s amaze you, the ‘Star Off-Road Experience’ is made just for you. Get a first-hand insight on the superior technology which sets Mercedes-Benz SUVs a class apart from the rest. The off-road track is designed to simulate every possible scenario you may come across when you are not on tarmac. Enjoy the thrill as Mercedes-Benz SUVs tackle treacherous terrain without breaking into a sweat.

 

Get the racer in you to hone your driving skills at the AMG Driving Academy, the only driving academy in India where you are schooled to perfect your driving skills on high performance AMG cars. The AMG Driving Academy is driven by pure passion. Get behind the wheel of these fantastic automobiles on the world-class Buddh International Circuit under guidance from the world’s best instructors. The AMG Driving Academy offers courses to suit your level and take it towards perfection with challenging race track training across 6 skill levels. The track experience is like no other and leaves you in complete enthral.

 

If you are still hungry for more, sign up for any of the Mercedes-Benz international driving events. For the young guns out there, Mercedes-Benz ‘Young Star Driving Program’ is designed to train young aspiring drivers under race tested conditions with expert professionals on track to guide you into the world of professional motor racing.

 

So logon to www.mercedesbenzperformancedrive.in to set your pulse racing with the Mercedes-Benz Performance Drive.

Own a Star with ease

Contrary to belief, owning a Star does not cost the earth. While the Mercedes-Benz Star Lease program guarantees that you can experience the best of our automobiles at the lowest cost, the Star Ease program demonstrates Mercedes-Benz’s on-going commitment to ensuring that you also enjoy a low cost of maintenance and low cost of spares with the Mercedes-Benz Star Ease program. This is backed with a high level of warranty that is best in class and leaves the competition racing to keep pace. 

The Star Ease program promises peace of mind with a three year standard warranty with the fourth year warranty on the C-Class just costing you a mere additional Rs. 30500.  This warranty can be purchased at any time during the first three years of ownership. The package is available on purchase of any of our automobiles being sold.

Star Ease is available in two packages- the Star Ease Basic Package and the Star Ease Comprehensive Package. The Basic Package covers essential service jobs like change of engine oil, filters, brake fluid, coolant, STAR Diagnosis, exterior wash and interior cleaning (to name a few), for a period of 3 years or 60,000 kms, whichever occurs earlier.

The Star Ease Comprehensive Package provides coverage for an additional 30,000 kms for the motoring enthusiast. While providing all the services of the Basic Package, the Comprehensive Package offers wheel alignment and balancing, inspection and change of transmission oil, transmission filter and gasket, brake pads, break discs and wear sensors, and wiper blades.

As an owner who has availed of this program, you will not waste time in workshops as your car is handled on a priority basis. The regular estimation and approval phase is bypassed for Star Ease owners. What’s more this service package can be availed of at any Mercedes-Benz workshop across India.

What makes the Star Ease program truly unique is that the promise of worry free ownership can be transferred during the duration of the program. So if you part ways with your Star, the new owner can still reap the rewards of this exclusive program. 

The Star Ease package promises a world of benefit to our esteemed customers and is a demonstration of our commitment to ensure you get the very best from our stars. The warranties that it offers combined with low costs of spares ensures that you have low cash outflows. The features available in our programs are best in class and exceed what our closest competitors have to offer. So experience peace of mind today and walk into a Mercedes-Benz dealership today to sign up for a Star Ease package and worry free motoring.

mb. Connect! with Farhan Akhtar

Mercedes Benz believes in connecting with owners, enthusiasts and fans at the core level and the ‘Star Drive’ is one such media of establishing such connection. After providing some hardcore adrenaline pumping moments all over India, the Mercedes Benz ‘Star drive’ experience hit Mumbai. This unrivalled experience showcased the unparalleled performance of Mercedes Benz products combined with the sophistication in terms of engineering, technology and pure luxury. The intensity was further raised by the presence of Mercedes Benz Customer and Bollywood superstar Farhan Akhtar.

Mercedes Benz and success are two words which often go hand in hand and Farhan Akhtar has had the best of both. On this edition of mb connect, Farhan tests the limits of the Mercedes cars at Juhu aerodrome and answers questions posted by facebook fans in a candid session with Mr. Debasis Mitra. Farhan Akhtar’s association with bollywood goes back to more than a decade. Having delivered blockbusters such as Dil Chahta Hai, Don and Zingadi Na Milege Dobara, he shares a special passion for Mercedes Benz cars and also happens to be the first owner of the ultimate SUV, the all new ML Class. 

Out of the many questions posted by fans, Farhan answered the selected questions with utmost enthusiasm. He has a special liking for SUV’s and has done a road trip all around Europe in the ML Class and said he feels absolutely relaxed and comfortable when he is behind the wheel of his favourite Mercedes. He rarely prefers to be a passenger and is eager to jump into the driver’s seat and relish the Mercedes Benz driving experience. Farhan proclaims himself to be lucky to be the first owner of the ML Class and vows to put this mighty SUV to the limit of its tremendous capability. Being completely a family man, Farhan gives due importance to his family for their opinions on buying a car. Versatility is one of his key attributes and it’s not easy to be an actor, director, producer, writer and singer at the same time and Farhan would like to leave it to his fans as to how they will like to remember him. 

That’s all from this edition of mb connect with Farhan Akhtar, stay tuned for the next mb connect with a special star.

Inclined for star treatment? Highlights from StarDrive Mumbai.

Inclined for star treatment? Highlights from StarDrive Mumbai.

The Mercedes-Benz StarDrive got petrol-heads in Mumbai all enthused over the weekend. Renowned for demonstrating the marvels of Mercedes-Benz engineering across 11 cities, the Mumbai edition was conducted at the Juhu Aerodrome on the 1^st and 2^nd of December. The venue was the perfect place to put the stars through their paces and allowed fans to experience these marvels of automotive engineering like they are meant to be. On display were the stunning SLS AMG, G-55 AMG and E-Cabriolet while enthusiasts could experience the M-Class, and C 63 AMG at the hands of experts. StarDrive Mumbai also saw Farhan Akhtar participate in the event as he put his favourite Stars through their paces.

The StarDrive Experience demonstrates Mercedes-Benz hallmark levels of safety by providing participants with a first-hand demonstration of PRE-SAFE®.  One of the several safety systems that contribute to the Mercedes-Benz Integral Safety concept, PRE-SAFE® takes anticipatory precautions when an imminent collision is detected. Seats bend forward into a favourable position, head rests adjust and seat belts tighten, in addition the windows and the sun roof close automatically for preventive action.  Participants get to experience PRE-SAFE® in a completely controlled and safe environment. Also demonstrated are the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP).

Participants also climbed to new heights with the SUV demonstration that included the M-Class and the GL-Class. These mighty titans made little of a 40 degree slope with the help of their PRO-ENGINEERING Package while the Hill Hold Assist helped the vehicle stand stationary for a breath taking 2.5 seconds before rolling back. Descending is a piece of cake with Downhill Speed Regulation allowing the driver to set the speed of 4 to 18 kmph for a controlled descent. Participants were treated to a drive that was as smooth as silk as the differential lock system made little of difficult terrain.

The Mumbai edition of the StarDrive was unlike any other with a guest appearance of one of our favourite stars – Farhan Akhtar. He slipped behind the wheel of an M-Class to experience the SUV test track on his own terms. This was followed by a breath-taking ride in the C63 AMG,  on the slalom course. This was followed by drives in the SLS AMG and G55 AMG. The icing on the cake was that winners of our StarDrive with Farhan Akhtar contest got to experience an exhilarating drive in the M-Class with their favourite Star.

2012 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX – RACE

A thrilling Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos yesterday saw Michael Schumacher end his Formula One career with a battling seventh place finish, whilst Nico Rosberg came home in 15th position after a dramatic and rain-affected race.

• Both drivers suffered a puncture from debris in the early stages of the race which compromised their afternoons
• Michael stopped four times on laps 5, 8, 17 and 54, with a prime/prime/inter/prime/inter tyre usage
• Nico also came into the pits four times on laps 9, 18, 20 and 50, using option/inter/prime/prime/inter tyres

Michael Schumacher
What an exciting and eventful Grand Prix! Strangely enough, my last ever Formula One race began with a puncture which pushed me down the running order. But it’s always been my philosophy to never give up - there’s always a chance, you just have to keep going and seize it when it comes. It’s a strange sort of coincidence that I’ve ended my Formula One career now in P7, which was my first ever qualifying result at Spa-Francorchamps 308 races ago. It also occurs to me that I was driving with the number seven on my car yesterday and that I have seven world championship trophies in my cabinet. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel on claiming his third world title in a row. I’m very proud of Sebastian and really thrilled for him. As early as the first lap, I suddenly found him blocking the track facing the wrong way, but then the two of us both staged great comebacks in the race. His performance also showed that you just have to keep plugging away. Even under these difficult conditions, my final Formula One race was tremendous fun, and I would once again like to thank the team and all my fans for their support over the past years. I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together very much indeed.

Nico Rosberg
That was definitely the longest race of my life yesterday! The start was pretty good, and I was running in the top eight. After the puncture however, there was damage to the floor and I lost a lot of performance. So unfortunately I had no chance to fight back from there. It must have been a fantastic race for the fans here in Interlagos and watching on the TV and I hope they enjoyed the show. Congratulations to Sebastian on the world title which is very well deserved. For myself, I am now looking forward to next year and the chance to attack again. Many thanks to the team for all of their efforts this year which saw our first win together, and we can look forward to making further progress and a better 2013.

 

Ross Brawn 
We saw a very dramatic race yesterday and a fitting finale to a great season for Formula One. From our perspective, the two punctures early on put us in a difficult position with both cars. Nico’s car suffered a lot of damage and that made his race very difficult. Michael’s puncture wasn’t as severe and the team did a good job to recover, with some help from the safety car. Michael showed all of the skills that we know he has yesterday to salvage his race; considered overtaking, good decisions on tyre strategy, and he kept the car on the road to bring us home some points. It was a nice way to finish the season and his career with us. In terms of results, his second spell in Formula One hasn’t been as special but it has been so for all of us who have had the privilege of working with him. It has been a real honour for all of the boys and girls at our team, and working alongside Michael gives you a real understanding of why he is so special and has achieved seven world championships. He will be missed and we all wish him the very best for the future. Congratulations to Sebastian on achieving his third world title yesterday, a very impressive achievement.

Norbert Haug
What an incredibly dramatic way to round off a long championship season! Michael and Nico had to make unplanned stops for punctures caused by debris on the track, losing a lot of time in the process. Both cars sustained damage to their underbody as a result, which affected down force and pushed up lap times, with Nico’s car suffering more than Michael’s. In his final race, Michael mastered the difficult, damp conditions on the track in impressive style, battling his way through to seventh place. It was great to see Michael overcoming all these problems to finish among the points in his last ever Formula One race. We thank Michael not only for his tremendous dedication and his racing achievements for our team, but also for those great personal qualities that he manifested at all times. The three seasons he spent with us will always serve as a model of team play at its best. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing on wrapping up the world championship hat-trick. To become world champion three years in succession is a remarkable feat that has been achieved by only two previous drivers - Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher.