Mercedes-Benz B-Class diesel launching on July 11

Mercedes-Benz India is looking very aggressive now for the Indian car market, and working hard to regain its lost ground, captured by two of its global rivals Audi and BMW. The German luxury car manufacturer has already launched three new products, new E-Class saloon, A-Class premium hatchback and the new GL Class SUV. Now, the firm is all set to launch the B-Class diesel in India on July 11. B-Class was launched last year with a single petrol engine, and this time it will soon get diesel power as well.

The diesel version B-Class is likely to be called the B180 CDI, and it would get the same 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, which also powers the A-Class A180 CDI in India. The engine is capable of developing 108bhp and 250Nm of top torque. It is coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which transmits power to the front wheels of the B-Class diesel. A-Class diesel offers an impressive fuel economy of 20.06kmpl, and the same mileage figure is also expected from the Diesel B-Class.

Moreover, the B Class diesel is expected to be priced slightly lower than the petrol model, which we already witnessed in the case of A-Class hatchback. The B-Class diesel is likely to miss out some of the styling features such as a panoramic sunroof, and a small 16-inch alloy wheels (petrol version comes with 17-inch alloy wheels).

The German auto major has recorded an impressive 32.35 per cent growth, which is the company's best ever Quarter result in the last 2 years. It sold a total pf 1756 units in Q2, 2013 as against 1327 units in the corresponding period last year, thanks to newly launched A-Class, E-Class facelift and new GL-Class. The company believes that with the B-Class diesel, it will further improve its market position here in India.