Just yesterday, we brought you a scintillating news of the Mercedes A Class testing in India.
Mercedes has already confirmed the launch of the new A-Class in India when they decided to heavily capitalize of the MFA platform to grow their volumes.
The most obvious competitor of the Mercedes A-Class is the BMW 1 Series. However, considering BMW already sells the Mini brand in India, we thought they will not move a muscle to welcome the A-Class. Boy! were we wrong or what!
Yesterday at the launch of the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe, Mr. Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India, confirmed that he will bring the new BMW 1 Series in India by the end of 2013. More interestingly, he plans to locally assemble the 1 Series to make sure that the little hatchback is very competitive in the market.
The 2012 BMW 1 Series (F20) is a comprehensively re-designed car inspired by the 5 Series Gran Turismo. It is available in both three door and five door format. It is based on the new 3 Series platform and the interior is inspired by the BMW X1.
The engine options are –
Petrols
- 1.6 liter petrol making 136 hp
- 1.6 liter petrol making 170 hp
Diesels
- 2.0 liter diesel engine making 116 hp
- 2.0 liter diesel with 143 hp
- 2.0 liter diesel with 184 hp
All 2012 BMW 1 Series models are available standard with a 6-speed manual or with an optional 8-speed ZF automatic transmission.
It has tonnes of goodies such as -
- Parking assistance
- Reverse camera
- Lane Departure Warning including Collision Warning
- Cruise control with brake function
- Speed-limit and no-passing information
- Internet connectivity
- Smartphone and music player integration
- Real-time traffic information
- Web radio
- Facebook and Twitter apps
- Optional iDrive system and BMW ConnectedDrive
Expect the price to be in the range of 18 to 20 lakhs.
Mercedes A Class - Are you game?
