Make in India is gaining momentum and India’s Prime Minister
Narendra Modi should be a happy man. Leading luxury car brand Mercedes-Benz has
announced the local production of its sporty luxury sedan CLA. The seventh
product to be produced in India, the CLA was rolled-out of Mercedes-Benz’s new
production facility by Eberhard Kern, Managing Director & CEO,
Mercedes-Benz India and Piyush Arora, Executive Director, Operations,
Mercedes-Benz India.
Mercedes-Benz India also
commenced the start of production of the GLA 200 Sport petrol variant along
with the CLA. The GLA 200 CDI is already under production from Mercedes-Benz’s
new production facility since June 2015. The customers can now avail the
locally produced range of the GLA comprising both the petrol and diesel
variant.
The CLA’s 4-cylinder
turbocharged diesel engine returns 17.9 kmpl and produces 100kW(136 hp)of power
and a maximum torque of 300 Nm. The 2 litre petrol engine produces 135 kW(183
hp)of powerand a torque of300Nm. It accelerates from 0 to 100 kmph in 7.8
seconds with a top speed of 235 kmph.
The CLA’s suspension is
designed for Indian roads to maximise ride comfort with higher ground clearance
and seating position. The sedan’s long wheelbase of 2699 mm good ride comfort,
handling and driving performance.
The CLA has the segment best
drag coefficient for any luxury production car in India. This results in
reduced wind noise and unparalleled comfort in the CLA.
The infotainment system offers
Mercedes-Benz Apps such as Mercedes-Benz Radio. With user-friendly navigation,
precise map data and excellent route guidance, the Garmin MAP PILOT brings all
the familiar benefits of a Garmin navigation system to the Audio 20 CD. This is
done by simply inserting an SD card with navigation software and map data sets
and is available as a Mercedes-Benz The CLA has a reversing camera, which is
offered as standard feature.
Safety features include ABS,
BAS, ESP, ASR and Hill Start Assist.. The sedan has a high structural safety of
the body-shell with six airbags. Innovative sensor technology is applied to
coordinate and activate the safety systems according to the given situation.
These have ensured that the car has a 5 star rating from Euro NCAP. Assistance
systems such as Attention Assist warn the driver when it detects typical signs
of drowsiness in the driver’s steering behaviour while Steer Control can assist
the driver with corrective steering action in critical situations.
The production of the CLA and
the GLA involves use of technologically advanced synchronised conveyor systems,
use of the latest generation PLC control units for all the equipment which
provide adaptability with different models on common production lines, thus increasing the
flexibility of the production.
Source: Mercedes-Benz India