Merc A 150 is entry-level car in premium segment
Primastuti Handayani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In a bid to tap the lucrative automotive market that exists below the price level of Rp 300 million (US$31,680), luxury carmaker PT DaimlerChrsyler Indonesia has launched the new Mercedes-Benz A- Class range.
"The launch of the new A 150 is because DaimlerChrysler wants to enter a market segment that has most customer potential," the company's deputy director for marketing planning and communications, Yuniadi H. Hartono, said during the launch last week at Grand Hyatt hotel, Central Jakarta.
He added that the new A-Class would face a tough challenge from both direct and indirect competitors in that particular price segment.
Although he declined to mention its competitors by name, the new A-Class would face a tough challenge in the premium compact car market segment from BMW, which launched its 120i, and Audi with its A3 Sportback. Both the BMW and Audi cars, which are hatchbacks, are offered at over Rp 400 million on the road.
Meanwhile, the A 150 has a price tag of "only" Rp 260 million off the road (about Rp 280 million on the road).
"With the vehicle priced very competitively, we are optimistic that we can sell around 300 new A-class cars by the end of the year," Yuniadi said.
Following its launch in Indonesia in 2000, the company had sold about 1,700 vehicles by the end of 2004. Worldwide, Mercedes-Benz has sold about 1.1 million A-Class cars.
DaimlerChrysler, which has Mercedes-Benz as its flagship marque, said in its website that roughly 113,400 customers globally had purchased the new A-Class since it was launched in September 2004.
The company said earlier that women buyers accounted for around 40 percent of total A-Class sales.
With seven variants available from its Rastatt plant, only the A 150 five-door version will enter the domestic market.
The new A-Class retains the basic shape of its predecessor, although the new one is longer and more spacious, making it serve as a family car, although it is marketed as a compact car.
The lines of the bodyshell plus its three-layer grille aim to highlight the dynamic and appealing aspects of its character.
The car still employs singular sandwich construction for its floor, which allows the fuel tank and spare wheel to sit under the passenger floor, and also enables it to swallow the engine in a frontal impact.
In the exterior, the A 150 has "teardrop" headlights with LED direction indicators, which have become a recognizable part of the Mercedes-Benz "design family".
With only manual transmission available -- although customers can also order an automatic version -- the car also has a multifunction steering wheel just like other, larger Mercedes- Benz models.
Carrying a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine under the bonnet, the car can produce a maximum output of 95 horsepower at 5,200 revs per minute (rpm) and maximum torque of 140 Newton-meters at 3,500 rpm to 4,000 rpm.
"The new A-Class will serve as an entry-level vehicle for those who wish to own a premium car with an emphasis on style and looks," Yuniadi said.