Mercedes-Benz A Class

The Mercedes A Class facelift India launch took place today at an event in Mumbai. The A 180 petrol version is priced at INR 24.95 lacs while the A 200 CDI diesel has an ex-showroom, Mumbai price of INR 25.95 lacs. Dynamic Select system with three drive modes - Eco, Sport and Comfort Mercedes Benz Apps - Mercedes-Benz Apps provide internet connectivity through apps like Tunein Radio, Weather, Mercedes-Benz Radio, RSS Newsfeeds HRS Hotel search, News and Morningstar finance. Engine and transmission options have been carried over from the outgoing version. The A 180 petrol is powered by a 1595cc engine which churns out 121 bhp of peak power and 200 Nm of peak torque. The A 200 CDI, on the other hand, is powered by a 2143cc diesel motor which puts out 134 bhp and 300 Nm. Both engined will come mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission. Mr. Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India commented, “We couldn’t have concluded the product offensive of 2015 with a better product. As the most progressive model in the compact luxury segment, the A-Class has been instrumental in making Mercedes-Benz brand more youthful. The A-Class pioneered ‘compact luxury’ in India and with the new A-Class we have just raised the benchmark even higher.

The W221 S-Class features a similar number and variety of engine choices as the previous generation W220 S-Class. The twin-turbo V12 S600 returns with the W221 generation, and features a 5.5L twin-turbo V12 with an output of 510 hp (380 kW). The S550 completes the 0-60mph run in just 5.5 seconds. Mercedes-Benz has traditionally introduced its safety innovations in the S-Class. For instance, the S-Class was the first car in Europe to incorporate airbags. Road accident statistics on a model-by-model basis from the UK Department of Transport show that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is one of the safest cars on the UK roads (measured in terms of chance of death in an accident). Ocean Drive concept: at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in 2006, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Ocean Drive concept, a convertible based on the W221 S-Class. F700 research car: a concept future hybrid, the F700 Research Car, was also unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show.

The F700 featured three regular opening doors and a fourth door capable of 180 degree rotation. The BMW 7-Series has always been a very important car to look at for those who loves BMWs. As the flagship model, new design cues and technology more often than not makes its debut on the 7-Series first and then slowly trickles down the rest of the model range. Let’s have a close look at the new F01 7-Series after the jump. Styling-wise, the new 7-Series follows the Bangle principle of revolution-evolution design language cycles. If you look back in the history of BMW designs at the 5-Series, the E34 was a revolutionary design language while the E39 was an evolution of the E34. When the E60 made its debut, it was an evolution again. For the 7-Series, the previous E65 / E66 model marked a revolution in the 7-Series design, so this new F01 model must naturally be an evolution.

And it is somewhat, actually looking more like an evolution of the E60 rather than the E65. BMW makes no attempt to hide the bulk of the car (no crease lines by the side etc), in fact the rear end looks so large you might mistake it for an SUV’s at certain angles. The front end is quite clearly inspired by the BMW CS Concept, from the large nostrils to the headlamps which actually have a similiar internal configuration of individual lamps and “eyebrow” but differing slightly in shape. From the front three quarter angle it reminds me of a distorted E39 5-Series - there is the similiar engine hood, kidney grille shape (though not the same size) and a similiar bumper to the post-facelift E39. The top of the range 750i is powered by the N63B44 4.4 liter twin turbocharged V8 which made a world debut in the BMW X6 xDrive50i. In the 7-Series it produces 407hp between 5,500 to 6,400rpm and a peak torque of 600Nm between 1,750rpm and 4,500rpm, and takes the car from 0 to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds. The 740i is powered by the N54B30 3.0 liter twin turbocharged inline-6.