Mercedes-Benz launches GLA45 AMG at Rs 69.60 lakh

German luxury carmarker Mercedes-Benz yesterday launched its latest sports utility vehicle, GLA45 AMG, at a starting price of Rs69.60 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai.

With one more launch to go this year after the current ninth product launch of 2014, the company is looking to drive annual sales past the 10,000-unit mark this year, Hindustan Times reported.

AMG is the company's performance brand of which the company has 8 products on offer in India.

Explaining the company's focus on the AMG portfolio, Eberhard Kren, managing director and CEO Mercedes-Benz India said, the high performance segment was a small niche segment, but the company had seen 150 per cent growth in AMGs and that was the reason for its focus on the segment of which the company had launched four this year.

Under the strategy the company also launched three AMG performance centres in the country earlier this year.

The GLA 45 AMG SUV sports a 2-litre four cylinder engine which develops a maximum output of 265 kW and 450 Nm of torque, coupled with AMG 7-speed transmission and variable AMG performance all-wheel drive.

According to the company, the demand for luxury cars in India remained strong this year, with a number of products in the ML class, GL class, and the S class, running long waiting lists.

The domestic product line of the company comprises the locally produced S, E, C, GL and M-Classes and the completely built up imported models like the A, CLS, SLK-Class and the luxury tourer B-Class, in addition to the iconic off-roader G-63 AMG and a wide range of other AMG performance cars like the CLA45 AMG, C63 AMG, E63 AMG, SLK55 AMG, GL63 AMG and ML63 AMG, PTI reported.

Mercedes Benz sells it models through its 64 outlets spanning 36 cities. According to Kern, the company would add four more dealers by December.

The luxury car-maker has undertaken 100-per cent capacity expansion at its Chakan plant to 20,000 units per annum from the current 10,000 units, at an outlay of Rs250 crore.

Kern added the company had announced early this year that it would see double digit growth in 2014. The luxury car maker had logged over 16 per cent growth till September, so the company was well on track to achieve double digit growth this year.