BMW Bitch-Slaps Benz. Benz Retaliates
Watching people “Snap” is very funny (when I was at school in the UK they were called “cuss matches”). I learnt some very funny insults. Some insults were so funny, I’ve been banned from reproducing them on TTAC (Ed – We’re a family website!). But nothing lifts the spirits more than watching 2 people going head-to-head, armed with the sharpest, finest “Yo mamma…” insults. But what happens when that element comes to the automotive world? Well…
Even though the luxury car market in India is very small, the players are taking it seriously. So seriously, they’re trying to bitch slap each other. The Hindustan Times reports that Mercedes-Benz and BMW are “trading verbal volleys at each other at every opportunity.” 2 Germans hurling insults at each other in the middle of India? Did someone put a load of magic mushrooms on my pizza? Pee in your curry? Gee, in Germany something like that would get you a “cut it out now!” phone call from the VDA, the “Verband der Automobilhersteller” (formerly “Verband Deutscher Autobomilhersteller”). But in India?
Apparently, the Stuttgart squads have been accusing the Munich mob of lashing out on big discounts and de-contenting its cars in order to stay on top. “We do not believe in discounts or de-contenting like some of our competitors,” said Wilfried Aulbur, CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, “We make aspirational products and every customer has some minimum expectations from a Merc. De-contenting will be a shame.” How did the Munich mob come back? Firstly, they dismissed Herr Aulbur’s comments “Our brand remains as aspirational as ever but we are only making it accessible to a lot more people,” said Andreas Schaaf, President of BMW India, “Whatever the competitor may say, we have done in all Asian markets with remarkable results. That is not to say they have not done something similar with their C class.”
Herr Schaaf has also got personal with Mercedes-Benz by suggesting that the Stuttgart squad were feeling slightly inadequate after being toppled as number one in India by a certain company from Munich. “There is not one single initiative where our rival is ahead of us,” said Schaaf, “Be it such business activities like pre-owned cars, financial services or corporate editions or marketing endeavors like organizing lifestyle events, we have led and they have followed us.” I’m waiting for Mercedes-Benz to hit back about BMW’s big, fat Bangle butt. Oh snap!
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As they bitch slap each other TATA motors sets up Jaguar Land Rover dealers. Nice.
the facts behind this argument. BMW launched a "corporate edition"(read as without i-drive, manual transmission, tubeless tires instead of run flats and a simple music system) 3-series, with a 2.0 diesel engines(diesel is 40 % cheaper than petrol in India). and being corporate edition it also came with "corporate discounts, fleet discounts and dealer level goodies like free insurance up to 3-5 yrs the BMW 320d (corporate edition) retails at 24'00'000 rupees, while the base model Mercedes C-class diesel retails at 30'00'000 rupees. Although the base Audi A4 diesel is priced at 33'30'000 rupees. Interestingly top end models of the toyota camry is priced at approximately 26'00'000 rupees and honda accord is priced at 22'00'000 for the top end 2.4 petrol while the 3.5 V6 is priced at around 30'00'000 rupees and the Nissan teana is priced at approximately 30'00'000 rupees, while the VW passat is priced at 22'50'000 rupees, none of the cars come with a diesel engine. while the diesel cars- skoda superb at approx 25'50'000 and pre gen Hyundai Sonata at approx 20'00'000 rupees for top end diesel variant with auto transmission, while manual is priced at 18'50'000 rupees approx, although response for the sonata have been poor, the skoda has been well received and in delhi i see the BMW 3-series dime a dozen. all prices above are approximate prices and are in Indian Rupee