Mercedes-Benz Malaysia outlines strategy for 2016 – A-Class facelift soon, W213 E-Class before year-end

Exciting news, folks! It has been confirmed that Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) will next be introducing the facelifted W176 A-Class here in the country, with the brand-new W213 E-Class set to follow suit before the end of the year.

At the recent launch of MBM’s new line of SUVs, the GLC, GLE and GLE Coupe, we caught up with its vice president of marketing, Mark Raine, for a quick chat about his company’s plans for 2016.

The enthusiastic VP, gleaming with confidence from a storming overall performance in 2015, was understandably unwilling to reveal too much details just yet, but did confirm the arrival of said models and outlined a strategy of what else we could see from MBM this year.

Raine confirmed that the arrival of the facelifted A-Class would happen sooner rather than later, but didn’t say when exactly. Hearsay, however, suggests that it would be some time in Q1. More interestingly, when we asked him about the possibility of there being a diesel-powered A-Class in the new line-up, Raine said, “yes, that’s definitely on the cards.”

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MBM’s confidence in diesel power has been steadily growing. He said, “launching the E 300 BlueTEC Hybrid, the CLS 250d and now the GLE 250d, our third diesel model, it’s a clear testament that we believe that there’s a certain potential in the diesel market in Malaysia. With Euro 5 now becoming more available, this obviously also encourages us to bring more diesel products here.”

It didn’t take long for us to divert our conversation with Raine towards the new W213 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, with the most obvious point of interest being, “when?” Clearly excited about the prospect himself, the VP said, “at the later part of the year, we will be introducing the new E-Class. We’re currently preparing for it and we’re very much looking forward to it.”

“I believe the new E-Class is a fantastic product. It’s got so many highlights, ranging from the interior value perception to the amount of new features the vehicle has. It is just mind-blowing,” he exclaimed. But rather than focus on specific models only, Raine explained that MBM will also be looking into adding more “depth” to its range of products.

He said, “over the last 12 to 18 months or so, you’ve witnessed our product offensive. We carefully drafted a strategy that included the compact cars, limousines, Dream Cars collection, and now, the SUVs.”

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“With the launch of the SUVs completing our four pillar segments, throughout the year, we will be launching new vehicles for each of these segments – not just new vehicles, but new variants, like the CLS 250d for instance,” said the VP.

Clearly, the move is something we’ve already begun to take notice of, seeing as how MBM recently added an A 200 AMG to its existing A-Class range, and as Raine mentioned, the CLS 250d being added alongside the existing CLS 400. We also hear that a CLA 250 and possibly a C 300 variant may be on the cards for the near future as well.

“We’ve got the width from our product portfolio that we’ve wanted to have, now, we have to get the depth and quality right – in terms of having the right setup for Malaysia. I believe that giving customers a bigger variety and more options by optimising our products to meet their needs is crucial and we will continue on that path,” Raine concluded.

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Chris Aaron

With an equal passion for fast cars and everyday workhorses, Chris Aaron maintains a passion for European makes, Formula 1, playing the electric guitar and spending endless hours on the PlayStation - first-person shooters and the Gran Turismo franchise are his favourites. He also finds it strange to have written this in the third person.

 

Comments

  • latukbandar on Jan 15, 2016 at 6:04 pm

    I like the C Class spec, but the A Class and CLA’s diamond grill are so sexy. I wish they can make a C Class facelift with those diamond grills.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • That 3rd pic, is it all the 5 cars the same model or different model?????

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
  • spongewai on Jan 15, 2016 at 7:04 pm

    good business strategy, keep up the good work

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Sam Loo on Jan 15, 2016 at 9:47 pm

    Benz, the better of all the sui kwan euros

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 4
 

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