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By Samuel Ee
*Shown above: Launching next month is the C180 1.6 CGI with a new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and a seven-speed auto gearbox which will make it more fuel-efficient.
An upgrade of the entry-level Mercedes-Benz C-Class may make the compact luxury sedan even more popular and push up the small car COE premium further.
The Mercedes-Benz C180 Kompressor with a 1.6-litre supercharged engine and five-speed automatic transmission has been one of the most successful premium models in the Category A certificate of entitlement segment for cars below 1,600cc (see table below).
Together with other Continental brands which have been available with smaller engines, these previously more expensive makes are now attracting new customers with their Cat A models because the small car COE premium is lower than the Category B big car premium.
Currently, the gap is about $25,000.
In the first three months of 2012, the C180K alone racked up an impressive 409 units or 13.1 per cent of the total 3,129 Cat A passenger cars registered in the first quarter of this year. For the whole of 2011, the 927 units of C180K accounted for 8.6 per cent of the total Cat A cars registered here last year.
Observers say the C180K has been particularly successful in winning over previous owners of two-litre Japanese sedans, which have been priced out of the market by high COE premiums and the strong Japanese yen.
Now, a new engine and transmission for the baby Benz could put the squeeze on both premiums and the competition.
Due to be launched next month is the Mercedes-Benz C180 1.6 CGI with a new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox, which promise to make it smoother and more fuel-efficient.
The new C180 1.6 CGI has 156 hp and 250 Newton-metres of torque. The power is unchanged but torque has increased 20 Nm. It sprints from zero to 100 kmh in 8.5 seconds, faster than the 9.9 seconds previously.
More importantly, despite the enhanced performance, the 1.6 CGI now consumes 6.3 litres per 100 km, or an 18 per cent improvement from the 7.7 l/100 km of the C180K.
Upgraded C180 may impact Cat A COE
Click on thumbnail to view. Story continues after photos.
(Photos: Mercedes-Benz Singapore) |
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