Oh Lord, won’t you buy me / a Mercedes-Benz / My friends all have Porsches / I must make amends / So Lord, won’t you buy me / a Merceeeeedes-Benz...’ Not my words, but Rock queen Janis Joplin’s. And in any case, I don’t have any friends who have Porsches, let alone posh cars. But you know what, this is the song I am usually humming while at work, at home, in the loo, even while driving.
In fact, especially while driving a Merc. Even one that looks virtually identical to the one it’s replaced. Enter the ‘new’ C-Class. It is new, no doubt, having been launched in Europe this April, and we in India have got it at almost the same time as UK and Japan. But its newness is equivalent to the Classic Milds cigarette pack getting those bevelled edges, or a packet of Surf ‘Now With Neurons!’ or whatever they put in it to make your clothes turn whiter.
Usually, whenever Daimler-Chrysler India launches the facelifted version of any of their Mercs, it’s an opportunity for them to raise the prices as well. This time, surprise, surprise, the new C’s price is unchanged. Except for that famous two per cent cess, both the C 220 CDI and C 200 K, retail at the same price as before. Which is Rs 25.23 lakh and Rs 22.98 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai) respectively.
|
