Mercedes-Benz B-Class facelift to make its global debut at Paris Motor Show

Mercedes-Benz  B-Class facelift, codenamed W246, will make its global premeire in October at the Paris Motor Show. Bookings for the car open sometime in June, while sales are expected to begin in November 2014.

It has been two and half years since the car went into production and now, the German automaker has scheduled a minor makeover for the B-Class. This facelifted car features modest changes externally and internally but, the talking point seems to be its headlights. Most of the spy shots of the vehicle were also seen with camouflage around the front fascia and the taillights. 

This compact MPV will be optionally offered with LED incorporated Intelligent Light System, an adaptive headlamp system that automatically adjusts depending on light, weather and driving conditions. The B-Class facelift will get additional 4MATIC all-wheel drive versions along with an updated navigation system. We can also expect some changes to the bumpers.

Coming to the oily bits, the engines are likely to be carried over with minor modification for improved performance and reduced fuel consumption. The B-Class is powered by a series of engines ranging from a 1.5-litre to 2.2-litre in diesel and 1.6-litre to 2.0-litre in petrol. There are also rumours that the company is thinking of replacing the 1.5-litre diesel engines sourced from Renault with a newer 1.6-litre mill. 

It is believed there will be a plug-in hybrid and/or an electric variant sometime next year to compete with BMW's i3 which is offered both as an EV and as a plug-in hybrid equipped with a range-extending engine.

It was the cheapest Mercedes ever when it was launched in 2011and has been performing well in terms of sales, it is only recently that it received competition in the form of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer.

In India, the B-Class is assembled at the Chakan facility and we expect this sports tourer facelift to be assembled here as well. The car was earlier spied testing along with the current model which indicates the changes will not be too radical and even the price is expected to hover around the Rs 28 lakh-Rs 30 lakh bracket. The Indian launch dates have not been revealed as yet, but they should be within a few months from November.

Source: WCF