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New models - Mercedes-Benz - C-Class - C200 CGI sedanIdle-stop brings Benz C-class savingsTaxing times: Mercedes-Benz used its announcement of the more fuel-efficient C-class variants as an opportunity to lash out at the federal government’s luxury car tax. Mercedes-Benz passes on Luxury Car Tax savings as some C-class models get idle-stop6 Feb 2012 LUXURY Car Tax savings of up to $2300 have been passed onto customers as the advent of idle-stop on petrol four-cylinder variants of the MY2012 Mercedes-Benz C-class nudges combined fuel consumption figures below seven litres per 100 kilometres. Beating the federal government’s LCT fuel-efficiency threshold has reduced the price of entry to a C200 by a modest $300 to $58,600 (plus on-road costs) for the sedan and $60,600 for the wagon. The fitment of idle-stop, which automatically turns off the engine when the vehicle comes to a halt and restarts it when it is time to move off, has caused the C200’s fuel consumption to drop from 7.2L/100km to 6.8L/100km for both the sedan and wagon. A larger $2300 cost saving is applied to the more powerful and expensive C250, now available from $65,600 in sedan form (down from 7.3L/100km to 6.9L/100km) and $67,700 for the wagon (down from 7.4L/100km to 6.9L/100km). In its press release announcing the changes, Mercedes-Benz lashed out at the LCT scheme, which applies to cars priced higher than $57,466 unless they are deemed fuel-efficient, in which case the bar rises to $75,375.  Left: Mercedes-Benz C200 sedan and C250 wagon. Below: All-new BMW 3 Series line-up.Mercedes said it does not believe that any vehicle purchaser should have to pay LCT. “It is a tax on technology and safety,” the company argued. “No other so-called luxury purchase is subject to such a regressive, discriminatory and inequitable tax.” The 33 per cent levy is applied to the purchase amount above the relevant threshold rather than the entire vehicle price, so a C200 sedan buyer can also now save 33 per cent on up to $16,775 worth of extras before they hit the LCT threshold. Lopping $2300 from the C250 has given Benz a $1300 price advantage over the new F30 BMW 328i that will be launched in Australia next month, although BMW’s entry-level petrol variant, the 320i, will still undercut the C200 by $1000. Both four-cylinder petrol 3 Series variants consume 0.6L/100km less fuel than their Mercedes equivalents. Last year, Toyota Australia executive vice-president David Buttner also spoke out against the luxury car tax. Mr Buttner’s comments were made amid reports of evaders using a loophole to rort the system and in reference to Toyota having the country’s highest sales of LCT-eligible vehicles despite being a mainstream brand. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has called for a reform of the taxation system and stands by 2010 Henry taxation review, which recommended the abolition of the LCT. The C-class sedan and wagon, which were facelifted in May last year, accounted for 6428 sales in 2011 (down 4.0 per cent), 1375 more than the 3 Series, which was down 16.8 per cent.
 Read more20th of January 2012  BMW announces 3 Series price pointsNew entry-level 3 Series petrol and diesel variants to undercut Mercedes C-class21st of December 2011  BMW goes for value jugular with new 3 SeriesSharp pricing, generous equipment and high efficiency for BMW’s new 3 Series in OzAll new models Alfa Romeo Abarth Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chrysler Chevrolet Dodge Citroen Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton Haval Great Wall Honda Holden Hyundai HSV Isuzu Infiniti Jaguar Iveco Kia Jeep Land Rover Lamborghini Maserati Lexus McLaren Mazda MG Mercedes-Benz Mitsubishi Mini Opel Nissan Porsche Peugeot Ram Proton Rolls-Royce Renault Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo VolkswagenC-Class pricing
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