New Mercedes-Benz S-Class introduced at Rs 2.17 crore

Mercedes-Benz India has introduced the 2021 S-Class priced at Rs 2.17 crore for the diesel and Rs 2.19 crore, for the petrol variants, ex-showroom-India. The company claims that 75 units out of the total allocation of 150 sedans have already been booked in India.

The flagship sedan in its V223 model iteration is initially being offered in a special ‘Launch Edition’ which comes as a fully-built CBU import with choices of six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. The locally-assembled version will be introduced in due course of time. 

The new S-Class Launch Edition features Mercedes’ new ‘Digital Light’ LED headlamps, flush door handles and a rear-axle steering. It further gets the AMG Line trim, thereby lending a sportier look with more aggressive design elements on the bumper and 20-inch alloy wheels.

12.8-inch OLED touchscreen with MBUX
On the inside, the flat-bottomed AMG steering wheel sits in front of a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. A brand-new 12.8-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen takes up a significant portion of the centre console. The new OLED touchscreen runs Mercedes' latest MBUX (NTG7) system and also features facial, voice and fingerprint recognition. Also, as with other MBUX-equipped Mercedes-Benz models, the system will receive over-the-air updates. 

The infotainment unit also boasts of 320GB internal storage, along with 16GB of RAM. Additionally, features like 64-colour active ambient lighting, a Burmester 4D surround sound system are also unique to the Launch Edition. 

The S-Class Launch Edition gets electrically-adjustable rear seats, which also get a function to raise the leg rest and massage electronically. A chauffeur package allows rear passengers to adjust the co-driver’s seat with the touch of a button, two high-definition rear-seat entertainment screens, and a central tablet to control various in-car functions. 
In terms of safety innovation, a unique touch includes frontal airbags for rear occupants, thus taking the total airbag count to 10.

In-line-six cylinder powertrain options
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class Launch Edition comes in two variants – the diesel 400d 4Matic and the petrol 450 4Matic. The S 400d gets the in-line-six diesel engine that develops 326bhp and a notable 700Nm of torque. The S 450 petrol, too, features an in-line-six turbocharged unit, putting out 362bhp and 500Nm of torque. An all-wheel drive system and 9-speed automatic gearbox come standard on both the variants.

Mercedes-Benz India says that the S-Class has always been the most-preferred luxury car for businessmen and families with over 8,000 S-Class sedans presently on the Indian roads. "Most of the target customers for the luxury sedan are in the age bracket of 38 to 45 years and include businessmen, doctors, movie actors and CEOs," said Martin Schwenk, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.

The company has also announced compact service packages for the new S-Class which start at Rs 83,000 annually for up to ten years of the life of the car. 

With a total of 15 model launch planned for 2021, Mercedes-Benz India aims to grow at over 50 percent in H1 of 2021. Despite the SUV boom in the market, sedans, particularly the E-Class, S-Class and C-Class, have contributed to over 56 percent of the carmaker's sales in India in the last five years.