Mercedes-Benz India has launched the 2021 S-Class priced at Rs 2.17 crore for the diesel and Rs 2.19 crore for the petrol variant, ex-showroom-India. The company claims that more than 75 units out of the total allocation of 150 CBU Launch Edition 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.

Martin Schwenk, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “We are thrilled to launch the flagship of our portfolio, the all-new S-Class in India. With each new generation, this flagship sets a new benchmark for the automotive industry. Holding the current title of the ‘World Luxury Car of the Year’, the new S-Class underscores our ambition of introducing to our discerning customers the most desirable products from our global portfolio, offering them innovation, safety, comfort and quality like never before. In the new S-Class, the entire focus remains on the individual, who is able to experience the luxury limousine with all their senses like never before.”

He added, “We are confident that our customers will be highly excited with the new S-Class’ intelligent use of technology, exceptional standards of safety and luxury and the intuitive operation and handling. Mercedes-Benz India will keep reimagining excellence and keep pushing the boundaries in the luxury car segment by driving in such desirable products in our diverse product line-up. Witnessing a strong demand for our new and existing products, we expect to maintain a steady pace with our overall market strategy and are optimistic for an uptick in demand and gradual recovery in coming months.”

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 new S-Class 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 10 years of the life of the car. 

With a total of 15 model launches 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. 

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